HB 2315 - DIGEST

     Finds that:  (1) In many areas of the state, deteriorating buildings, vacant buildings that cannot be legally occupied, and vacant brownfield infill sites pose significant health and safety problems to tenants and pedestrians, and constitute a significant blight and detrimental impact on the health, safety, and welfare of the community;

     (2) many of these buildings were constructed before 1961 when laws were enacted that require buildings to be designed and constructed to resist seismic loads;

     (3) many of these buildings do not meet the requirements of the federal Americans with disabilities act and laws governing the removal of environmental hazards;

     (4) adaptive reuse of these blighted lands and buildings often requires a significant investment to correct necessary life-safety problems;

     (5) it is in the best interest of the state of Washington to stop the decay of community areas and to promote and facilitate the orderly redevelopment of these areas; and

     (6) existing laws need to be amended to authorize additional remedies that municipalities may use in achieving the public purposes to be accomplished.

     Declares that it is the purpose of this act to provide for the allocation of a portion of excise taxes for a limited time to assist local governments in the financing of needed health and safety improvements, public improvements, and other public investments, to encourage private development.  It is the further purpose of this act to strengthen existing law to remedy problems arising from substandard and deteriorating buildings.