§ 1903 — Applications for corridor or district designation

(a) At the request of the Governor, the Office shall solicit applications from municipalities and unincorporated areas to have an area designated as a Downtown Development Corridor or Downtown Development District. Such application shall include a description of the area to be included; the need for corridor or district incentives; the corridor plan or district plan; local incentives offered; and such other information as may be required by the Office.

(b) The Office shall administer the application process and establish criteria to determine what areas qualify as Downtown Development Corridors and Downtown Development Districts. The Office is authorized to take such actions as may be necessary or convenient to fulfill its responsibilities under this chapter, including promulgating rules and regulations relating to the establishment, amendment, and termination of corridors and districts and providing assistance to municipalities and unincorporated areas in connection with the application process.

(c) The criteria for designating an area as a Downtown Development Corridor or Downtown Development District must include all of the following:

(1) The need and impact of the designation for the area, including income, unemployment rate, homeownership rate, and prevalence of vacant or abandoned housing units in the municipality or unincorporated area. Need and impact factors must account for at least 50 percent of the consideration given to applications for corridor or district designation.

(2) The quality of the municipality’s or unincorporated area’s corridor plan or district plan.

(3) The quality of the local incentives offered.

(4) Such other criteria as may be determined by the Office.

Legislative History

79 Del. Laws, c. 240, § 1 ; 85 Del. Laws, c. 200, § 4