557 - State capital grants.

§  557.  State capital grants.  1. The commissioner may in the name of  the state, (a) in the case of agencies which have  contracted  with  the  federal government for a capital grant (or for a loan and grant) make or  contract  to make, within appropriations therefor, a state capital grant  to such agency to assist in carrying out one or more programs  of  urban  renewal;    (b)  in  the  case  of  agencies which have not made application to or  entered into a contract with the federal government for advances,  loans  or  grants  with  respect  to  a specific urban renewal project, make or  contract to make a state capital grant, within appropriations  therefor,  to  such  agency  to assist in meeting the cost of surveys and plans for  such project and the administrative and other related expenditures to be  incurred in undertaking and completing such project.    All contracts for such  state  capital  grants  shall  be  subject  to  approval  by  the  state  comptroller, and by the attorney general as to  form. The commissioner may make advances or progress payments on account  of any state capital grant  contracted  to  be  made  pursuant  to  this  section  and  such  advances  or  payments shall not constitute periodic  subsidies.    2. Any such state capital  grant  shall  be  in  such  amount,  within  appropriations  therefor,  as  the  commissioner, in his discretion, may  deem necessary to assist the agency in discharging  its  obligations  in  connection  with  the  programs  for  which  the  grant  shall  be made;  provided, however, that no such grant shall exceed one-half of  the  net  cost  of  such  program  to  the agency, exclusive of any federal aid or  assistance, as such net cost  shall  be  certified  by  the  agency  and  approved  by  the  commissioner.  If  the  agency  has not applied to or  entered into a contract with the federal government for advances,  loans  or  grants  for  a  specific  project, such grant shall not in any event  exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).    3. No agency shall receive any such state capital grant until (a)  the  urban  renewal  plan  has  been  approved by the governing body, (b) the  program set forth in such  plan  has  been  certified  as  eligible  for  federal  assistance  by the appropriate federal agency, or the governing  body has found that such federal financial assistance is  not  necessary  for  the  undertaking and successful completion of the program set forth  in such plan, and (c) the governing body has attached  its  approval  to  the grant contract. The commissioner may make temporary advances to such  agency in anticipation of any such grant.    4. Notwithstanding anything contained in this section to the contrary,  the  commissioner  may  in  the name of the state, within appropriations  heretofore or hereafter made for  state  capital  grants  to  assist  in  carrying  out one or more local urban renewal programs, make or contract  to make advances of funds to agencies, in anticipation of any such state  capital grant, to assist such agencies in preparing preliminary economic  and physical plans for relocation housing, regulated by law or  contract  as  to  rents,  for  persons  and  families to be displaced by the urban  renewal program whose  housing  needs  cannot  be  met  by  the  unaided  operations  of  private  enterprise. Upon completion such plans shall be  filed with the commissioner.    No such contract or advance shall be made (a) before an urban  renewal  area,  to  whose  residents  such  relocation  housing relates, has been  designated pursuant to section five hundred four of  this  article;  (b)  unless  the  governing  body  has  certified  that  the  preparation  of  preliminary plans for such relocation housing is necessary to the making  of a finding, pursuant to section five hundred five of this article,  as  to  the  existence of a feasible method of relocation; and (c) in excess  of the lowest of the following amounts:(i) the actual cost of preparation of such preliminary plans;    (ii)  one-half  of  one per cent of the estimated construction cost of  the proposed relocation housing;    (iii) twenty-five thousand dollars;    and every such advance shall be repaid out of any state capital  grant  which  may become payable to the agency for the undertaking of the urban  renewal project involved.    5. Notwithstanding anything  contained  in  this  article  or  article  fifteen  of  this  chapter  to the contrary, the commissioner may in the  name of the state, within appropriations heretofore  or  hereafter  made  for  state  capital  grants  to assist in carrying out one or more local  urban renewal programs make or contract to make state capital grants  to  such  agencies  to  assist  in financing the cost of the preparation and  completion of one or more community renewal programs.    