reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VI - Tourism (§§ 6001 — 6982i) › Chapter 164 - Act for Development of a Country Brand (§§ 6982 — 6982i) › § 6982i - Regulations

The Committee is hereby directed to adopt regulations as are necessary for the implementation of this act within ninety (90) days following the approval thereof.
History —July 23, 2013, No. 70, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7002 - Goals and objectives

The Legislature of Puerto Rico hereby establishes that the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the guidelines for action geared to achieve the rehabilitation and development of Río Piedras shall:
(a) Retain and increase the resident population with persons and families of various income and age groups.
(b) Promote the physical, economic and social rehabilitation of the communities and neighborhoods of Río Piedras, with special attention to low-income groups, and to encourage their integration in spatial, economic and organizational terms to the mainstream activity of the area.
(c) Increase and strengthen economic activity in Río Piedras by consolidating and strengthening the existing economic activity and promoting new activities in the service, specialized trade and business areas related to culture and recreation.
(d) Rehabilitate and occupy deteriorating or vacant structures, with special attention to structures with architectural value.
(e) Create an urban atmosphere with various and coherent uses in proportion with the general urban context of the area.
(f) Significantly increase the employment opportunities in the area and retain and consolidate the existing ones.
(g) Extend and improve the services provided to residents and users of the area.
(h) Fortify the security of the area and improve its image before the public.
(i) Establish a pleasant pedestrian atmosphere.
(j) Encourage the use of the existing means of public transportation.
(k) Improve the flow of traffic, increase the parking facilities and make them more accessible to their users.
(l) Encourage the active participation of the private sector in the rehabilitation and development process of Río Piedras.
(m) Ensure the adequacy of the infrastructure and public services, especially when allowing for an increase in density.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7003 - Special planning zone

The Planning Board shall delimit one or several special planning zones, covering the entire territory of Río Piedras, and establish a schedule for the designation of zones, pursuant to the periods of time and priorities described in § 7005 of this title, within a period of not more than one hundred and twenty (120) days as of the date of approval of this act. The Planning Board shall establish an Integral Development Plan for said zone or zones, special regulations, and special applications of regulations that shall govern land use and building characteristics as needed to stimulate the rehabilitation and development of Río Piedras, pursuant to the goals and objectives indicated in § 7002 of this chapter in order to guarantee the common good. A zone shall be deemed to be designated when the Development Plans and the necessary regulations have been adopted and approved in accordance with the provisions of § 7005 of this title and the provisions of §§ 62 et seq. of this title. The tax benefits granted in §§ 7006, 7007 and 7012 of this title shall take effect by zone upon completion of the designation process of each. The Planning Board shall complete the designation of all zones within a term that shall not exceed thirty (30) days, after two years from the approval of this act and the corresponding appropriation of funds stated in § 7004 of this title. Should the Planning Board fail to comply with the schedule established pursuant to § 7003 of this title, the tax benefits provided herein that are subject to the designation of a zone shall automatically take effect thirty (30) days after the date established in said schedule, and be subject to the Planning regulations in force for the sector. Nothing shall prevent the Board from designating a zone within a shorter period of time than that established in said schedule.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7004 - Advisory task force; appropriation of funds

The sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) is hereby appropriated, from unencumbered funds in the Commonwealth Treasury, to the Planning Board for fiscal year 1995—96, to create a special consulting team for Río Piedras for the purposes stated in this section. A similar amount of funds shall be consigned as a line allotment in the Planning Board’s budget for the following fiscal year. The purpose of the Advisory Task Force shall be to make recommendations for the Planning Board to establish the Integrated Development Plan for each zone in Río Piedras and the public policy that the Government of Puerto Rico and its dependencies shall adopt with regard to the rehabilitation and development of Río Piedras, including physical, economic, social and cultural matters. The funds appropriated hereinabove shall be used to conduct, among the studies needed to achieve the goals and objectives established in this chapter, technical studies needed to solve problems in terms of traffic and parking, internal mass transportation and public safety; to analyze and ensure the adequacy of the infrastructure and the public services with regard to the increase in density and the population of users; to analyze and regulate, where indicated, the height, density, volume and other construction factors, so that the new constructions and rehabilitation harmonize with the existing architectural and spatial configuration of Río Piedras; to provide housing for moderate and low-income families, including an on-site rehabilitation strategy for low-income communities; and for the use of public property, in order to stimulate the rehabilitation of Río Piedras. The funds may also be used to cover the operating expenses of the Advisory Task Force and any other expenses needed for the ends stated. For purposes of this appropriation of funds, the Planning Board may include any sector established by law as part of Río Piedras Ward which is not included within the definition stated in this chapter for Río Piedras, if deemed necessary for an adequate analysis, planning process or the regulation of the sectors included therein. The Planning Board shall incorporate the University of Puerto Rico in the organizational efforts of this Advisory Task Force.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 3; Dec. 19, 1995, No. 241, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7005 - Priorities

