Bill > A07859

This bill enacts the "Food Retail Establishment Subsidization for Healthy Communities Act" (FRESH Communities), which provides loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, and grants to businesses, municipalities, non-profit corporations, or local development corporations. The purpose is to attract, maintain, or permit the expansion of food retail establishments, such as supermarkets and grocery stores, in underserved areas. Underserved areas are defined as low- or moderate-income census tracts, areas with below-average supermarket density, or areas with significant access limitations due to travel distance, as determined by the Urban Development Corporation. The bill requires the Corporation to consider the economic viability of projects and their potential impact on the community when evaluating applications for assistance, and to establish performance indicators to assess the progress of funded projects.