The Office of the Superintendent of the Capitol shall develop and implement a plan for the conservation, restoration, maintenance, and development of the area where the Capitol Building and other structures that belong to the Legislative Assembly are located in order to preserve said historic building, as well as its other structures and surroundings so as to foster tourism in such area; said plan shall be carried out as one of the purposes of the Capitol District.
The plan, which shall be known as the Plan for the Development of the Capitol District, shall incorporate the necessary measures and bills to protect the structures that belong to the Legislative Assembly, and to develop such areas as an educational, cultural, historic, and tourist district; also, to identify the issues that require consideration and immediate action in order to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
Before the approval of the plan, the Office of Historic Preservation of Puerto Rico and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture shall have the opportunity to, if deemed necessary, submit their comments in writing within a term not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) days from the presentation of the plan to such organizations.
The Superintendent of the Capitol shall present said plan for the approval of the Presiding Officers of both Legislative Bodies within a term not to exceed six (6) months, counted from the date of receipt of the official plan of the Planning Board. Moreover, he/she shall act as the Plan’s Coordinator with the departments, agencies, public corporations, and municipalities of the Government of Puerto Rico that have an interest, responsibility, or authority over the proposals to be incorporated in the Plan. He/she may also award contracts to firms and consultants that are specialists in the matter and are identified as such in the Plan in order to ensure that the works to be carried out are performed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
Any construction, expansion, alteration or renovation proposals for the Capitol District shall be examined and approved by the Office of the Superintendent of the Capitol, that may require, without it being construed as a limitation, restrictions as to height, size, design, and use in order to comply with the historic conservation requirements of the Capitol’s Development Plan.
Furthermore; Provided, That the Superintendent of the Capitol shall have primary jurisdiction over all that pertains to, without being limited to cleaning, construction, aesthetics, and any other activity related or not to those of the Legislative Assembly, among others, that are carried out within the geographic area provided in Section 1 of this Act [sic.]. Any person, entity, corporation, agency or municipality that wishes to carry out any activity within the premises of the Capitol District shall have to coordinate in advance with the Office of the Superintendent of the Capitol and the Presiding Officers of both Legislative Bodies, and obtain their authorization.
The Superintendent of the Capitol shall create a plan to guarantee that the Legislative Assembly can continue working uninterruptedly in case of an emergency or natural disaster. Provided, among other things, that a place be established to become the Seat of the Legislative Assembly until the emergency or natural disaster has passed.
History —Mar. 30, 2011, No. 43, § 3.