N.J. Admin. Code § 19:31V-1.11

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 19:31V-1.11 - Transformative projects

(a) To be eligible as a transformative project, the redevelopment project must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Has a project financing gap;

2. Has a total project cost of at least $ 150,000,000;

3. Includes:

i. Two hundred thousand or more square feet of new or substantially renovated industrial, commercial, or residential space for a project located in a government-restricted municipality, exclusive of any parking component;

ii. Two hundred fifty thousand or more square feet of film production uses, exclusive of any parking component;

iii. Three hundred thousand or more square feet of new or substantially renovated industrial, commercial, or residential space for a project located in an enhanced area, exclusive of any parking component; or

iv. Five hundred thousand or more square feet of new or substantially renovated industrial, commercial, or residential space for any other project, exclusive of any parking component;

4. A commercial project is of special economic importance and creates modern facilities that enhance the State's competitiveness in attracting targeted industries by meeting the following criteria:

i. Except for a redevelopment project with 250,000 or more square feet of film production uses:

(1) Creates 500 new full-time jobs, which shall be demonstrated by determining the anticipated employee occupancy based on the regional averages for employment density for the type of use or uses at the redevelopment project;

(2) Involves the substantial renovation of a vacant commercial building; or

(3) The project is located entirely on land designated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as a Brownfield Development Area pursuant to N.J.S.A. 58:10B-25.1, and the project costs of the redevelopment project includes or will include at least $ 15 million in environmental remediation costs; and

ii. Provides opportunities to leverage leadership in a high-priority targeted industry as demonstrated by factors including, but not limited to, being undertaken by a developer that is making an industry leading investment in a new technology or high-growth sub-industry or catalyzing a new sub-industry or industry-cluster within the State;

5. For residential projects include one of the following:

i. The construction of 700 or more newly constructed residential units; or

ii. Is a mixed-use residential project with construction of 50,000 square feet or more of commercial space, exclusive of any parking component, and includes one of the following:

(1) If the project is located in a government-restricted municipality, and includes the construction of 200 or more newly constructed residential units;

(2) If the project is located in an enhanced area, and includes the construction of 300 or more newly constructed residential units; or

(3) If the project is not located in a government-restricted municipality or enhanced area, and includes the construction of 400 or more newly constructed residential units; and

6. Leverages the competitive economic development advantages of the State's mass transit assets, higher education assets, and other economic development assets, in attracting or retaining both employers and skilled workers generally or in targeted industries by providing employment or housing.

(b) A transformative project shall not include a redevelopment project at which more than 50 percent of the premises is occupied by one or more businesses engaged in final point of sale retail, including, but not limited to, hotels.

(c) A transformative project, other than a project that includes 250,000 or more square feet of film production uses, shall be located in an incentive area, a distressed municipality, a government-restricted municipality, or an enhanced area. A transformative project receiving an incentive award pursuant to this section that includes 250,000 or more square feet of film production uses may be located anywhere in the State. The Authority shall not consider an application for a transformative project unless the applicant submits with its application a letter evidencing support for the transformative project from the governing body of the municipality in which the transformative project is located.

(d) A transformative project may be completed in phases, which phases may be determined by the Authority based on factors, such as written architectural plans and specifications completed before or during the physical work, certificates of occupancy, or financial and operational plans.

(e) In accordance with N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.3(e), all transformative projects that include any newly constructed residential units shall reserve at least 20 percent of the newly constructed residential units and all other residential units for occupancy by low- and moderate-income households with affordability controls.

(f) The Authority shall review and determine whether to approve an incentive award to a transformative project in accordance with the provisions applicable to any redevelopment project, unless otherwise provided in this section.

(g) For transformative projects completed in phases, the developer and any co-applicant shall enter into a transformative phase agreement with the Authority. As used in this subsection, "transformative phase agreement" shall mean a sub-agreement of the incentive award agreement that governs the timing, capital investment, and other applicable details of the respective phase of a phased project. The transformative phase agreement may be incorporated in the incentive award agreement.

(h) Notwithstanding the provisions at N.J.S.A. 34:1B-325 and 34:1B-269 et seq., or other sections in this subchapter to the contrary, a transformative project shall be completed, and the developer shall be issued a certificate of occupancy for the transformative project facilities by the applicable enforcing agency, within five years of executing the incentive award agreement, except that the Authority may, in its discretion, extend this deadline by up to one additional year. For transformative projects completed in phases, the transformative project shall be completed, and the developer shall be issued temporary certificates of occupancy for all phases of the transformative project by the applicable enforcing agency within 10 years of executing either the incentive award agreement or the first transformative phase agreement corresponding to the transformative project. For a project component to be allowed as a phase, a developer shall obtain a temporary certificate of occupancy for the entirety of the component and the component shall be $ 50,000,000 or more except for the last component.

