Brief Description: Relating to state government.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senator Prentice).

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background: Every year, federal, state and local governments undertake significant public facilities and infrastructure projects in communities around the state. While some of these projects only temporarily affect the surrounding community, others have a more lasting impact.

Summary: Community preservation and development authorities are created to restore or enhance the health, safety, and well-being of communities adversely impacted by construction and operation of multiple major public facilities, public works, and capital projects with significant public funding. Their purposes include:

• to revitalize, enhance, and preserve the unique character of impacted communities;
• to mitigate the adverse effects of multiple public projects;
• to restore the sense of community, reduce displacement of businesses, stimulate economic vitality, enhance public service provisions, and improve residents' standard of living; and
• to preserve historic buildings by returning them to economically productive uses.

A community preservation and development authority's (Authority) formation requires the
following sequential steps:

• The constituency of an impacted community proposes formation of an Authority to the appropriate legislative committee in the House and Senate.
• A community proposing formation after January 1, 2008, must identify in its proposal at least one stable revenue source that can be used to support projects contained in the Authority's strategic plan and that has a nexus with the multiple publicly funded facilities that have adversely impacted the community.
• The Legislature must find that the area within the proposed Authority's geographic boundaries meets the act's definitions of "community" and "impacted community" and, after January 1, 2008, that the community has identified at least one stable revenue source.
• The Legislature may then authorize the Authority's establishment.

An Authority will be managed by a board of directors. The board membership criteria, terms, and election processes are outlined. An Authority has the power to accept public or private gifts, grants or loans. However, an Authority has no power of eminent domain nor power to levy taxes or special assessments.

An Authority has the duty to:

• establish its specific geographic boundaries in its bylaws (and report any changes to the Legislature);
• solicit community input and develop a strategic preservation and development plan;
• identify a prioritized list of projects in the plan, including capital and operating components that address one or more of the purposes of the act;
• establish funding mechanisms to implement the plan;
• use gifts, grants and loans to carry out the projects in the strategic plan; and
• demonstrate accountability by reporting to the Legislature and to its constituency at an annual town hall meeting.

The Legislature authorizes the establishment of the Pioneer Square – International District community preservation and development authority, which boundaries are those contained in the Pioneer Square – International District within the City of Seattle.

The Community Preservation and Development Account is created in the State Treasury. The account includes a sub-account for operating project purposes and a sub-account for capital project purposes.

State and local government agencies, before making siting, design, and construction decisions for future major public capital projects, may communicate and consult with the community preservation and development authority and impacted community, including assessing the compatibility of the proposed project with the strategic plan adopted by the authority, and make reasonable efforts to minimize negative, cumulative effects of multiple projects.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      31   16
House      63   34

Effective:   July 22, 2007

Partial Veto Summary: The Governor vetoed sections 1 and 2: Section 1 declared legislative intent, made legislative findings, and stated the purposes of community preservation and development authorities; and section 2 contained definitions of terms used in the act.