ORS 390.262: Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant Program; duties of State Parks and Recreation Department; project proposals; conditions; rules.

(1) As used in this section and ORS 390.264: (a) “Area median income” means the median income for the metropolitan statistical area in which the proposed grant project is located, as determined by the Housing and Community Services Department, adjusted for household size. (b) “Oregon Main Street Network” means the entity administered by the State Historic Preservation Officer designated under ORS 358.565 to provide assistance, training and technical services to communities in Oregon desiring to strengthen, preserve and revitalize their historic downtown commercial districts. (c) “Rural area” means an area located entirely outside the acknowledged Portland Metropolitan Area Regional Urban Growth Boundary and the acknowledged urban growth boundaries of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. (2) There is established in the State Parks and Recreation Department the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant Program for the purpose of providing grants on an annual, competitive basis from the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant Program Fund established under ORS 390.264 to be used for the following purposes: (a) To acquire, rehabilitate and construct buildings on properties in designated downtown areas statewide; and (b) To facilitate community revitalization that will lead to private investment, job creation or retention, establishing or expanding viable businesses or creating a stronger tax base. (3)(a) For the purpose of making grants under the program, the department shall adopt a formula that: (A) Provides for grant funds to be made available statewide while concentrating funds and resources in those areas of the state with the greatest need for main street revitalization and economic development; and (B) Provides that a minimum of 50 percent of available grant funds will be reserved for projects in rural areas. (b) In awarding grants under the program, the department shall give priority to grant proposals for projects that are located in traditionally underserved communities, including rural areas and communities that demonstrate significant financial barriers to efforts to redevelop or rehabilitate downtown areas. (4) The department shall develop criteria to determine the eligibility of grant applicants and proposed projects. The criteria must require that applicants be organizations that participate in the Oregon Main Street Network and demonstrate the past or prospective capacity to work with project leaders in designated local communities or downtown areas. (5) Project proposals submitted by grant applicants may include evidence of demonstrated need for main street revitalization and economic development by providing information about the economic character of the project, including but not limited to: (a) The proportion of households at or below the federal poverty rate in the targeted project location and the surrounding community; (b) The area median income in the proposed project location and surrounding community; (c) The percentage of renters in the proposed project location and surrounding community; and (d) The percentage of persons in the proposed project location and surrounding community with weekly wages that are less than or equal to the most recent federal poverty guidelines for a family of three that are applicable to Oregon residents and that are published annually in the Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. (6) The State Parks and Recreation Department shall: (a) Provide technical assistance and project overview and monitoring for successful grant recipients; and (b) Provide regular updates to other state agencies, including but not limited to the Oregon Business Development Department and the Department of Transportation, that have an interest in the implementation and administration of the program. (7) Each grant awarded under this section shall require, as a condition of receiving funding, matching funds in an amount to be determined by the State Parks and Recreation Department. (8) All amounts awarded as grants must be used by recipients, for the approved purposes set forth in successful grant applications, within three years of receipt of the funds. Any funds not expended within that time period must be returned to the department for deposit in the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant Program Fund. (9) The department shall adopt rules to implement the program and the provisions of this section. The department may consult with the Oregon Business Development Department and the Department of Transportation in adopting the rules. [2015 c.831 §1]