Pa. Senate passes bill to encourage private development at mass transit stations

The state Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday to encourage private development at mass transit stations.

Senate Bill 1210 will reform and modernize Pennsylvania’s Transit Revitalization Investment District Act, enacted in December 2004, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Chester, Delaware) said in a news release.

“Pennsylvania’s TRID law is 10 years old,” Pileggi said. “The goal is admirable: encouraging private development at mass transit hubs. However, only one TRID has been created in the past decade — making it clear that the law needs to be improved. Senate Bill 1210 will allow the TRID program to begin fulfilling its promise.”

The bill streamlines the TRID creation process, sets clear parameters for TRID funding and the use of those funds, and authorizes a new “tax capture” funding mechanism.

The legislation is supported by a wide range of organizations across Pennsylvania, the release said, including the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the Pennsylvania Municipal League, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.

“After the passage of the historic, comprehensive transportation funding bill last fall, we are seeing long-awaited and much-need investment into vital infrastructure across the state,” said Gene Barr, president and CEO of the PA Chamber. “This legislation helps see to it that Transit Revitalization Improvement Districts remain a useful tool in spurring local economic growth alongside these investments.”

The bill moves to the state House for consideration.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal