36-58 - Defense housing by housing authorities.
§ 36-58. Defense housing by housing authorities.
Any housing authority may undertake the development or administration, orboth, of projects to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellingsfor persons engaged in national-defense activities whom the housing authoritydetermines would not otherwise be able to secure safe and sanitary dwellingswithin the vicinity thereof, but no housing authority shall initiate thedevelopment of any such project pursuant to this chapter after December 31,1946.
In the ownership, development or administration of such projects, a housingauthority shall have all the rights, powers, privileges and immunities thatsuch authority has under any provision of law relating to the ownership,development or administration of slum clearance and housing projects forpersons of low income, in the same manner as though all the provisions of lawapplicable to slum clearance and housing projects for persons of low incomewere applicable to projects developed or administered to assure theavailability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged innational-defense activities as provided in this chapter; provided, thatduring the period (herein called the "national-defense period") that ahousing authority finds (which finding shall be conclusive in any suit,action or proceeding) that within its area of operation, or any part thereof,there is an acute shortage of safe and sanitary dwellings which impedes thenational-defense program in this Commonwealth and that the necessary safe andsanitary dwellings would not otherwise be provided when needed for personsengaged in national-defense activities, any project developed or administeredby such housing authority (or by any housing authority cooperating with it)in such area, with the financial aid of the federal government (or as agentfor the federal government as hereinafter provided), shall not be subject tothe limitations provided in § 36-22 and the second sentence of § 36-21 of theHousing Authorities Law; and provided further, that, during thenational-defense period, a housing authority may make payments in suchamounts as it finds necessary or desirable for any services, facilities,works, privileges or improvements furnished for or in connection with anysuch project. In the development or the administration of projects hereunderor in otherwise carrying out the purposes hereof, any housing authority ofany city, town or county may exercise its powers within the territorialboundaries of such city, town or county, and in any area within ten milesfrom such boundaries, with the approval of the governing body of the areaaffected thereby, exclusive of any area within the territorial boundaries ofany other city, town or county in which there is a housing authority. Afterthe national-defense period, any such projects owned and administered by ahousing authority shall be administered for the purposes and in accordancewith the provisions of the Housing Authorities Law, except as otherwiseprovided in the preceding sentence of this section. This chapter shallconstitute an independent authorization for a housing authority to undertakethe development or administration of projects to assure the availability ofsafe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national-defenseactivities as provided in this chapter and for a housing authority tocooperate with, or act as agent for, the federal government in thedevelopment or administration of similar projects by the federal government.
(1942, p. 571; Michie Code 1942, § 3145(28); 1944, p. 145.)