The Planning Board shall establish a designation schedule for the preparation of the Integrated Development Plan for each zone in the Río Piedras sector, as well as the corresponding regulations and special applications of the regulations in force by sectors of the entire area of Río Piedras pursuant to the following priorities and within the term stated below: the Río Piedras central sector, of which the general boundaries are, to the north, the Piñero Expressway and the Ponce de León and Gándara Avenues; to the south, the 65th Infantry Avenue; to the west, the Muñoz Rivera Avenue, and to the east, the José Celso Barbosa Avenue, and any remaining sectors shall be completed within a term of twelve (12) months after the date of approval of this act and the appropriation of funds. Once the Planning Board has adopted the Integrated Development Plan and the regulations in force for each zone, these shall be submitted to the Governor for his approval.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7006 - Tax exemption

Those eligible properties, as defined in § 7001 of this title, which are being newly built, substantially rehabilitated or subject to improvements and are located in a special planning zone in Barrio Río Piedras, within a period of five (5) years as of the effective date of this act, shall be entitled to exemption from payment of real property taxes. This exemption shall cover one hundred percent (100%) of the taxes on the taxable property for a term of ten (10) years. The exemption shall be effective from January 1, following the year in which the property has been built, subject to improvements or substantially rehabilitated. The Municipal Revenues Collection Center shall establish, through regulations, the procedures through which this exemption is to be granted. This exemption shall not apply to any construction, rehabilitation or improvements initiated or completed before or after five (5) years from the effective date of this act.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 5; July 17, 2009, No. 39, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7007 - Forbearance of interest, surcharges, and penalties

Any interest, surcharges, and penalties imposed with regard to real property taxes prior to the date this exemption is granted, as provided in this chapter, on eligible properties located in Barrio Río Piedras that have not been used productively for a year or more, shall be granted forbearance for the period corresponding to the time during which said property was not being used productively, if the eligible property is substantially rehabilitated after the effective date of this act, within a term that shall not exceed five (5) years as of such effective date.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 6; July 17, 2009, No. 39, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7008 - Special incentives

Any person who owns an eligible property subject to the Reasonable Rental Act located in the Río Piedras Ward, who substantially rehabilitates said eligible property, and after doing so, the said property continues to be subject to the provisions of said act, shall be entitled to a special deduction when computing his/her net income for income tax purposes, equivalent to the difference between the adjusted rent, as defined in this chapter, and the basic rent, as defined in § 6 of Act No. 464 of April 25, 1946. In the case of structures partially subject to the Reasonable Rental Act, only the rehabilitation works made to the portion of the structure subject to said Act shall be considered, and the cost thereof shall be adjusted pursuant thereto. In order to be entitled to the deduction established herein, it shall be necessary for the eligible property’s rehabilitation to be initiated and concluded within the period comprised between the effective date of this act and the fifth year after the effectiveness of this act, and to be valued in an amount that exceeds twelve thousand dollars ($12,000) per unit or which represents thirty percent (30%) of the property’s market value before its rehabilitation, excluding the value of the land where it is located, whichever is greater.
In order to determine the total amount of the deduction granted herein, the Secretary of Consumer Affairs shall issue a certificate indicating the basic rent established by unit and its adjusted rent. This certificate shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Treasury by the person entitled to the deduction in order to enjoy the same. The rents indicated in said certificate shall be the sole grounds to be used in determining the amount of the deduction granted herein.
The deduction granted herein shall not exceed four thousand, eight hundred dollars ($4,800) per unit by year, and, may only be claimed while the unit is leased by the tenant who was leasing the property before the rehabilitation of the unit, and for a maximum term of ten (10) years from the date the rehabilitation was completed.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7009 - Incentives for financing

The Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico may execute, at its discretion, a surety on viable eligible property projects involving substantial rehabilitation, improvements or new constructions to be developed in Río Piedras upon presentation of an application therefor, for a period of ten (10) years from the new effective date of this act.
The Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico may secure the surety thus executed through insurance. The funds to extend the insurance may proceed from the collection of five percent (5%) of the value of the mortgage loans granted in Río Piedras and secured by the Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 8; July 17, 2009, No. 39, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7010 - Requirements

Any and all natural and juridical persons are required to be up to date with regard to all their responsibilities towards the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all its dependencies, agencies, instrumentalities, and the Municipality of San Juan, in order to avail themselves of and while enjoying the tax benefits established in this chapter.
It is also provided that in order to avail themselves of said tax benefits and enjoy these during the periods provided in this chapter, the properties and businesses benefited thereby must comply with all the planning regulations applicable to the sector, or with those that have been promulgated to guide the development of the special planning zone in which they are located.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7011 - Incentives for the creation of jobs

All businesses or industries established or to be established in Río Piedras Ward, as defined in this chapter, within a period of five (5) years as of the effective date of this act, shall be entitled, for purposes of computing their income tax, to an additional deduction equal to five percent (5%) of the applicable minimum wage of each new job created. This deduction shall be in addition to any other deduction granted by any law and shall be effective for a term of five (5) years. To be entitled to this deduction, it is necessary that the new position created:
(a) Does not eliminate or replace any job existing prior to the approval of this act.
(b) Is a full-time forty-hour-a-week job.
(c) Is held continuously by the same person for a period of not less than six months during a tax year.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7012 - Incentives for businesses and industries

(a) All businesses or industries established within a special planning zone in Barrio Río Piedras during the period between the effective date of this act and five (5) years after said date, shall be entitled, for income tax purposes, to a special deduction of ten percent (10%) of the rent paid for a term of ten (10) years. This deduction shall be in addition to any other deduction granted by any other law. This deduction shall not be available for successor businesses.
(b) Half of the net income obtained by selling admission tickets to artistic and cultural events held in Barrio Río Piedras at establishments located in newly built or substantially rehabilitated structures, or in structures subject to improvements for a period of five (5) years as of the date on which the construction, substantial rehabilitation or improvement is completed, is hereby exempted from payment of income taxes. In order to obtain these benefits, said construction, rehabilitation or improvement shall be performed within a term of five (5) years as of the effective date of this act in which the establishment is located. The Department of the Treasury shall establish by regulation the Procedure through which this exemption is to be granted.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 11; July 17, 2009, No. 39, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7014 - Other provisions

The Department of the Treasury, the Municipal Revenues Collection Center, the Department of Consumers Affairs, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the Development Bank and the Planning Board, and any other agency that the Planning Board deems should be so authorized, are hereby authorized to approve rules and regulations to comply with the provisions of this chapter in those matters within their competence pursuant to what is provided herein.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 13, renumbered as § 14 on Aug. 15, 1999, No. 236, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7015 - Evaluation

The Chairperson of the Planning Board, the Executive Director of the Municipal Revenues Collection Center, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a report to the Legislature three (3) years after the tax exemptions provided in this chapter have been rendered effective. Said report shall include an analysis of the effects the taxation measures established in this chapter have had on the urban development of Río Piedras, as well as an inventory of the housing units created or rehabilitated therein, the number of properties which benefit under the provisions of this chapter, and any other pertinent information, so as to enable the Legislature to make an evaluation of the effectiveness of the incentives under this chapter. The report submitted shall include recommendations with regard to the desirability of additional measures, if any, for the development of Río Piedras. Said report shall also include the position held by these agencies with regard to the creation of other special planning zones in other deteriorated urban centers. Likewise, the Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico shall submit a special report to the Legislature on that same date, with evidence of its participation in the execution of sureties, authorized under this chapter, including an account of the applications received, as well as its determination concerning the same.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 14, renumbered as § 15 on Aug. 15, 1999, No. 236, § 4; July 17, 2009, No. 39, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171 - Rehabilitation and Development of Río Piedras (§§ 7001 — 7016) › § 7016 - Divulgation

