19-1202.

City or village; application; approval; conditions; historic property; requirements.

(1) The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment shall award a grant to a city or village under the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program based on a completed application that demonstrates:

(a) A substandard and abandoned commercial property within the corporate limits of the city or village is in need of demolition;

(b) The city or village owns the property or is completing the process prescribed in section 18-1722;

(c) The property has been abandoned or vacant for at least six months prior to application;

(d) The requirements of subsection (2) of this section have been met if the property is listed, or eligible to be listed, on the National Register of Historic Places; and

(e) The city or village is able to contribute matching funds, whether in cash or in-kind donations, in the amount of ten percent for a village, fifteen percent for a city of the second class, and twenty percent for a city of the first class.

(2) If the State Historic Preservation Officer or his or her designee has determined that the property is listed, or eligible to be listed, on the National Register of Historic Places, the application shall also demonstrate that:

(a) The property has been deemed a substandard and abandoned commercial property by a certified building professional with the concurrence and approval of the State Historic Preservation Officer or his or her designee; or

(b) Preservation-based mitigation strategies have been agreed to by the city or village and the State Historic Preservation Officer.

(3) For purposes of this section:

(a) Certified building professional means a person licensed as a professional engineer or architect under the Engineers and Architects Regulation Act or a head official or inspector charged with the enforcement of fire, health, safety, and building or construction codes of a city or village; and

(b) Substandard and abandoned commercial property means commercial property that endangers the public and violates a fire, health, safety, or building or construction code and that is unoccupiable with no viable plans for its maintenance or rehabilitation.