‘Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §13056-G, sub-§3, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 362, §1, is amended to read:
(1) A description of the parties involved in the project, including the professional expertise and qualifications of the principals;
(2) A description of the scope of work that will be undertaken by each party involved in the project;
(3) The proposed budget, including verification of funding from other sources;
(4) A statement of the project objective, including specific information on how the project will promote the use of the space as a collaborative workspace;
(5) A statement that sets forth the implementation plan, the facilities and resources available or needed for the project and the proposed commencement and termination dates of the project;
(6) A description of the expected significance of the project, including a description of the market demand for the type of collaborative workspace proposed in the region in which the space will be located and the number of tenants and participants that will be served as a result of the project;
(7) Guidelines for the review and approval of applications that include preferences for applications that propose to redevelop existing properties located in the downtown area of a municipality, dedicate at least 25% of accessible space to collaborative use and support a cluster of at least 5 separate tenants;
(8) A description of the ability of the collaborative workspace business to carry out the provisions of this section;
(9) A summary of the proposed economic impact of the collaborative workspace on the community;
(10) A description of plans for conformance with regional and local economic development plans, if such plans exist; and
(11) A statement of the proximity of the collaborative workspace to an accredited Maine community college, college or university, as defined in Title 20-A, section 12541, subsection 1.
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §13056-G, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 362, §1, is amended to read:
Sec. 3. Development of collaborative workspaces. The Department of Economic and Community Development shall provide funds from the Maine Coworking Development Fund, as established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13056-G, to entities that maintain collaborative workspace businesses to allow those entities to expand those collaborative workspace businesses and to entities to develop new collaborative workspaces. In providing funds pursuant to this section, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department shall prioritize development of new collaborative workspaces and shall give preference to applicants with collaborative workspace businesses located in municipalities and counties in which the unemployment rate exceeds the State's unemployment rate. The department shall engage in at least 2 rounds of competitive applications to expend the funds. Funds appropriated to the Maine Coworking Development Fund in fiscal year 2019-20 do not lapse and must be carried over into fiscal year 2020-21 and used for the purposes described in this section.
Sec. 4. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF
Maine Coworking Development Fund Z195
Initiative: Provides one-time funds for the development of collaborative workspace businesses, with preference given to applicants with projects in towns and counties in which the unemployment rate exceeds the State's unemployment rate.
| GENERAL FUND | 2019-20 | 2020-21 |
|
All Other
|
$300,000 | $0 |
 |
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $300,000 | $0 |