It shall be the duty of the Department of the Treasury, the Municipal Revenues Collection Center, the Planning Board and the Municipality of San Juan to adopt any pertinent measures and regulations, in order to divulge among the citizenry the existence of this law and the benefits and exemptions granted hereby, so that the citizens may avail themselves of these benefits.
Such efforts shall be completed immediately after the approval of this act, strictly complying with the provisions established herein.
History —July 5, 1995, No. 75, § 16, renumbered as § 17 on Aug. 15, 1999, No. 236, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7021 - Evaluation

The Planning Board of Puerto Rico, as part of the evaluation of the Land Use Plan for Puerto Rico and in coordination with the Municipality of Isabela, which in turn is working on the Territorial Ordinance Plan of the municipality, shall evaluate the delimitation of one or several Special Planning zones spanning the entire territory of Poblado Planas. For such zone or zones, the Board shall study the feasibility of establishing an integrated development plan and regulations to govern the use of the land, hills, lakes and rivers, mineral and archeological resources, as well as the structures required to stimulate the development of Poblado Planas according to the public policy established in Section 2 of this act.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7022 - Tax exemption

Any eligible property built for the main residence of the owner, or for business or industry, which is subject to substantial rehabilitation or improvements in a Special Planning Zone in Poblado Planas, within five (5) years after such a zone is designated, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall be entitled to a tax exemption on real property. This tax exemption shall be one hundred percent (100%) of the property tax, and it shall have a term of ten (10) years. The tax exemption shall be in effect as of January 1st of the year after which the property becomes subject to new construction, substantial rehabilitation or improvements. The Municipal Revenues Collection Center shall establish by regulations the procedure for obtaining this tax exemption.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7023 - Condonation of real property tax interest, surcharges and penalties

All interest, surcharges and penalties on real property tax owed as of the date of the granting of the exemption granted under this chapter for eligible property with one (1) year or more without productive use shall be condoned for the period during which said property remained without productive use, if the eligible property is subject to new construction, substantial rehabilitation or improvements after the approval of this act and the designation of the Special Planning Zone in which it is located, within a term that shall not exceed five (5) years after the designation of such a zone.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7024 - Additional requirements

In addition to the requirements established by other provisions of this chapter, as well as by other laws and regulations, those persons interested in availing themselves of the tax benefits provided herein shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) To be up to date with all tax responsibilities with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the municipalities of Isabela, San Sebastián and Quebradillas.
(b) To comply with all the regulations that govern the development of the Special Planning Zone in which they are located.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7025 - Special Interagency Task Force for Poblado Planas

A Special Interagency Task Force for Poblado Planas is hereby created, of indefinite duration, which shall be constituted by the agencies, members of the Puerto Rico Legislature and government dependencies to be named below, and which shall be presided and coordinated by the Chairperson of the Planning Board. This Interagency Task Force shall coordinate solutions, situations and problems regarding the rendering of public services, the application of regulations, the granting of permits and the application of laws in Poblado Planas.
The agencies, members of the Puerto Rico Legislature and public dependencies that shall constitute this Interagency Task Force are: the Regulations and Permits Administration, the Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Treasury, the Commercial Development Administration, the Economic Development Administration, the Representative of said District, the two (2) Senators of said District or their authorized representatives, and the Mayor of Isabela. By means of a petition from twenty-five (25) Planas residents or bona fide business owners, the citizens of Poblado Planas shall be entitled to request a special meeting of the Interagency Task Force.
The Interagency Task Force shall render its first report within a reasonable term, which shall not exceed one (1) year after the approval of this act, and subsequently, annually, it shall report to the Office of the Governor and the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of its actions and achievements. The report shall include details of the problems and situations of Poblado Planas, the strategies adopted, solutions obtained, priorities, work plans, problems that have not been solved, achievements and suggestions, benefits, the impact of the tax exemptions granted by this chapter on the citizens, as well as employment and inventory of businesses and industries established therein.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7026 - Disclosure

It shall be the duty of the Board and of the Department of the Treasury to take all necessary steps to disclose the existence of this chapter, as well as the exemptions and benefits granted thereby, for the citizens to avail themselves thereof.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 171A - Development of Planas de Isabela (§§ 7021 — 7027) › § 7027 - Report

