| A PROPOSED RESOLUTION IN THE COUNCIL OF THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis introduced the following resolution, which was referred to the Committee on _____. [Retained by the Council.] To declare the sense of the Council in support of the establishment of a community development corporation in Ward Four. RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the "Sense of the Council to Support a Ward 4 Community Development Corporation Resolution of 1998". Sec. 2. (a) It is the sense of the Council to support the establishment of a community development corporation ("CDC") to revitalize the Georgia Avenue commercial corridor, north of Spring Road, NW, and other neighborhood business districts in Ward 4. (b) Despite numerous plans and discussions regarding revitalization of the upper Georgia Avenue commercial corridor and other neighborhood business districts in Ward 4, because of the non-poverty status of its residents, these areas are not eligible for federal assistance under the Empowerment Zone provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, nor for most Community Development Block Grant funds. For instance, the submission by the Department of Housing and Community Development ("DHCD") of a joint regional Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland application ("joint application") to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") to be selected for designation as an Urban Empowerment Zone, did not include a single census tract within Ward 4, despite wide recognition that Georgia Avenue is a distressed business corridor. (c) The designation of a community as an Empowerment Zone entitles it to receive $100 million in Federal funding, over a ten-year period, and other priority preferences in order to make financing and other incentives available in targeted neighborhoods to encourage new private sector investment, and forge public-private partnerships for community revitalization. (d) The statutory ineligibility of Ward 4 for inclusion in the joint application to HUD, precludes all census tracts within the Ward from competing for those benefits at a level commensurate with the needs of the Ward and prevents the Ward from obtaining other priority preferences in order to make financing and other incentives available in targeted neighborhoods to encourage private-sector investment, and forge public-private partnerships for community revitalization. Sec. 3. (a) Because of the competitive disadvantage inuring to Ward 4 as a result of its exclusion from consideration in the joint application, the Council supports the establishment of a Ward 4 CDC to revitalize commercial areas of the Ward. (b) To fund the Ward 4 CDC, it is recommended that DHCD contribute a significant amount of the total proceeds from the sale of its community development loan portfolio. Sec. 4. The Secretary to the Council shall transmit a copy of this resolution, upon its adoption, to the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Sec. 5 . This resolution shall take effect immediately. |
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