Section 5-706 - Focus area.
§ 5-706. Focus area.
(a) In general.- A political subdivision may request the Secretary to designate all or part of an enterprise zone as a focus area for the lesser of:
(1) 5 years; or
(2) the remainder of the 10-year term of the applicable enterprise zone.
(b) Time for request.- The request may be made on or before a submission date when the political subdivision applies for the designation of a new enterprise zone or after the Secretary has designated an enterprise zone.
(c) Eligibility criteria.- The Secretary may grant the request if the area is located in an enterprise zone and meets at least three of the following criteria:
(1) the average unemployment rate in the area, or within a reasonable proximity to the area but in the same county, for the most recent 18-month period for which data are available is at least 150% of the greater of the average rate of unemployment in either the State or the United States during that same period;
(2) the population in the area, or within a reasonable proximity to the area but in the same county, has an incidence of poverty that is at least 150% of the national average;
(3) the crime rate in the area, or within a reasonable proximity to the area but in the same county, is at least 150% of the crime rate in the political subdivision where the area is located;
(4) the percentage of substandard housing in the area, or within a reasonable proximity to the area but in the same county, is at least 200% of the percentage of housing units in the State that are substandard, according to data from the United States Bureau of the Census or other State or federal government data the Secretary considers appropriate; or
(5) at least 20% of the square footage of commercial property in the area, or within a reasonable proximity to the area but within the same county, is vacant, according to data from the United States Bureau of the Census or other State or federal government data the Secretary considers appropriate.
[An. Code 1957, art. 83A, § 5-402; 2008, ch. 306, § 2.]