The report to be submitted shall also include recommendations with respect to the desirability, if any, of additional measures for the development of Poblado Planas, such as the rendering of health and security services.
History —Sept. 17, 2004, No. 385, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7031 - Special Zoning Resolution Order

The Planning Board, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, shall conduct all necessary studies of the properties comprised in the denominated Lajas Valley for the regulation of said lands through the promulgation and adoption of a special zoning resolution, in order to reserve and devote the farms of said valley to agricultural production and development. For this purpose, it may require expert or field support from government or private entities. The Special Zoning provisions shall include the lands that presently have access to irrigation, in addition to those that may have it in the future, and are identified as having agricultural value. Likewise, those lands abutting those identified as having agricultural value and serving as buffer zones, must be incorporated into the Special Zoning.
Said Special Zoning Resolution must be promulgated not later than two (2) years and one hundred twenty (120) days after the approval of this act.
Furthermore, the Land Authority shall reserve and set aside a portion of land of not less than seventy five (75) cuerdas of the lands comprising the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve that are included in the Special Zoning, in order to develop agricultural projects and promote the growth, modernization, and diversification of the agricultural production as provided in Section 1 of this Act.
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 2; Oct. 18, 2001, No. 148, § 1; Dec. 17, 2010, No. 203, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7032 - Prohibitions

The Planning Board, the Regulations and Permits Administration, and the municipal governments whose territorial boundaries are located within the area comprised by the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve, each one within its respective jurisdiction, are hereby prohibited from approving location consultation, authorizing developments, and granting construction or use permits in contravention with the public policy set forth in the purpose note under § 7031 of this title. However, those construction or use permits stemming from location or development consultations duly approved before this act came into effect and according to the provisions set forth in § 7035 of this title may be approved, provided such permits have not been revoked for any reason.
Furthermore, said agencies and government bodies may not authorize segregations for the creation of properties of less than fifty (50) cuerdas in the area designated in the Special Zoning Resolution, as indicated in § 7031 of this title.
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 3; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 174, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7033 - Identification of title holders

The Planning Board, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, shall identify the title holders of the public and private lands located within the Valle de Lajas, in order to expedite the territorial organization and the approval of the special zoning resolution thereof.
The government agencies that hold title to lands with agricultural potential located within the geographic boundaries of the Lajas Valley, except the Agricultural Sciences College of the University of Puerto Rico, shall transfer the lands they own under gratuitous title to the Land Authority. Those public corporations that also own properties with agricultural potential within the boundaries of the Lajas Valley shall enter into negotiations with the Executive Director of the Land Authority and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to agree on the reasonable terms for the acquisition, use or exchange of the land without prejudice to the finances or commitments of said public corporations.
If it were necessary to appropriate funds to honor said agreements, said funds shall be consigned in the annual regular expenses budget of the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year following the moment said agreements are executed.
The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture shall identify any property or land whose title belongs to the private sector and are not destined for agricultural production so as to encourage the development of specific agricultural projects for said properties in coordination with the owners of said land using the subsidies and incentives that the Department of Agriculture has available for these purposes.
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7034 - Special tax

The payment of a special tax of fifty dollars ($50) per cuerda is hereby imposed on every plot of land located within the agricultural reserve, as set forth in the special zoning resolution set forth in § 7031 of this title.
Said special tax shall be levied and collected by the Municipal Revenues Collection Center in the same manner in which the real property tax is collected.
Every plot of land located within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve that has been identified as suitable for agricultural use of which at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the total area of the property is devoted to intense agricultural activity, with a subsequent increase of twenty-five percent (25%) every three (3) years, shall be exempted from the payment of the special tax imposed in the previous paragraph after five years as of the date of approval of this act.
In order to be entitled to the exemption established above, the intense agricultural activity thus required must be certified by the Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico.
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7035 - Temporary clause—Location and continuation of non-agricultural activity use

