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    Database of Community Benefits Frameworks Across the US

    This database includes information pertaining to different types of publicly available community benefits frameworks, including community benefits agreements (CBAs), host community agreements (HCAs), project workforce agreements (PWAs) and community benefit plans (CBPs), amongst others. They can be an important tool to ensure that tangible benefits from development projects are felt locally, enable communities to create or fund programs that matter to them, and help developers develop local relationships and earn community acceptance of a project. This database, therefore, aims to provide information that would be useful to community organizers, policymakers, lawyers, researchers, developers, and other individuals interested in better understanding how agreements between developers and local communities are structured to provide benefits to a local community as part of the development of a specific project.

    Compiled by the World Resources Institute and Data for Progress, this database will regularly be updated as more community benefit frameworks are reviewed and analyzed. If you have access to community benefit frameworks not reflected in this database, please reach out to us here.

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    Displaying 1 - 5 of 72
    Arkwright
    Framework Type: Host Community Agreement
    Sector: Wind
    Project Summary: Cassadaga Wind LLC seeks to develop a wind power facility in Cherry Creek, Arkwright, and Stockton, New York.
    Parties to framework: Cassadaga Wind LLC; Towns of Cherry Creek, Arkwright, and Charlotte
    State: New York
    Year Signed: 2016
    Benefits included:
    • Education
    • Health and safety
    • Financial support
    Benefits - Education:
    – Company entered into a payment-in-lieu of taxes agreement with Cassadaga Valley Central School District, and Pine Valley School District, among other town governments and the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (PILOT Agreement), not to exceed $7,800/MW of capacity when combined with the Host Fee (p. 8)
    Benefits - Health and safety:
    – Must repair (although no later than one year after completion) any damage to the roads and roads structures caused by construction of project to at least the condition that existed prior (p. 11)
    – Town may require company to post a bond, irrevocable letter of credit or equivalent in amount of company's actual construction contract price for reinforcement or repair activities. (p. 13)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Make one time payment to Town of $1,000 times the total number of turbines constructed (p. 7)
    – Pay annual host community fee of $3,800 per MW of nameplate rated capacity for each turbine installed. This includes an inflation adjustment rate of 2% (p. 7)
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    Atlanta Beltline
    Framework Type: City Ordinance
    Sector: Redevelopment/Construction
    Project Summary: The City of Atlanta, Georgia seeks to establish a "Beltline Redevelopment Area" in which they will facilitate economic and infrastructure development in coordination with the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA).
    Parties to framework: City Council of Atlanta; Atlanta Development Authority (ADA)
    State: Georgia
    Year Signed: 2005
    Benefits included:
    • Employment and Workforce training
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    Benefits - Employment and workforce training:
    – Create Economic Incentives Fund to ensure private development in areas with histories of unemployment, economic depression, poverty, and little economic growth/investment (p. 5)
    – Projects receiving funding from tax allocation bond must reflect principles of prevailing wages for workers (p. 7)
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    – May direct tax allocation bonds to public and private improvements to streets, bridges, utilities, storm and sanitary sewers, capital improvements related to transit (p. 5)
    – 15% of the proceeds of the tax allocation bonds must be used for the BeltLine Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop at least 5,600 units of affordable housing within the BeltLine Redevelopment Area (p. 5)
    – Goal to emphasize connectivity among new developments, existing neighborhoods, and activity centers through bike and pedestrian trails and sidewalks (p. 6)
    Download framework
    Ballpark Village
    Framework Type: Community Benefits Agreement
    Sector: Entertainment
    Project Summary: Ballpark Village LLC seeks to construct a mixed use residential, office, and retail development in San Diego, California.
    Parties to framework: A Community Coalition for Responsible Development (ACCORD); Ballpark Village LLC
    State: California
    Year Signed: 2005
    Benefits included:
    • Employment and Workforce training
