§ 922 — Urban initiative contracts

§ 922. Urban initiative contracts. 1. Within the limit of funds\navailable in the urban initiative program, the corporation is hereby\nauthorized to enter into contracts with eligible applicants to provide\nstate financial assistance for the project costs attributable to urban\ninitiatives projects within neighborhoods. The state financial\nassistance shall be either in the form of payments, grants or loans, as\nthe corporation shall determine. No more than fifty percent of the total\namount appropriated pursuant to this article in any fiscal year shall be\nallocated to urban initiatives projects located within any single\nmunicipality.\n 2. The total state payment pursuant to any one contract shall not\nexceed two hundred thousand dollars and the contract shall provide for\ncompletion of the project within a reasonable period, as specified\ntherein which shall not in any event exceed two years from its\ncommencement. Up to ten percent of the project cost may be used for the\neligible applicant's operating expenses including expenses related to\norganization operating support and administration of the contract.\n 3. The corporation shall require that, in order to receive funds\npursuant to this article, the eligible applicant must submit an\noperating plan which shall include but not be limited to project\nfeasibility, leveraging, impact on the community, group capability, and\naffirmative action and minority business participation. Such plan shall\nbe submitted pursuant to a request for proposals issued by the\ncorporation.\n 4. The eligible applicant which proposes to contract with the\ncorporation shall be a bona fide organization or a successor\norganization with appropriate experience in community revitalization\nactivities and shall demonstrate by its immediate past and current\nactivities that it has, or shows that it can acquire, the capability and\nexpertise to successfully complete the proposed project. The eligible\napplicant's officers, directors and members must be representative of\nthe residents and other legitimate interests of the neighborhood.\n 5. Occupant selection procedures shall be established which provide\nthat any lawful occupants who live in a project prior to rehabilitation\nshall not be displaced as a result of such rehabilitation, other than\ntemporarily, in which case suitable relocation arrangements shall be\nprovided, and that any additional occupants who move into a project are\npersons of low income. Preference in selection of such additional\noccupants (i) shall be given to persons or families with the lowest\nincomes possible, given the income requirements of the project; and (ii)\nshall also be given to persons or families whose current housing fails\nto meet basic standards of health and safety and who have little\nprospect of improving the condition of their housing except by residing\nin a project receiving payments, grants or loans under this article.\n 6. For any application for such a contract under this article, the\ncorporation shall provide the applicant with a list of conditions that\nmust be met prior to entering into a contract pursuant to this article.\nWithin fifteen working days of receipt by the corporation of all\ndocuments in satisfaction of the list, the corporation shall notify the\napplicant of the sufficiency or insufficiency of the documents. After\nsatisfaction by the applicant of all conditions required by the\ncorporation prior to entering into a contract the corporation shall\nenter into the contract within forty-five working days of satisfaction\nof such conditions.\n