Sec. 8-115a. Authority of Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 8-115a. Authority of Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. (a) No housing project or projects for elderly persons shall be developed until the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development has approved the site, the plans and specifications, the estimated development cost, including administrative or other cost or expense to be incurred by the state in connection therewith as determined by said commissioner, and an operation or management plan for such project or projects which shall provide an income, including contributions expected from any source, which shall be adequate for debt service on any notes or bonds issued by an authority to finance such development cost, administration, including a state service charge as established by the commissioner, other operating costs and establishment of reasonable reserves for repairs, maintenance and replacements, vacancy and collection losses. During the period of operation of such project or projects, the authority, municipal developer, nonprofit corporation or housing partnership shall submit to the commissioner for said commissioner's approval its rent schedules and its standards of tenant eligibility and any changes therein, and its proposed budget for each fiscal year, together with such reports and financial and operating statements as the commissioner finds necessary. Such authority, municipal developer, nonprofit corporation or housing partnership shall also annually submit verification that the significant facilities and services required to be provided to the residents of such project pursuant to Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (42 USC 3600 et seq.) are being provided. On and after July 1, 1997, the maximum income limits for admission to such project shall be eighty per cent of the area median income adjusted for family size.

      (b) The commissioner shall have the right of inspection of any such project at any time.

      (c) The commissioner may, for periods of up to one year, authorize a housing authority, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation to admit to such a project persons who are not less than fifty-five years of age and otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for the housing project. The commissioner may only grant such authority upon receipt from a housing authority, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation of an application approved by the chief executive officer of the municipality in which the housing authority, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation is located demonstrating (1) that the housing authority, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation is unable to attract an adequate number of elderly persons to occupy the project and (2) that the housing authority, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation (A) has published a notice, at least once each week during the thirty days preceding the submission of its application, in one or more newspapers having a substantial circulation in the municipality in which the housing project is located, indicating that units in such project are available and (B) has sent such a notice, at least thirty days preceding submission of its application, to each housing authority, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation operating an elderly housing project pursuant to this part and having fifty or more units. No person admitted to such a project pursuant to this subsection shall be evicted from or denied continued occupancy of such project solely because such person is less than sixty-two years of age.

      (d) The commissioner is authorized to make orders and to adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 with respect to the development and the operation and management of such project or projects by housing authorities, municipal developers, nonprofit corporations and housing partnerships, and to determine the allocation of funds to meet the development costs of such project or projects, including administrative or other costs or expenses to be incurred by the state. Such regulations shall establish maximum income limits for admission to projects that reflect area median incomes, as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

      (1959, P.A. 600, S. 4; 1961, P.A. 508, S. 2; 1963, P.A. 54, S. 6; 1967, P.A. 522, S. 8; P.A. 77-614, S. 284, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 81, 136; P.A. 79-598, S. 3, 4, 10; P.A. 83-574, S. 5, 20; P.A. 85-238, S. 3; 85-296, S. 1, 2; P.A. 87-436, S. 3, 23; 87-480, S. 1, 2; P.A. 91-362, S. 6; 91-374, S. 1; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 155, 165; P.A. 99-244, S. 2, 3.)

      History: 1961 act clarified debt service as "on any notes or bonds issued by the authority to finance such development cost", clarified what meant by service charge and required monthly payment in Subsec. (a), required rent schedules to be submitted during operation of project instead of during period of loan contract, extended inspection rights of commission to "any time" instead of during period from date construction begins to date state loan is fully paid, amended Subsec. (c) to enumerate subjects of commissioner's orders and regulations; 1963 act amended Subsec. (a) by adding phrase after "estimated development cost," authorized commissioner to determine cost and expense, deleted requirement service charge be paid monthly, amended Subsec. (c) to delete "acquisition" and "construction" from subject matter of regulations and incurred administrative and other costs or expenses incurred by state in development costs; 1967 act substituted commissioner of community affairs for public works commissioner; P.A. 77-614 substituted department of economic development for commissioner of community affairs, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-303 substituted commissioner for department; P.A. 79-598 substituted commissioner of housing for commissioner of economic development; P.A. 83-574 added references to nonprofit corporations; P.A. 85-238 added references to housing partnerships in Subsecs. (a) and (c); P.A. 85-296 inserted new Subsec. (c) re admission of persons not less than 55 years of age to housing projects and relettered former Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d); P.A. 87-436 applied provisions of section to municipal developers; P.A. 87-480 amended Subsec. (a) by providing for commissioner to establish state service charge and deleting provisions re sufficiency of service charge; P.A. 91-362 amended Subsec. (a) to require annual submission to the commissioner of verification that significant facilities and services required to be provided by federal law are being provided; P.A. 91-374 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize commissioner to establish maximum income limits for admission and continued occupancy and amended Subsec. (d) to require that regulations establish maximum income limits for admission and continued occupancy; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision allowing the commissioner to establish maximum income limits for admission and continued occupancy of tenants and adding provision requiring maximum income limits for admission to project be 80% of the area median income adjusted for family size, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-244 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting requirement for authority or developer to have standards for continued occupancy, amended Subsec. (d) by deleting the requirement that the regulations contain income limits for continued occupancy and made technical changes.