Any  such  state  capital  grant  shall  be  in  such  amount,  within  appropriations  therefor,  as  the  commissioner, in his discretion, may  deem necessary to assist the agency in discharging  its  obligations  in  connection  with  the  program  for which the state grant shall be made;  provided, however,  that  no  such  state  capital  grant  shall  exceed  one-half  of  the  cost to the agency of undertaking and completing such  program, exclusive of any federal or state aid or  assistance  therefor,  as  such  cost  shall  be  certified  by  the agency and approved by the  commissioner.    No agency shall receive any such state grant until (a)  the  community  renewal program has been approved by the governing body, (b) the program  has been certified as eligible for federal assistance by the appropriate  federal  agency, and (c) the governing body has attached its approval to  the state capital grant contract.    All contracts for such  state  capital  grants  shall  be  subject  to  approval  by  the  state  comptroller, and by the attorney general as to  form. The commissioner may make advances or progress payments on account  of any such state capital grant contract to be  made  pursuant  to  this  section.    6.  (a)  Notwithstanding  anything  to  the contrary contained in this  section or elsewhere in this chapter, or  in  any  general,  special  or  local  law, except as hereinafter provided, the commissioner may, in the  name of the state, include in determining  the  net  cost  of  an  urban  renewal  project  for  the  purpose  of  computing  the  amount of state  financial assistance to an agency, those expenditures made by a  private  voluntary  hospital  and/or  by a private college or private university,  within, adjacent to, or in the immediate vicinity of such project  which  are  recognized as non-cash grant-in-aid credits under the provisions of  section one hundred twelve of title one of the federal  housing  act  of  nineteen  hundred  forty-nine,  as  amended  and supplemented; provided,  however, that such computation shall not  apply  to  any  urban  renewal  project  for  which  a  contract  has  been  executed  with  the federal  government for a capital grant (or for a loan and grant)  prior  to  the  first day of July, nineteen hundred sixty-six.    (b) Not more than fifteen per centum of the amount appropriated by the  state  or  otherwise available to the commissioner in any year for urban  renewal assistance to  municipalities  and  agencies  pursuant  to  this  section  and section five hundred ten of this chapter shall be available  for the purposes of paragraph (a) of this subdivision.    (c) In no instance shall the amount of state assistance to  an  agency  under this subdivision exceed the net project cost, excluding the amount  of  the non-cash grant-in-aid credits for expenditures made by a private  voluntary hospital and/or by a private  college  or  private  university  allowed  in accordance with the provisions of section one hundred twelveof title I of the federal housing act of nineteen hundred forty-nine  as  amended  and  supplemented,  less any federal capital grant, or loan and  grant, for such  project;  nor  shall  the  aggregate  amount  of  state  assistance  for  any  such  urban renewal project, including section one  hundred twelve grant-in-aid credits as  provided  by  this  subdivision,  exceed  one-half  of the total local grant-in-aid requirements necessary  to complete such project.    (d) No such section one hundred twelve non-cash  grant-in-aid  credits  shall  be  included  in  determining  the  net  cost of an urban renewal  project for the purpose of  computing  the  amount  of  state  financial  assistance to an agency unless such expenditures were made in conformity  with   a   plan   or  undertaking  for  the  clearance,  replanning  and  reconstruction or rehabilitation of a substandard or insanitary area  or  areas.    (e)  Such  plan  or  undertaking,  for  the  clearance, replanning and  reconstruction  or  rehabilitation  of  a  substandard  insanitary  area  adjacent  to  or  in  the immediate vicinity of an urban renewal project  shall conform to the comprehensive community plan for the development of  the community as a whole.  Every  such  plan  or  undertaking  shall  be  submitted to the commission, if any, for approval.  The commission after  considering  the  plan or undertaking may: issue a report of unqualified  approval; or issue a report of conditional  or  qualified  approval;  or  issue  a  report  disapproving  same.  The  plan or undertaking shall be  submitted, together with the report of  the  commission,  to  the  local  legislative body for its approval. If the commission shall have issued a  report  of unqualified approval, the plan or undertaking may be approved  in accordance with the report of the commission by a  majority  vote  of  the local legislative body. If the commission shall have issued a report  disapproving  same,  or  shall  have  issued  a report of conditional or  unqualified approval, or shall have failed to  make  its  report  within  four  weeks  of  the  submission  of  the  plan  or  undertaking  to the  commission, the local legislative body may,  nevertheless,  approve  the  plan or undertaking but only by a three-fourths vote.