§ 8-216b — Housing site development agencies. Financial assistance for housing and community development projects. Regulations.

(a) As used in this section, “housing site development agency” means any economic development agency, human resource development agency, redevelopment agency, community development agency, housing authority or municipal developer designated by the legislative body of a municipality to carry out a housing and community development project within the municipality. (b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Housing, may enter into a contract with a housing site development agency to provide financial assistance in the form of a grant-in-aid to the agency for the purpose of carrying out the activities set forth in subsection (c) of this section in connection with a housing and community development project which supports the development of housing which will be sold or rented at prices affordable to persons and families of low and moderate income. The commissioner shall require that the housing site development agency carry out any such project in accordance with a housing and community development plan approved by the commissioner, which plan shall include: (1) A description of the project area and the condition, type and use of the structures located therein; (2) a description of any relocation required as a result of the project and a plan for such relocation; (3) a summary of any zoning regulations covering the project area and any amendments to such regulations which may be necessary; (4) a description of all real property to be acquired and all buildings and structures to be demolished or rehabilitated; (5) a description of all infrastructure improvements to be made, including an analysis of how such improvements will benefit low and moderate income persons and families; (6) the relationship of the project to local objectives concerning land use, housing needs and the development of public, community and recreational facilities; (7) the sources, types and amounts of project financing; and (8) a statement as to whether the project will displace site occupants from their dwelling units and, if so, a description of the steps which will be taken to minimize such displacement, to mitigate the adverse affects of such displacement on low and moderate income persons and to provide for the relocation assistance required by chapter 135. No grant-in-aid awarded by the commissioner under this section may exceed two-thirds of the net cost of the activities set forth in subsection (c) of this section which are carried out in connection with the project. (c) Any grant-in-aid awarded to a housing site development agency for a housing and community development project under this section shall be used for one or more of the following activities: (1) Acquisition of real property for housing or community facilities; (2) rehabilitation of buildings for use as housing or community facilities; (3) improvements supporting the development of low and moderate housing, including site assemblage and preparation, site and public improvements and preconstruction costs; (4) construction, rehabilitation or renovation of community facilities or infrastructure supporting community facilities, including neighborhood centers, centers for persons with disabilities, senior centers, historic properties, public utilities, streets, street lighting, parking facilities, sewer and drainage facilities, parks, playgrounds, and recreation facilities; (5) removal of architectural barriers which restrict the mobility and accessibility of persons who are elderly and persons with disabilities; (6) relocation payments and assistance to individuals and families; (7) building, health and housing code enforcement activities; and (8) reasonable administrative costs incurred by the grantee in connection with the project. A redevelopment agency acting as a housing site development agency shall have the power to condemn real property, in accordance with the procedures set forth in sections 8-129 to 8-133 , inclusive, for the purpose of a housing and community development project. (d) Any real property acquired with the use of any grant-in-aid awarded under this section by a housing site development agency in connection with a housing and community development project for use as housing predominantly for persons and families of low and moderate income, including any such property acquired for use as commercial and community facilities designed to serve such housing, may be transferred for consideration which is less than cost or fair market value to (1) a housing authority, or (2) a person, firm or corporation who the commissioner determines is subject to the regulation or supervision of operations, rents, charges, income, or sales price with respect to such real property under a regulatory agreement or other instrument which restricts occupancy of such housing predominantly to persons and families whose income does not exceed one hundred per cent of the area median income, as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (e) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Housing, may enter into a contract with a nonprofit corporation for state financial assistance for a housing and community development project under this section. Such financial assistance shall be in the form of a grant-in-aid in an amount not to exceed two-thirds of the net cost of the activities set forth in subsection (c) of this section which are carried out in connection with the project and shall be made only to a nonprofit corporation which has secured a commitment for mortgage financing from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the Farmers' Home Administration. Such project shall conform to the requirements of this section and such other requirements as the commissioner may prescribe. (f) The Commissioner of Housing shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the purposes of this section.

Legislative History

(P.A. 88-280, S. 1; P.A. 89-127, S. 1, 2; P.A. 90-205, S. 4; 90-238, S. 19, 32; P.A. 91-398, S. 5, 7; P.A. 93-309, S. 24, 29; P.A. 93-435, S. 77, 95; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 06-93, S. 16; P.A. 13-234, S. 2; P.A. 17-202, S. 10.) History: P.A. 89-127 deleted requirement that project be part of a coordinated neighborhood rehabilitation and revitalization effort in a predominantly residential area; P.A. 90-205 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting requirement that designation of a housing site development agency be by ordinance; P.A. 90-238 amended Subdiv. (a) of Subsec. (c) to provide that the administrative costs referred to are those of the grantee; P.A. 91-398 amended Subsec. (c) by authorizing redevelopment agencies acting as housing site development agencies to condemn real property; P.A. 93-309 added new Subsec. (g) prohibiting the commissioner of housing, on and after July 1, 1994, or the effective date of regulations adopted under Sec. 8-437, from accepting applications for housing developments that qualify for financial assistance under Sec. 8-433, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-435 amended Subsec. (g) by deleting reference to “July 1, 1994,” re the deadline for the receipt by the commissioner of housing of certain applications for state financial assistance, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 06-93 made a technical change in Subsec. (d) and deleted former Subsec. (g) re regulations and application to program repealed by the same act; pursuant to P.A. 13-234, references to Commissioner of Economic and Community Development were changed editorially by the Revisors to references to Commissioner of Housing, effective June 19, 2013; P.A. 17-202 amended Subsec. (c)(4) by replacing “the handicapped” with “persons with disabilities” and amended Subsec. (c)(5) by replacing “elderly and handicapped persons” with “persons who are elderly and persons with disabilities”.