(1) The legislature finds:

(a) The continued economic vitality of downtown and neighborhood commercial districts in our state's cities is essential to community preservation, social cohesion, and economic growth;

(b) In recent years there has been a deterioration of downtown and neighborhood commercial districts in both rural and urban communities due to a shifting population base, changes in the marketplace, and greater competition from suburban shopping malls, discount centers, and through the internet;

(c) This decline has eroded the ability of businesses and property owners to renovate and enhance their commercial and residential properties;

(d) In many areas of the state, downtown and neighborhood commercial areas are burdened further by deteriorating buildings, vacant building that cannot be legally occupied, and vacant brownfield infill sites which 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, as well as its economic health;

(e) Business owners in these districts need to maintain their local economies in order to provide goods and services to adjacent residents, to provide employment opportunities, to restore blighted properties, and to avoid disinvestment and economic dislocations, and have developed downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization programs to address these problems; and

(f) 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.

(2) It is the intent of the legislature to establish a program to:

(a) Provide for the allocation of a portion of locally imposed excise taxes to assist local governments in the financing of needed health and safety improvements, public improvements, and other public investments, to encourage private development and to enhance and revitalize neighborhood business districts and downtown areas; and

(b) Provide technical assistance and training to local governments, business organizations, downtown and neighborhood commercial district organizations, and business and property owners to accomplish community and economic revitalization and development of business districts.