As used in this chapter, (1) “municipality” means a town, city, consolidated town and city or consolidated town and borough; (2) “legislative body” means (A) the board of selectmen in a town that does not have a charter, special act or home rule ordinance relating to its government or (B) the council, board of aldermen, representative town meeting, board of selectmen or other elected legislative body described in a charter, special act or home rule ordinance relating to government in a city, consolidated town and city, consolidated town and borough or a town having a charter, special act, consolidation ordinance or home rule ordinance relating to its government; (3) “development agency” means the agency designated by a municipality under section 8-188 through which the municipality may exercise the powers granted under this chapter; (4) “development project” means a project conducted by a municipality for the assembly, improvement and disposition of land or buildings or both to be used principally for industrial or business purposes and includes vacated commercial plants; (5) “vacated commercial plants” means buildings formerly used principally for business or industrial purposes of which more than fifty per cent of the usable floor space is, or which it is anticipated, within eighteen months, shall be, unused or substantially underutilized; (6) “project area” means the area within which the development project is located; (7) “commissioner” means the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; (8) “planning commission” means the planning and zoning commission designated pursuant to section 8-4a or the planning commission created pursuant to section 8-19; (9) “real property” means land, subterranean or subsurface rights, structures, any and all easements, air rights and franchises and every estate, right or interest therein; and (10) “business purpose” includes, but is not limited to, any commercial, financial or retail enterprise and includes any enterprise which promotes tourism and any property that produces income.

(1967, P.A. 760, S. 2; 1972, P.A. 87, S. 2; P.A. 74-184, S. 2, 10; P.A. 75-480, S. 2, 8; P.A. 77-614, S. 284, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 79-582, S. 2, 4; P.A. 80-18, S. 1, 3; P.A. 81-98, S. 1; P.A. 85-50, S. 1; P.A. 93-158, S. 3, 11; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 98-237, S. 13, 15.)

History: 1972 act included buildings in definition of “development project” and defined “vacated commercial plants”; P.A. 74-184 defined “commissioner”; P.A. 75-480 included vacated commercial plants in definition of “development project”, deleted requirement that space not have been used for two years in definition of “vacated commercial plants” and defined “planning commission”; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 substituted commissioner of economic development for commissioner of commerce, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-582 required that 50% of floor space rather than 75% be unused in definition of “vacated commercial plants”; P.A. 80-18 defined “real property”; P.A. 81-98 defined “business purpose”; P.A. 85-50 added to definition of “vacated commercial plants” buildings in which more than 50% of usable floor space is substantially underutilized or is anticipated to be unused or so underutilized; P.A. 93-158 added definition of “legislative body” as Subdiv. (2), renumbering existing subdivisions as necessary, effective June 23, 1993; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 98-237 redefined “business purpose” to include property that produces income, effective June 8, 1998.

See Sec. 7-380b re issuance of bonds, notes or other obligations authorized before June 23, 1993.