New Jersey Statutes 40A:20-3. Definitions
Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 40A:20-3
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
- Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- fiscal year: means the period for which a local unit adopts a budget, as required pursuant to the "Local Budget Law" N. See New Jersey Statutes 40A:1-1
- Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. Source: OCC
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- State: extends to and includes any State, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Canal Zone. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
a. “Gross revenue” means annual gross revenue or gross shelter rent or annual gross rents, as appropriate, and other income, for each urban renewal entity designated pursuant to P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-1 et seq.). The financial agreement shall establish the method of computing gross revenue for the entity, and the method of determining insurance, operating and maintenance expenses paid by a tenant which are ordinarily paid by a landlord, which shall be included in the gross revenue; provided, however, that any federal funds received, whether directly or in the form of rental subsidies paid to tenants, by a nonprofit corporation that is the sponsor of a qualified subsidized housing project, shall not be included in the gross revenue of the project for purposes of computing the annual services charge for municipal services supplied to the project; and provided further that any gain realized by the urban renewal entity on the sale of any unit in fee simple, whether or not taxable under federal or State law, shall not be included in computing gross revenue.
b. “Limited-dividend entity” means an urban renewal entity incorporated pursuant to Title 14A of the New Jersey Statutes, or established pursuant to Title 42 of the Revised Statutes, for which the profits and the entity are limited as follows. The allowable net profits of the entity shall be determined by applying the allowable profit rate to each total project unit cost, if the project is undertaken in units, or the total project cost, if the project is not undertaken in units, and all capital costs, determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, of any other entity whose revenue is included in the computation of excess profits, for the period commencing on the date on which the construction of the unit or project is completed, and terminating at the close of the fiscal year of the entity preceding the date on which the computation is made, where:
“Allowable profit rate” means the greater of 12% or the percentage per annum arrived at by adding 1 1/4% to the annual interest percentage rate payable on the entity’s initial permanent mortgage financing. If the initial permanent mortgage is insured or guaranteed by a governmental agency, the mortgage insurance premium or similar charge, if payable on a per annum basis, shall be considered as interest for this purpose. If there is no permanent mortgage financing the allowable profit rate shall be the greater of 12% or the percentage per annum arrived at by adding 1 1/4% per annum to the interest rate per annum which the municipality determines to be the prevailing rate on mortgage financing on comparable improvements in the county.
c. “Net profit” means the gross revenues of the urban renewal entity less all operating and non-operating expenses of the entity, all determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, but:
(1) there shall be included in expenses: (a) all annual service charges paid pursuant to section 12 of P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-12); (b) all payments to the municipality of excess profits pursuant to section 15 or 16 of P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-15 or 40A:20-16); (c) an annual amount sufficient to amortize the total project cost and all capital costs determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, of any other entity whose revenue is included in the computation of excess profits, over the term of the abatement as set forth in the financial agreement; (d) all reasonable annual operating expenses of the urban renewal entity and any other entity whose revenue is included in the computation of excess profits, including the cost of all management fees, brokerage commissions, insurance premiums, all taxes or service charges paid, legal, accounting, or other professional service fees, utilities, building maintenance costs, building and office supplies, and payments into repair or maintenance reserve accounts; (e) all payments of rent including, but not limited to, ground rent by the urban renewal entity; (f) all debt service;
(2) there shall not be included in expenses either depreciation or obsolescence, interest on debt, except interest which is part of debt service, income taxes, or salaries, bonuses or other compensation paid, directly or indirectly to directors, officers and stockholders of the entity, or officers, partners or other persons holding any proprietary ownership interest in the entity.
The urban renewal entity shall provide to the municipality an annual audited statement which clearly identifies the calculation of net profit for the urban renewal entity during the previous year. The annual audited statement shall be prepared by a certified public accountant and shall be submitted to the municipality within 90 days of the close of the fiscal year.
d. “Nonprofit entity” means an urban renewal entity incorporated pursuant to Title 15A of the New Jersey Statutes for which no part of its net profits inures to the benefit of its members.
e. “Project” means any work or undertaking pursuant to a redevelopment plan adopted pursuant to the “Local Redevelopment and Housing Law,” P.L.1992, c.79 (C. 40A:12A-1 et al.), which has as its purpose the redevelopment of all or any part of a redevelopment area including any industrial, commercial, residential or other use, and may include any buildings, land, including demolition, clearance or removal of buildings from land, equipment, facilities, or other real or personal properties which are necessary, convenient, or desirable appurtenances, such as, but not limited to, streets, sewers, utilities, parks, site preparation, landscaping, and administrative, community, health, recreational, educational and welfare facilities, and zero-emission vehicle fueling and charging infrastructure.
f. “Redevelopment area” means an area determined to be in need of redevelopment and for which a redevelopment plan has been adopted by a municipality pursuant to the “Local Redevelopment and Housing Law,” P.L.1992, c.79 (C. 40A:12A-1 et al.).
g. “Urban renewal entity” means a limited-dividend entity, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority or a nonprofit entity which enters into a financial agreement pursuant to P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-1 et seq.) with a municipality to undertake a project pursuant to a redevelopment plan for the redevelopment of all or any part of a redevelopment area, or a project necessary, useful, or convenient for the relocation of residents displaced or to be displaced by the redevelopment of all or any part of one or more redevelopment areas, or a low and moderate income housing project.