(i) Notwithstanding the provisions at N.J.S.A. 34:1B-323, 328, and 269 et seq., or other sections in this subchapter to the contrary, each phase of a transformative project completed shall have a separate eligibility period. After completing each phase, the developer shall submit a certification that the phase is completed with the documents required pursuant to N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.8(f). In the certification for the project cost for that phase, any infrastructure work completed at the same time shall be included in the certification for that phase. The amount of soft costs for a phase may exceed 20 percent of the total project cost in the certification for the respective phase. If the aggregate amount of soft costs at the completion of the final phase exceeds 20 percent of the aggregate total project cost in all phase certifications, the Authority shall reduce the amount of allowable soft costs and shall resize the incremental tax credit for the final phase and recapture other excess tax credits. If the Authority approves the certification, the tax credit allowed to the developer or co-applicant shall be increased by the tax credit amount corresponding to that phase, which shall include only the infrastructure attributable to that phase. If upon review of the certification of completion of each phase, the Authority adjusts the incremental tax credit for that phase solely due to the certification demonstrating a lesser total project cost than projected at Board approval, the amount of tax credits not included in the incremental tax credit shall be available to the developer and any co-applicant in any subsequent phase, provided that the incremental tax credit has not been resized due to the project financing gap and the State fiscal impact analysis. Notwithstanding the different eligibility periods for each phase, all conditions and requirements applicable during an eligibility period pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:1B-322 through 335 and all other sections in this subchapter shall apply to the entire transformative project until the end of the eligibility period for the last phase.

(j) Notwithstanding the provisions at N.J.S.A. 34:1B-328 and 269 et seq., or other sections in this subchapter to the contrary, for a transformative project completed in phases, a review of the project financing gap shall be performed at the certification of completion of each phase, and the Authority may resize the incremental tax credit for that phase or subsequent phases. The Authority shall re-evaluate the developer's reasonable and appropriate return on investment as set forth at N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.8(c)17 in the seventh year and at the end of the eligibility period for the last phase, provided that the Authority may also re-evaluate the developer's reasonable and appropriate return on investment during the fifth year of any earlier phase.

(k) The Authority shall review the transformative project cost and evaluate and validate the project financing gap estimated by the developer. The Authority shall perform a single project financing gap analysis for a transformative project.

(l) The Authority shall conduct a State fiscal impact analysis to ensure that the overall public assistance provided to the transformative project will result in a net positive economic benefit to the State in accordance with the percentages pursuant to N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.6(c). The Authority shall determine a single net positive economic benefit for a transformative project, including a phased transformative project, and the net positive economic benefit evaluation shall be conducted for the period beginning with the first eligibility period and ending with the last eligibility period. In determining whether a transformative project will result in a net positive economic benefit to the State, the Authority shall not consider the value of any taxes exempted, abated, rebated, or retained pursuant to the Five-Year Exemption and Abatement Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:21-1 et seq., the Long Term Tax Exemption Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:20-1 et seq., the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Act, N.J.S.A. 52:27H-60 et seq., or any other law that has the effect of lowering or eliminating the developer's State or local tax liability. The determination made pursuant to this subsection shall be based upon the potential tax liability of the developer without regard for potential tax losses if the developer were to locate in another state. The Authority shall evaluate the net positive economic benefits on a present value basis pursuant to which the requested tax credit allocation amount is discounted to present value at the same discount rate as the projected benefits from the implementation of the proposed transformative project for which an award of tax credits is being sought. Projects that are predominantly residential shall be excluded from the calculation of the net positive economic benefit test required pursuant to this subsection.

(m) In determining net positive economic benefits for any business or person considering locating in a transformative project and applying to receive from the Authority any other economic development incentive subsequent to the award of transformative project tax credits pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:1B-333 and this section, the Authority shall not credit the business or person with any benefit that was previously credited to the transformative project pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:1B-333 and this section.

(n) The Authority shall administer the credits awarded pursuant to this section, in accordance with the provisions at N.J.S.A. 34:1B-330 and 331; and N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.9, 1.10, 1.12, and 1.13.

(o) Prior to allocating an incentive award to a developer, the Authority shall confirm that the developer, lead development entity, and any co-applicant for the transformative project satisfies the requirements at N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.7(b)1 for substantial good standing or agreement with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of the Treasury, N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.7(b)2 for substantial good standing with the Agency, and N.J.A.C. 19:31V-1.7(b)4 regarding contractors and subcontractors.

(p) Notwithstanding the limitation on incentive awards set forth at N.J.S.A. 34:1B-329 and 362 and any other sections in this subchapter to the contrary, the Authority may allow a developer of a transformative project a tax credit in an amount not to exceed the lesser of the amounts below. For purposes of the calculation of tax credits, project cost shall be reduced by the amount of State and local grants and tax credits other than those awarded pursuant to the Program.

1. Eighty percent of the total project cost for a transformative project that is located in a government-restricted municipality, which percentage shall apply to the total project cost of each phase of a phased transformative project;

2. Sixty percent of the total project cost for a residential transformative project that receives a four-percent allocation from the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program administered by the Agency or a transformative project that is located in a qualified incentive tract, enhanced area, or a municipality with a Municipal Revitalization Index score of at least 50, which percentage shall apply to the total project cost of each phase of a phased transformative project;

3. Fifty percent of the total project cost for any other transformative project, which percentage shall apply to the total project cost of each phase of a phased transformative project;

4. The total value of the project financing gap; or

5. $ 400,000,000, except that for a transformative project that is developed in phases, the $ 400,000,000 limitation on incentive awards shall apply to the total aggregate award for all phases of the transformative project.

(q) For a transformative project, the approval letter shall include conditions that must be satisfied and documents and certifications that must be submitted for each phase. Until the developer submits the certification for the last phase, the developer shall submit progress reports for each phase that has not yet been certified.

N.J. Admin. Code § 19:31V-1.11

Recodified from 19:31-23A.11 56 N.J.R. 807(a), effective 5/6/2024