(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.

(2) “Public investment communities” has the same meaning as provided in section 7-545.

(3) “Distressed municipality” has the same meaning as provided in section 32-9p.

(4) “Eligible municipality” means a municipality that is a distressed municipality and a public investment community, has a population of not more than forty thousand, has an unemployment rate that is more than the unemployment rate of the state, and for which the per capita income is less than the per capita income of the state.

(5) “Unemployment rate” means the average unemployment rate of a municipality or the state, as the case may be, as reported by the Labor Commissioner on the preceding July first for the latest available twelve-month period.

(6) “Per capita income” means the average per capita income of a municipality or the state, as the case may be, that is enumerated in the most recent (A) federal decennial census of population, or (B) current population report series issued by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census available on the preceding January first, whichever is most recent.

(b) (1) Before July 1, 2005, the legislative bodies of three or more contiguous municipalities, each of which is a public investment community and has a population of not more than sixty thousand, and at least fifty per cent of which municipalities are located along the same interstate highway, limited access state highway or intersecting interstate or limited access state highways, may, with the approval of the commissioner, designate industrial districts in such municipalities as an enterprise corridor zone. (2) On or after July 1, 2005, the legislative bodies of two or more contiguous eligible municipalities, at least one of which is located along an interstate highway, limited access state highway or intersecting interstate or limited access state highways and is designated as a regional center in the locational guide map included in the state plan of conservation and development adopted pursuant to chapter 297, may, with the approval of the commissioner, designate such municipalities as an enterprise corridor zone.

(c) Municipalities seeking the approval of the commissioner for such designation shall execute an intermunicipal agreement specifying how they would cooperatively share in the marketing, promotion and development of the industrial districts that would comprise the enterprise corridor zones, and shall file with the commissioner a preliminary application which includes such executed agreement. Not later than sixty days after receipt of such preliminary application, the commissioner shall indicate to the municipalities, in writing, any recommendations for improving the municipalities' application. Not later than sixty days after receipt of the commissioner's written response, the municipalities shall file a final application with the commissioner.

(d) The commissioner shall approve the designation of at least two areas as enterprise corridor zones. The commissioner may remove the designation of any area he has approved as an enterprise corridor zone if such area no longer meets the criteria for such designation, provided no such designation shall be removed less than ten years after the date that such area no longer meets such criteria.

(e) Businesses located within an enterprise corridor zone shall be entitled to the same benefits, subject to the same conditions, under the general statutes for which businesses located in an enterprise zone qualify.

(f) The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to carry out the purposes of this section.

(P.A. 94-241, S. 1, 4; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; 96-239, S. 1, 17; P.A. 00-194, S. 2, 3; P.A. 05-194, S. 2; P.A. 14-122, S. 154.)

History: P.A. 94-241 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 96-239 substituted 35,000 population maximum for 30,000 maximum in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 00-194 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for enterprise corridor zones comprised of municipalities with populations up to 60,000, effective June 1, 2000; P.A. 05-194 amended Subsec. (a) by defining “distressed municipality”, “eligible municipality”, “unemployment rate” and “per capita income”, amended Subsec. (b) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), making Subdiv. (1) applicable before July 1, 2005, and adding Subdiv. (2) re enterprise corridor zone eligibility on or after July 1, 2005, and amended Subsec. (d) by substituting “after the date that such area no longer meets such criteria” for “from the date of approval of such zone”, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 14-122 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(2) and (3).