52:27D-489i Certain grant agreements permitted.

9. a. The authority is authorized to enter into a redevelopment incentive grant agreement with a developer for any redevelopment project located within a qualifying economic redevelopment and growth grant incentive area that does not qualify as such an area solely by virtue of being a transit village.

b. The decision of whether to enter into a redevelopment incentive grant agreement is solely within the discretion of the authority and the State Treasurer, provided that they both agree to enter into an agreement.

c. The Chief Executive Officer of the authority, in consultation with the State Treasurer shall negotiate the terms and conditions of any redevelopment incentive grant agreement on behalf of the State.

d. (1) The redevelopment incentive grant agreement shall specify the maximum amount of project costs, the amount of the incentive grant to be awarded the developer, the frequency of payments, and the eligibility period, which shall not exceed 20 years, during which reimbursement will be granted, and for a project receiving an incentive grant in excess of $50 million, the amount of the negotiated repayment amount to the State, which may include, but not be limited to, cash, equity, and warrants. Except for redevelopment incentive grant agreements with a municipal redeveloper, or with the developer of a redevelopment project solely with respect to the cost of infrastructure improvements in the public right-of-way including any ancillary infrastructure project in the public right-of-way, in no event shall the base amount of the combined reimbursements under redevelopment incentive grant agreements with the State or municipality exceed 20 percent of the total project cost, except in a Garden State Growth Zone, which shall not exceed 30 percent.

(2) The authority shall be permitted to increase the amount of the reimbursement under the redevelopment incentive grant agreement with the State by up to 10 percent of the total project cost if the project is:

(a) located in a distressed municipality which lacks adequate access to nutritious food in the judgment of the Chief Executive Officer of the authority and will include either a supermarket or grocery store with a minimum of 15,000 square feet of selling space devoted to the sale of consumable products or a prepared food establishment selling only nutritious ready to serve meals;

(b) located in a distressed municipality which lacks adequate access to health care and health services in the judgment of the Chief Executive Officer of the authority and will include a health care and health services center with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of space devoted to the provision of health care and health services;

(c) located in a distressed municipality which has a business located therein that is required to respond to a request for proposal to fulfill a contract with the federal government as set forth in subsection f. of section 3 of P.L.2011, c.149 (C.34:1B-244);

(d) a transit project;

(e) a qualified residential project in which at least 10 percent of the residential units are constructed as and reserved for moderate income housing;

(f) located in a highlands development credit receiving area or redevelopment area;

(g) located in a Garden State Growth Zone;

(h) a disaster recovery project;

(i) an aviation project;

(j) a tourism destination project; or

(k) substantial rehabilitation or renovation of an existing structure or structures.

(3) The maximum amount of any redevelopment incentive grant shall be equal to up to 30 percent of the total project costs, except for projects located in a Garden State Growth Zone, in which case the maximum amount of any redevelopment incentive grant shall be equal to up to 40 percent of the total project costs. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained within this section, the maximum amount of any redevelopment incentive grant with respect to a mixed use parking project shall be up to 100 percent of the total project costs allocable to the parking component of the project, and shall be up to 40 percent of the total project costs allocable to the non-parking component of the project. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this section, the maximum amount of any redevelopment incentive grant for a qualified residential project described in (i) below shall be up to 80 percent of the total project costs, and for a mixed use parking project described in (i) through (iv) below shall be up to 100 percent of the total project costs allocable to the parking component and up to 80 percent of the total project costs allocable to the non-parking component , provided that if the amount of the redevelopment incentive grant exceeds 40 percent of the total project costs for projects developed by non-public, for-profit entities, the authority shall consider the effect of the increased grant amount in determining the project financing gap, which shall include utilizing a rate of return on a developer's contributed capital, when used to determine the project financing gap, reflective of the reduced financial risk of the project, as set by the authority : (i) with respect to a mixed use parking project or qualified residential project constructed upon all or a portion of a project site which project site was previously the subject of an award of tax credits pursuant to the "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act," P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.), as amended by P.L.2009, c.90 (C.52:27D-489a et al.), but those tax credits were not issued, (ii) for entertainment venues with seating capacity in excess of 5,000, (iii) a visitor center within or adjacent to a national historic park, or (iv) a youth center in or adjacent to a national historic park.

e. Except in the case of a qualified residential project, a mixed use parking project, or a project involving university infrastructure, the authority and the State Treasurer may enter into a redevelopment incentive grant agreement only if they make a finding that the State revenues to be realized from the redevelopment project will be in excess of the amount necessary to reimburse the developer for its project financing gap. This finding may be made by an estimation based upon the professional judgment of the Chief Executive Officer of the authority and the State Treasurer.

f. In deciding whether to recommend entering into a redevelopment incentive grant agreement and in negotiating a redevelopment agreement with a developer, the Chief Executive Officer of the authority shall consider the following factors:

(1) the economic feasibility of the redevelopment project;

(2) the extent of economic and related social distress in the municipality and the area to be affected by the redevelopment project or the level of site specific distress to include dilapidated conditions, brownfields designation, environmental contamination, pattern of vacancy, abandonment, or under-utilization of the property, rate of foreclosures, or other site conditions as determined by the authority;

(3) the degree to which the redevelopment project will advance State, regional, and local development and planning strategies;

(4) the likelihood that the redevelopment project shall, upon completion, be capable of generating new tax revenue in an amount in excess of the amount necessary to reimburse the developer for project costs incurred as provided in the redevelopment incentive grant agreement, provided, however, that any tax revenue generated by a redevelopment project that is a disaster recovery project shall be considered new tax revenue even if the same or more tax revenue was generated at or on the site prior to the disaster;

(5) the relationship of the redevelopment project to a comprehensive local development strategy, including other major projects undertaken within the municipality;

(6) the need of the redevelopment incentive grant agreement to the viability of the redevelopment project or the promotion of the use of public transportation; and

(7) the degree to which the redevelopment project enhances and promotes job creation and economic development or the promotion of the use of public transportation.

g. (1) A developer who has entered into a redevelopment incentive grant agreement with the authority and the State Treasurer pursuant to this section may, upon notice to and consent of the authority and the State Treasurer, pledge, assign, transfer, or sell any or all of its right, title and interest in and to the agreements and in the incentive grants payable thereunder, and the right to receive same, along with the rights and remedies provided to the developer under the agreement. Any such assignment shall be an absolute assignment for all purposes, including the federal bankruptcy code.

(2) Any pledge of incentive grants made by the developer shall be valid and binding from the time the pledge is made and filed in the records of the authority. The incentive grants pledged and thereafter received by the developer shall immediately be subject to the lien of the pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act, and the lien of any pledge shall be valid and binding against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract, or otherwise against the developer irrespective of whether the parties have notice thereof. Neither the redevelopment incentive grant agreement nor any other instrument by which a pledge under this section is created need be filed or recorded except with the authority.

L.2009, c.90, s.9; amended 2010, c.10, s.9; 2013, c.161, s.19; 2015, c.69, s.4; 2015, c.242, s.4; 2018, c.44, s.3.