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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Michael
J. Herzing |
State Rep. Tom
Tangretti |
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Tourism committee approves Tangretti historic preservation grants
HARRISBURG, March 28 – The House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee today gave unanimous approval to legislation (H.B. 221) introduced by state Rep. Tom Tangretti that would provide state grants to owners of historically significant residential and commercial properties for the restoration and residential or commercial use of those properties.
“This legislation would provide a significant boost to efforts to restore and revive many of downtown commercial and residential areas in Pennsylvania,” said Tangretti, who is chairman of the Tourism and Recreational Development Committee. “Along with our already-existing Main Street and Elm Street programs, this would help bring our older downtowns back to life and re-establish economic activity and a stable tax base in many towns and small cities.”
Under the program, the state Department of Community and Economic Development would work with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to approve and provide the grants. The criteria used to designate properties in Pennsylvania as historically significant also would be used to determine if the owners of those properties qualify for the state grants.
Owners restoring commercial properties would be eligible for grants up to $500,000; owners restoring residential properties would be eligible for grants up to $15,000. The grants would be used to reimburse owners for up to 70 percent of the costs of exterior rehabilitation or restoration work that meets the criteria for historic properties.
To be eligible, properties would have to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, be located in a National Register historic district, or be located in a designated local government historic district.
Restoration would have to be followed by use as an income-producing business in the case of commercial properties or the primary residence of the owner in the case of residential properties.
The legislation stipulates that at least 31 percent of the total grant money reserved for the program be used for residential applicants, and that DCED take into consideration the geographical distribution of grant funding when making awards. It also allows for properties in Elm Street, Main Street, enterprise zones and local government historic districts to be given priority.
“A preservation grant program makes sense from a number of perspectives,” said Tangretti, D-Westmoreland. “It would lure businesses and residents back to many of our state’s older downtowns that have been hollowing out for years as people fled to the suburbs and rural areas, it would create more affordable housing stock, it would boost tourism and tourism-related economic activity in many downtowns, and it would help preserve farmland and open space from development.
“Similar programs in other states have shown that people and businesses will locate or remain downtown when the opportunity is available and affordable,” he said. “We need to make that a viable option in Pennsylvania, and this is a great way to help do that with a number of added benefits.”
The House unanimously passed similar legislation during the 2005-06 session, but the bill did not receive consideration in the Senate. House Bill 221 was also approved by the House Commerce Committee earlier this month; it now goes to the full House for consideration.
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