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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 945H.P. 610House of Representatives, March 11, 2025
An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Powers and
Responsibilities of the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 5, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Housing and Economic Development pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed
pursuant to Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SACHS of Freeport.
Cosponsored by Representatives: COLLAMORE of Pittsfield, DUCHARME of Madison,
GERE of Kennebunkport, JULIA of Waterville, ROBERTS of South Berwick. Page 1 - 132LR1648(01)
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2 as enacted by PL 2021, c. 664, §3, is amended
3 to read:
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5 an agreement under section 5158, subsection 4, which may include:
6 A. Property that the redevelopment authority has determined is abandoned as
7 demonstrated by a totality of evidence including, but not limited to, the following:
8 (1) Doors and windows on the property are boarded up, broken or continuously
9 left unlocked;
10 (2) Rubbish, trash or debris has accumulated on the property;
11 (3) Furnishings and personal property are absent from the property;
12 (4) The buildings or improvements on the property are deteriorating so as to
13 constitute a threat to public health or safety;
14 (5) Gas, electric or water service to the property has been terminated or utility
15 consumption is so low that it indicates the property is not regularly occupied;
16 (6) A mortgagee has changed the locks on the property and neither the mortgagor
17 nor anyone on the mortgagor's behalf has requested entrance to, or taken other steps
18 to gain entrance to, the property;
19 (7) Reports of trespass, vandalism or other illegal acts being committed on the
20 property have been made to local law enforcement authorities;
21 (8) A code enforcement officer or other public official has made a determination
22 or finding that the property is abandoned or unfit for occupancy;
23 (9) The mortgagor is deceased and there is no evidence that an heir or personal
24 representative has taken possession of the property; or
25 (10) Other reasonable signs of abandonment;
26 B. Property that the redevelopment authority has determined is blighted because of:
27 (1) Dilapidation, deterioration, age or obsolescence;
28 (2) Inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation or open spaces;
29 (3) High density of population and overcrowding;
30 (4) Tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land;
31 (5) The existence of conditions that endanger life or property; or
32 (6) Any combination of the factors described in subparagraphs (1) to (5);
33 C. Property that the redevelopment authority has determined is functionally obsolete
34 due to a substantial loss in value resulting from factors such as overcapacity, changes
35 in technology, deficiencies or superadequacies in design or other similar factors that
36 affect the property itself or the property's relationship with other surrounding property;
37 D. Property that is environmentally hazardous; and Page 2 - 132LR1648(01)
1 E. Property that a municipality or county has determined is not within the capacity of
2 the municipality or county to redevelop and for which the municipality or county has
3 requested the assistance of the redevelopment authority.
4 is enacted to read:
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6 under Title 13-C, section 302;
7 as enacted by PL 2021, c. 664, §3, is amended
8 to read:
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10 including, but not limited to, municipalities, counties, regional planning organizations, state
11 agencies and municipal or regionally organized land banks in order to effectuate the
12 purposes of this chapter. Agreements may include the acquisition of property or rights in
13 property from a municipality or county whose governing unit declares the need for such an
14 agreement;
15 as enacted by PL 2021, c. 664, §3, is amended
16 to read:
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18 related to funding of the redevelopment of property acquired in accordance with to
19 effectuate the purposes of this chapter;
20 is enacted to read:
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22 or person to effectuate the purposes of this chapter. If an agreement under this subsection
23 is for the acquisition of property, the municipality in which the property is located or, if the
24 property is located in an unorganized or deorganized township of the State, the Maine Land
25 Use Planning Commission must consent to the acquisition;
26 as enacted by PL 2021, c. 664, §3, is amended
27 to read:
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29 redevelopment activities by using the best practices adopted by the Development Ready
30 Advisory Committee under section 5161;
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32 This bill amends the laws governing the powers of the Maine Redevelopment Land
33 Bank Authority by providing the redevelopment authority with powers possessed by a
34 corporation and changes its ability to acquire property by removing the requirement of
35 needing an agreement with a public entity, changes its authority to enter into an agreement
36 with a federal agency and allows it to enter into an agreement with a private party, which,
37 if the agreement is for the acquisition of property, to have the consent of the municipality
38 in which the property is located or, if the property is located in an unorganized or
39 deorganized township of the State, the consent of the Maine Land Use Planning
40 Commission. The bill also removes the requirement of the redevelopment authority to use
41 the best practices adopted by the Development Ready Advisory Committee when providing
42 assistance to entities in the State engaged in redevelopment activities.
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