COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ________

TOTAL $250,000

Sec. 22. Retroactivity. Those sections of this Act that repeal the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 4349 and enact Title 30-A, section 4349-A apply retroactively to state capital investments made after June 30, 2000.

SUMMARY

This bill implements the recommendations of the Task Force on State Office Building Location, Other State Growth-related Capital Investments and Patterns of Development that relate to land use policy. The bill establishes the Downtown Leasehold Improvement Fund to assist state agencies in securing space in downtowns whenever possible by providing for capital improvements to real property leases and appropriates $800,000 to capitalize the fund.

The bill establishes the Maine Downtown Center within the Department of Economic and Community Development to encourage downtown revitalization in Maine communities through advocacy, information, training and technical assistance to communities.

The bill requires municipalities in which construction projects for new schools will be located to consider, with the assistance of the Executive Department, State Planning Office, priority locations in selecting a school building site. Priority locations are identified as locally designated growth areas identified in a comprehensive plan or, in the absence of a comprehensive plan, areas served by a public sewer system, areas identified as census designated places or compact areas of urban compact municipalities. If a municipality does not select a priority location, state funds may be used for the project only if the municipality's land use regulations do not prohibit denser residential development within 1/4 mile of the school property.

The bill defines state growth-related capital investments and directs them to locally designated growth areas as identified in local comprehensive plans, or, if there is no comprehensive plan, to areas with public sewers capable of handling the development, to areas identified as census designated places or to compact areas of urban compact municipalities as defined in transportation law. Exceptions are made for state investments required to remedy threats to public health and safety; to mitigate nonpoint sources of pollution; to purchase land for parks, open space and conservation; to assist natural resource-based industries and other activities that by their