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    • Environmental and climate
    • Other financial support
    Benefits - Employment and workforce training:
    – Covered Employers shall pay a Living Wage and provide benefits as defined in the agreement (p. 7)
    – Make good faith efforts to cause employers to comply with the First Source Hiring Program, targeted at low income local residents, including those who have participated in a rehabilitated ex-offender job training program (p. 9)
    – Provide 200 ft sq feet of easily accessible space within the project for a rent-free Job Center (p. 9)
    – Provide $1.5 million to be used for (i) conducting classes to prepare Targeted Applicants to become pre-apprentices in the construction trades and (ii) to provide support services to individuals taking these classes (p. 9)
    – Endeavor to have 20% local participation in construction jobs (p. 10)
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    The developer signed a separate Affordable Housing Agreement with the San Diego Housing Commission and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego. The developer will use good-faith efforts to maximize the amount of gross square footage of affordable housing units and at least 75% of the affordable housing units shall be two- or three-bedroom units (p. 10)
    – Contribute $1.5 million towards a second affordable housing development that is mutually selected by Developer and ACCORD (p. 11)
    – Use good-faith efforts to cause the leasing of a Grocery Store space within the project on market-rate terms and conditions (p. 12)
    Benefits - Health and safety:
    – Take measures to remedy possible releases/emissions of hazardous substances such as contaminated soil and hazardous air pollutants like volatile organic compounds (p. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
    Benefits - Environmental and climate:
    – Obtain at least certified status for buildings within the Project under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System for New Commercial and Major Renovations (LEED-NC), including at least seven points within the LEED category of Indoor Air Quality (p. 5)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Contribute $100,000 for an economic impact study on the effects of rising land values in downtown San Diego on neighboring communities and recommend specific policy measures (p 12)
    – Developer shall contribute $50,000 to the City's Commission for Arts and Culture to fund arts, youth, and culture services in neighboring communities (p. 12)
    Download framework
    Banc of California
    Framework Type: Community Benefits Agreement
    Sector: Finance
    Project Summary: Banc of California seeks to merge with Pacific Mercantile Bank.
    Parties to framework: Banc of California; Pacific Mercantile Bank; California Reinvestment Coalition; Greenlining Institute
    State: California
    Year Signed: 2021
    Benefits included:
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    • Other
    • Other financial support
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    – Commitment for $200 million of lending for affordable housing over 5 years (p. 2)
    – Bank to purchase or originate $50 million in single-family mortgages in LMI communities (p. 4)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Increase community development lending commitments to $1.4 billion over 5 years (p. 2)
    – Creation of a special purpose credit program, with a target of $100 million, to enable access to capital for disadvantaged individuals (p. 3)
    – Increase small business loans (p. 4)
    – Commits to increasing annual contributions budget to no less than $1 million per year (p. 5)
    – Commit 15% of annual contributions to housing programs, homeownership counseling, etc. (p. 5)
    – Will devote portion of contributions to addressing homelessness and supportive/transitions housing (p. 5)
    Benefits - Other:
    – Bank will develop, market and service an account that serves banking needs of the unbanked, underbanked, and low-to-moderate income communities (p. 4)
    Download framework
    Berkley Solar
    Framework Type: Payment Agreement
    Sector: Solar
    Project Summary: Taunton LLC seeks to develop and operate a solar photovoltaic plant in Bristol County, Massachusetts.
    Parties to framework: Town of Berkley, Massachusetts; Trustees of Double H Realty Trust; GLC-(MA) Taunton, LLC
    State: Massachusetts
    Year Signed: 2013
    Benefits included:
    • Education
    • Other financial support
    Benefits - Education:
    – Make reasonable efforts to work with the Berkeley School Department to include school curriculum related to solar energy (p. 10)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Make payments to the Town in lieu of real and personal property taxes at the agreed per megawatt rate of $7,000 per DC megawatt capacity of the project per year (p. 3)
    Download framework

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