h. “Total project unit cost” or “total project cost” means the aggregate of the following items as related to a unit of a project, if the project is undertaken in units, or to the total project, if the project is not undertaken in units, all of which as limited by, and approved as part of the financial agreement: (1) cost of the land and improvements to the entity, whether acquired from a private or a public owner, with cost in the case of leasehold interests to be computed by capitalizing the aggregate rental at a rate provided in the financial agreement; (2) architect, engineer and attorney fees, paid or payable by the entity in connection with the planning, construction and financing of the project; (3) surveying and testing charges in connection therewith; (4) actual construction costs which the entity shall cause to be certified and verified to the municipality and the municipal governing body by an independent and qualified architect, including the cost of any preparation of the site undertaken at the entity’s expense; (5) insurance, interest and finance costs during construction; (6) costs of obtaining initial permanent financing; (7) commissions and other expenses paid or payable in connection with initial leasing; (8) real estate taxes and assessments during the construction period; (9) a developer’s overhead based on a percentage of actual construction costs, to be computed at not more than the following schedule:
$500,000 or less – 10%
$500,000 through $1,000,000 – $50,000 plus 8% on excess above $500,000
$1,000,001 through $2,000,000 – $90,000 plus 7% on excess above $1,000,000
$2,000,001 through $3,500,000 – $160,000 plus 5.6667% on excess above $2,000,000
$3,500,001 through $5,500,000 – $245,000 plus 4.25% on excess above $3,500,000
$5,500,001 through $10,000,000 – $330,000 plus 3.7778% on excess above $5,500,000
over $10,000,000 – 5%
If the project includes units in fee simple, with respect to those units, “total project cost” shall mean the sales price of the individual housing unit which shall be the most recent true consideration paid for a deed to the unit in fee simple in a bona fide arm’s length sales transaction, but not less than the assessed valuation of the unit in fee simple assessed at 100 percent of true value.
If the financial agreement so provides, there shall be excluded from the total project cost: (1) actual costs incurred by the entity and certified to the municipality by an independent and qualified architect or engineer which are associated with site remediation and cleanup of environmentally hazardous materials or contaminants in accordance with State or federal law; and (2) any extraordinary costs incurred by the entity and certified to the chief financial officer of the municipality by an independent certified public accountant in order to alleviate blight conditions within the area in need of redevelopment including, but not limited to, the cost of demolishing structures considered by the entity to be an impediment to the proposed redevelopment of the property, costs associated with the relocation or removal of public utility facilities as defined pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1992, c.79 (C. 40A:12A-10) considered necessary in order to implement the redevelopment plan, costs associated with the relocation of residents or businesses displaced or to be displaced by the proposed redevelopment, and the clearing of title to properties within the area in need of redevelopment in order to facilitate redevelopment.
i. “Housing project” means any work or undertaking to provide decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings for families in need of housing; the undertaking may include any buildings, land (including demolition, clearance or removal of buildings from land), equipment, facilities, or other real or personal properties or interests therein which are necessary, convenient or desirable appurtenances of the undertaking, such as, but not limited to, streets, sewers, water, utilities, parks; site preparation; landscaping, and administrative, community, health, recreational, educational, welfare, commercial, or other facilities, or to provide any part or combination of the foregoing.
j. “Redevelopment relocation housing project” means a housing project which is necessary, useful or convenient for the relocation of residents displaced by redevelopment of all or any part of one or more redevelopment areas.
k. “Low and moderate income housing project” means a housing project which is occupied, or is to be occupied, exclusively by households whose incomes do not exceed income limitations established pursuant to any State or federal housing program.
l. “Qualified subsidized housing project” means a low and moderate income housing project owned by a nonprofit corporation organized under the provisions of Title 15A of the New Jersey Statutes for the purpose of developing, constructing and operating rental housing for senior citizens under section 202 of Pub.L. 86-372 (12 U.S.C. § 1701q) or rental housing for persons with disabilities under section 811 of Pub.L. 101-625 (42 U.S.C. § 8013), or under any other federal program that the Commissioner of Community Affairs by rule may determine to be of a similar nature and purpose.
m. “Debt service” means the amount required to make annual payments of principal and interest or the equivalent thereof on any construction mortgage, permanent mortgage or other financing including returns on institutional equity financing and market rate related party debt for a project for a period equal to the term of the tax exemption granted by a financial agreement.
n. “Zero-emission vehicle” means a vehicle certified as a zero emission vehicle pursuant to the California Air Resources Board zero emission vehicle standards for the applicable model year, including but not limited to, battery electric-powered vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
o. “Zero-emission vehicle fueling and charging infrastructure” means infrastructure to charge or fuel zero-emission vehicles, including but not limited to, public electric vehicle charging stations and public hydrogen fueling stations.
L.1991, c.431, s.3; amended 1992, c.79, s.54; 1994, c.87, s.1; 2002, c.43, s.70; 2003, c.125, s.7; 2021, c.168, s.4.