Louisiana § RS 25:1270.3 - Neighborhood Enhancement Program

§ RS 25:1270.3. Neighborhood Enhancement Program

A.  Establishment; administration.  The Neighborhood Enhancement Program is hereby established within the department which shall assist municipalities in preparing and implementing a revitalization strategy for distressed neighborhood business districts through the establishment of neighborhood enhancement program districts and grants to provide for planning and improvements in such districts.  The department shall administer the program in conjunction with the Louisiana Main Street Program.  For this purpose, the total number of authorized positions for the department may be increased by not more than one position.

B.  Applications.  The department shall prepare application forms for the grant program established in this Chapter and award grants to municipalities and other eligible entities based on the requirements provided in Subsection D of this Section.  The department shall require that a map be furnished with all applications clearly identifying the distressed neighborhood business district.

C.  Program requirements.  The program shall:

(1)  Provide an assessment of the applying municipality's need for the following:

(a)  The establishment of a neighborhood enhancement program district to provide for revitalization of a distressed neighborhood business district.

(b)  A review of local comprehensive plans and zoning and other land use ordinances to foster the viability of distressed neighborhood business districts with a balanced mix of commercial, civic, employment, and residential uses, with particular attention to a diversity of housing options.

(c)  A review of educational and recreational opportunities and facilities.

(2)  Provide grants for neighborhood enhancement program districts, including the following:

(a)  Basic grants for a maximum of five years per project for administrative costs, including the hiring by the grant recipient of a professional manager for the project who will coordinate the project with the department.

(b)  Residential and commercial reinvestment grants for infrastructure and structural improvements, including but not limited to streets, street lights, trees, exteriors of buildings, sidewalks, or other pedestrian-oriented features.

(c)  Planning and development grants for:

(i)  Marketing and promoting urban residential living.

(ii)  Leveraging additional private and public investment.

(iii)  Promoting home ownership and other housing options.

(iv)  Promoting business ownership and other business options.

(v)  Addressing social and economic concerns, including but not limited to crime, blight, employment opportunities, and public services and amenities.

(vi)  Achieving consistency, whenever appropriate, with existing commercial and residential revitalization efforts.

D.  Eligibility.  For participation in the program, municipalities or their designated eligible entities must meet the following criteria:

(1)  Have a distressed neighborhood business district in need of revitalization.

(2) Provide evidence of support by local residents, merchants, and government officials.

(3)  Be capable of providing a minimum of a twenty-five percent match in financial or in-kind support, or both, for any department grants.

(4)  Commit to provide a minimum of a twenty-five percent match for any department grants.  The match must consist of financial or in-kind support from other public or private sources based upon departmental guidelines.  The department may waive or reduce the matching requirement if it determines such requirement would constitute a hardship upon the municipality or the eligible entity designated by the municipality.  A hardship exists if the municipality meets one of the following criteria:

(a)  The municipality is declared as financially distressed.

(b)  The matching requirements for the application would exceed five percent of the municipality's annual operating budget.

(c)  Part or all of the distressed neighborhood business district identified in the application is participating in a crime prevention program in conjunction with the local law enforcement agency.

(d)  A minimum of twenty percent of the municipality's population is in households with incomes less than one hundred fifty percent of the federal poverty level.

E.  Multiple projects.  The department may approve more than one project within the boundaries of a municipality.  Multiple projects may occur simultaneously or at different periods of time.

F.  Cooperative projects.  The department may consider applications submitted by two or more eligible entities as a single application for a single project area.

G.  Limits.  The department shall establish limits on the amount of money available per project area so as to distribute the available funds as fairly as possible throughout the state of Louisiana.

Acts 2004, No. 908, §1, eff. upon appropriation of funds by the legislature.

NOTE:  Acts 2004, No. 908 (if it becomes effective) effective until June 30, 2010, and void thereafter.