Title 2, Government Administration.

(a) There is established, in accordance with the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative ("SSBCI"), within the executive branch of District government, the State Small Business Credit Initiative Venture Capital Program ("SSBCI-Venture Capital Program"). (b) The SSBCI-Ventu…

The purpose of this subchapter is to create a commission to examine and evaluate proposals, recommendations, and studies in order to establish an enterprise zone or zones in blighted and underdeveloped areas of the District of Columbia (“District”). The commission shall submit a …

The Council finds that: (1) Unemployment in some areas of the District exceeds 10%. (2) The incidence of business dislocation in the District is alarming. (3) Many areas of the District suffer from the overall pattern of urban blight seen in other northeastern American cities. (4…

(a) There is established the District of Columbia Enterprise Zone Study Commission (“Commission”). (b) The commission shall be composed of 25 members who shall be appointed as follows: (1) One member shall be appointed by each member of the Council; and (2) Twelve members shall b…

The commission shall develop a method for the evaluation of a strategy to establish and implement an enterprise zone or zones in the District. The process shall include: The evaluation and consideration of a method to best select proposed sites for an enterprise zone or zones; ta…

The commission shall complete its work and submit its report with recommendations to the Council no later than 12 months following the first meeting of the commission. Upon filing its report, all authority for the commission shall expire.

(a) No compensation shall be paid to the members of the commission, but commission members may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. (b) The Mayor shall provide office space and an appropriate staff of professional and clerical personnel t…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Corner store” means a retail establishment that: (A) Sells grocery products; (B) Has less than 5,000 square feet of selling area; (C) Does not have an off-premises retailer’s license, Class A, established by § 25-112(d)(1); and …

(a) The Mayor shall establish a Grocery Store Development Program (“Program”) within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to attract grocery stores to, and renovate grocery stores in, eligible areas in the District and to create quality jobs for Di…

Notwithstanding the scope of exemptions provided by § 47-3802(a), a grocery store that is located in census tract 94 on February 18, 2017, shall be eligible for the tax exemption provided pursuant to § 47-3802(a)(1) beginning with the tax year beginning October 1, 2016; provided,…

(a) As a condition of participating in the Program, an individual or legal entity operating a grocery store shall: (1) Accept SNAP benefits; (2) Apply to accept WIC benefits and accept WIC benefits if eligible; (3) Enter into a first source agreement; and (4) Sell fresh produce a…

The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development shall designate a District employee as the grocery ambassador to assist retailers in building or renovating grocery stores in eligible areas by: (1) Providing research and data on eligible areas with insufficient grocery acce…

(a) The Zoning Commission should adopt regulations that permit bonus density or other appropriate zoning flexibility for projects in eligible areas with grocery stores, consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. (b) When considering applications for special exceptions or planned uni…

(a) The Mayor shall establish a Healthy Food Retail Program within the Department of Small and Local Business Development to expand access to healthy foods in eligible areas in the District by providing assistance to corner stores, farmers markets, and other small food retailers.…

(a) Corner stores, farmers markets, and other small food retailers participating in the program established by § 2-1212.31 shall be strongly encouraged to: (1) Apply to accept SNAP benefits; (2) Apply to accept WIC benefits; and (3) Employ District residents. (b) Resources may be…

(a) The Department of Small and Local Business Development shall convene a working group to develop a plan for establishing a commercial distribution system for fresh produce and healthy foods to corner stores. Corner stores shall be encouraged to work cooperatively to maximize t…

The District Department of the Environment shall: (1) Develop tools and resources for corner stores to reduce their operating costs by becoming more energy efficient; and (2) Promote energy efficiency programs to corner stores.

The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of this title [§ 2-501 et seq.], may issue rules to implement the provisions of this subchapter.

(a) It shall be unlawful for the owner or operator of a grocery store or a food retail store to agree to the inclusion of a restrictive land covenant or other use restriction in a contract for the sale, lease, or other transfer of real property that prohibits the use of the real …

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (a)(1) "Grocery store" means a retail establishment that: (A) Has a primary business of selling food, including fresh food; and (B) Is a "retail food store," as that term is defined in section 3(o) of the Food Stamp Act of 1964, appr…

(a) There is established within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development the East End Grocery Construction Incentive Program ("Program") to: (1) Attract affordable grocery shopping opportunities to underserved areas; and (2) Pay the construction costs …

This subchapter shall expire on December 31, 2029; provided, that this expiration shall not be construed to terminate any development undertaken pursuant to § 2-1212.72.