(a) The continuity of use or building which is not in compliance with the purposes of this chapter shall be allowed as long as said use or building has been legally established before the approval of this act and if the permit is in effect to continue with the use or the building, a legal noncompliance permit must be requested within one (1) year after the approval of this act from ARPE or the autonomous municipality, each within its respective jurisdiction. However, the uses established without the corresponding permits which, after the approval of this act, are in effect, shall have a term of six (6) months to legalize the use for which the consent of the Department of Agriculture shall be required.
Those uses that are incompatible with the purposes of this chapter, the protection of which is established herein, and the continuation of which is not authorized, pursuant to the procedures determined previously, must be eliminated within a term of two (2) years, starting with the certification of denial to continue operating issued by the Department of Agriculture.
(b) Location consultations, approved developments, and construction or use permits. — Those consultations for the location of nonagricultural use in land located within the Agricultural Reserve, as the limited by the Planning Board, pending resolution before the Planning Board at the approval date of this act which are incompatible with the purposes of the same, shall be denied.
(c) Those location consultations for nonagricultural use that have been approved by the Planning Board and which are in effect at the date of approval of this act shall remain in effect for the term established by the applicable regulation. Said term can be extended, provided it is the originally approved project.
Cases pending adjudication before the ARPE for nonagricultural use that do not require location consultations approved by the Planning Board that are incompatible with the purposes of this chapter shall be denied. However, those cases for nonagricultural use that have been approved by ARPE and that are in effect by the date this act took effect shall remain in effect for the term established in the applicable regulation. [Its effectiveness can be extended so long as it relates to the project originally approved.]
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 6; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 174, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7037 - Powers of the Secretary

The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture is hereby empowered to enter into agreements with other Commonwealth and federal government agencies as well as non-governmental organizations for the study, administration and management of the Lajas Valley.
The Secretary of Agriculture is likewise empowered to establish the regulations needed to execute the duties and functions imposed by this act. Said regulations shall comply with the provisions of §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act”.
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 172 - Agricultural Development of the Lajas Valley (§§ 7031 — 7038) › § 7038 - Quarterly reports

The Secretary of Agriculture shall render periodic reports every three (3) months to the Legislature regarding the progress in promulgating and adopting the special zoning resolution to be established in the Lajas Valley.
Said periodic reports shall also include information as to the measures and actions that have been taken, as well as the plans that have been drawn to achieve the design and implementation of the agricultural development plan for said valley.
History —Aug. 20, 1999, No. 277, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 191 - Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Railway System (§§ 7501 — 7504) › § 7501 - Creation

To create an Interagency Committee for the protection and development of the existing train in the Municipality of Arroyo, as well as the railway system and its tracks, as a tourist attraction in the southern area.
History —Aug. 9, 1995, No. 118, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 191 - Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Railway System (§§ 7501 — 7504) › § 7502 - Members

An Interagency Committee is hereby created for the protection and development of the Arroyo Train and the railway systems and its tracks, which shall be composed by the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Chair of the Planning Board, the Executive Director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the Executive Director of the Land Authority, the Executive Director of the State Historic Preservation Office, the Executive Director of the Electric Power Authority, the Mayors of the Municipalities of Arroyo, Patillas, Guayama, Salinas, Santa Isabel, Juana Díaz, and Ponce, the Administrator of the Land Administration, and the Executive Director of the Tourism Company of Puerto Rico. Provided, That said Committee shall be chaired by the Mayor of the Municipality of Arroyo. All the aforementioned officials may designate an authorized representative to represent them in said Interagency Committee.
History —Aug. 9, 1995, No. 118, § 2; June 12, 2010, No. 59, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 191 - Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Railway System (§§ 7501 — 7504) › § 7503 - Functions

The Committee shall evaluate and approve the proposals presented by the departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that are interested in the use and development for tourism and other uses of said train facilities located in the town of Arroyo, throughout the southern area of Puerto Rico.
The Committee may adopt the regulations needed to implement this chapter, including the requirements, procedures and formalities to be observed by those public entities that present proposals before the Committee.
The proposals submitted before the Committee by departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as the gifts from persons and entities, and any accompanying condition for specific use, shall be considered public documents.
Once the proposal is evaluated as a whole, the Committee shall proceed to approve the same in order to comply with the need to provide adequate maintenance that meets the purposes of this chapter. Said proposals shall include a working plan on the use and development of the facilities which shall include a deadline for its completion. The Committee shall evaluate the feasibility of the plan submitted.
History —Aug. 9, 1995, No. 118, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 191 - Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Railway System (§§ 7501 — 7504) › § 7503a - Powers