(a) The Council finds that: (1) Business Improvement Districts will help the District to promote economic growth and employment downtown and in other areas of the District; (2) Property owners should be encouraged to create BIDs and BID corporations to enhance their local busines…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Adjoining residential neighborhood” means any property zoned for residential use within a BID or within 800 feet of the perimeter of a BID. (2) “Adverse impact on adjoining residential neighborhoods” means adverse impact on traf…

Each BID shall be organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the District and shall be subject to all applicable District and federal laws and regulations. Each owner of a taxable property and each commercial tenant within a BID, whether such owner or commercial tenan…

(a) To establish a BID with respect to any area, the Board of Directors of a nonprofit corporation established under District law for the purpose of forming a BID and seeking to be registered as a BID corporation shall submit an application to the Mayor for review of compliance w…

(a) The Mayor shall have 15 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) from the date of the filing of a BID application to conduct a preliminary review of the application to determine if the filing criteria set forth in § 2-1215.04 have been met and if the application is o…

(a) The Mayor shall hold a public hearing within 45 days of the issuance of his findings pursuant to § 2-1215.05(b)(2). The Mayor may designate the Department of Small and Local Business Development, or a successor thereto, to perform the functions described by this section. (b) …

(a) The powers of each BID corporation shall be vested in a Board of Directors (“Board”). Board members shall include owners, or principals, agents, partners, managers, trustees, stockholders, officers, or directors of owners, and commercial tenants, and also may include resident…

(a) The Board of each BID corporation shall govern the BID corporation in accordance with the articles of incorporation and bylaws which shall be the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the nonprofit corporation that submitted the BID application. The members shall have the o…

(a) Except as provided in § 2-1215.09a, an established BID may only expand its geographic area if: (1)(A) Owners of at least 51% interest in the assessed value of the taxable properties and at least 25% in number of individual properties of record in a geographic area petition th…

(a) An owner of an adjacent or abutting property may petition to join an existing BID if the owner sends a letter requesting to be added to a BID to the BID Board and to the Mayor, listing the address, square and lot number, owner, and owner’s contact information. The BID board m…

(a) An established BID may only expand categories of taxable real property if: (1) Owners of at least 51% interest in the assessed value of the taxable real properties and at least 25% in number of individual real properties, consisting of a new type of taxable real property of r…

(a) A BID established after February 26, 2015, may only expand categories of taxable real property to include Class I residential property if: (1) Owners of at least 51% interest in the assessed value of the taxable real properties and at least 25% in number of individual real pr…

(a) Except as otherwise provided by this subchapter, meetings of the members shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the bylaws but shall occur at least once each year after the formation of the BID. The bylaws shall specify an officer who shall send each member notice…

(a) The articles of incorporation shall provide that each member is entitled to vote. The articles of incorporation and the bylaws may allocate to each BID member a number of votes. The number of votes allocated to each member may be based on any fair and equitable formula that e…

(a) The BID’s treasurer shall keep detailed records of the receipts and expenditures affecting the operation and administration of the BID. All such records, minutes of the meetings of the BID’s members and Board, and any other records pertaining to the BID, including the names a…

(a) The Board of each BID corporation shall file an annual report with the Mayor and the Council in compliance with subsection (b) of this section and financial statements with the CFO in compliance with subsection (c) of this section in such forms and at such times as are prescr…

(a) The District shall not be liable or responsible in any manner for any debts incurred, or for any acts or inactions, by the Board or by any agent, employee, or member of the BID corporation. The BID shall reimburse the District for any legal fees or any other legal expenses re…

(a) Within 10 days of its date of registration, and 90 days in advance of the beginning of each fiscal year, each BID shall provide the CFO with a preliminary BID tax roll, which shall include, for each property subject to the relevant BID tax, the square number, the lot number, …

(a) A BID’s authority shall include any powers possessed by a nonprofit corporation organized pursuant to District law, including, but not limited to, the authority to accept donations or gifts of money and property, to apply for and receive grants from public and private sources…

(a) The BID corporation through its counsel may file suit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia against any property owner with delinquent BID taxes that are at least 120 days overdue. Such a suit may seek as damages any delinquent BID taxes, including penalties and i…

(a)(1) Each BID shall have an initial term that shall end on the last day of the 5th full fiscal year of the District during which the BID has been registered pursuant to § 2-1215.06(h). A BID may be extended for successive 5-year terms if: (A) The BID notifies the Mayor at least…

No BID corporation shall engage in the financial support of political activities and candidates, lobbying on legislative or administrative actions with respect to any property or area, or the promotion of one business to the exclusion of others. Nothing contained within this subc…

(a) The District government shall not eliminate or reduce the level of any services customarily provided in the District to any similar geographic area because such area is subject to a BID, and shall continue to provide its customary services and levels of each service to such a…

The District government, the federal government, or any property owner owning exempt real property located in the BID, or adjacent to or abutting BID boundaries, may, at their sole discretion, contribute money to the BID. Such exempt real property owners who voluntarily make a pa…