In situations where the life and safety of people are in jeopardy, the Interagency Committee is hereby empowered to take the necessary steps before the pertinent agencies to order the rehabilitation, transfer, relocation or removal of those structures that, although deserving to be incorporated into the touristic plans because of their historic value, pose a threat to the life and peace of mind of human beings.
The powers of the Interagency Committee to this effect shall include establishing the necessary agreements with both Commonwealth and federal government agencies, as well as with private institutions involved in the development of the project contemplated by this chapter.
The Interagency Committee shall entrust the corresponding cultural institutions with the custody of documents and material assets which cannot be used within the context of the project.
History —Aug. 9, 1995, No. 118, added as § 4 on Jan. 21, 1998, No. 37, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 191 - Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Railway System (§§ 7501 — 7504) › § 7503b - Channeling of the Nigua River

The Municipality of Salinas shall have the responsibility of carrying out the works for the removal of [the] Nigua Bridge in order to expedite the channeling of [the] Nigua River. Said removal shall be conducted in accordance with standards equal or similar to the federal standards for mitigation projects, especially those of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER).
Upon completion of the channeling, the Municipality shall also have the responsibility of relocating the bridge. The costs of documenting, removing and relocating the bridge shall be defrayed by the Municipality of Salinas, pursuant to what the Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Arroyo Railroad may establish.
History —Jan. 21, 1998, No. 37, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 191 - Interagency Committee for the Protection and Development of the Railway System (§§ 7501 — 7504) › § 7504 - Appropriation

The sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) is hereby appropriated from unencumbered funds in the Commonwealth Treasury, for studies, planning, protection and restoration, and to initiate the development of said facilities. In subsequent years, the Committee shall annually submit to the Legislature a consolidated budget, detailing the petition for additional funds needed to achieve the purposes of this chapter, which shall proceed from the General Budget.
History —Aug. 9, 1995, No. 118, § 4, renumbered as § 5 on Jan. 21, 1998, No. 37, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 201 - Playita Sector Task Force (§§ 7701 — 7707) › § 7701 - Creation

An Interagency Task Force is hereby created, which shall be in charge of designing and structuring an integral development plan for Playita Sector, in order to achieve the objective of rehabilitating and developing said area.
History —Aug. 10, 1995, No. 145, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 201 - Playita Sector Task Force (§§ 7701 — 7707) › § 7702 - Duration

This Interagency Task Force shall be permanent.
History —Aug. 10, 1995, No. 145, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART VII - Community Development (§§ 7001 — 8058) › Chapter 201 - Playita Sector Task Force (§§ 7701 — 7707) › § 7703 - Constitution; composition

The Interagency Task Force, henceforth denominated as “the Task Force”, shall be constituted (composed) by the following agencies, which shall delegate their representation in the Task Force on their high ranking officials, so as to ensure that its determinations and actions to be taken shall be implemented effectively: Regulations and Permits Administration; Department of the Family; Aqueduct and Sewers Authority; Electric Power Authority; Planning Board; Department of Housing; Housing Development and Improvements Administration; Department of Health (both municipal and Commonwealth); Firefighter Corps; and the Municipality of San Juan, as well as the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; Department of Education; Environmental Quality Board; Department of Transportation and Public Works; and two (2) members of the community, to be chosen in the first meeting of the agencies, and two (2) additional members to be selected in an Assembly of the Playita and El Checo communities to be held within thirty (30) days as of the approval of this act. Said Assembly shall be convoked and presided by the Commonwealth Department of Housing. The four (4) community members shall remain in office until a vacancy is produced by resignation, death, disability or removal. Should a vacancy arise in the community member positions, the successor shall be elected in an Assembly to be held by the pertinent communities.
The Task Force shall be presided over and coordinated by the Department of Housing of the Commonwealth.
Should the Task Force deem it necessary, it shall request the participation of the private sector, in which case, the Task Force shall choose the members of said sector that shall participate in it.
The Task Force shall have the duty of studying the problems which exist in Playita Sector and, in view thereof, at the close of its sixth (6th) month of its creation, the Task Force shall structure and fully implement a joint development plan designed to eradicate the problems existing in the area. The Task Force shall conduct the corresponding census in order to determine which population is affected, and identify the main problems that afflict said population, as well as what agencies are responsible for solving such problems—according to the scope of their jurisdiction—and what measures can be taken to correct the situation in terms of their basic needs.
History —Aug. 10, 1995, No. 145, § 3; Aug. 30, 2006, No. 167, § 1.