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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 11 - 15 of 72
    Charlotte Wind Farm
    Framework Type: Host Community Agreement
    Sector: Wind
    Project Summary: Cassadaga Wind LLC seeks to develop a wind power facility in Charlotte, New York.
    Parties to framework: Cassadaga Wind LLC; Town of Charlotte, NY
    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:
    – Company has obligation to 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)
    – Town must submit a fire protection plan to the town fire chief (p. 19)
    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 as part of the project. The fee shall be adjusted annually for inflation by 2% (p. 7)
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    Chicago and Bally’s Chicago Operating Company
    Framework Type: Host Community Agreement
    Sector: Entertainment
    Project Summary: Bally's Chicago Operating Company LLC seeks to develop a casino in Chicago, Illinois.
    Parties to framework: City of Chicago; Bally's Chicago Operating Company, LLC
    State: Illinois
    Year Signed: 2022
    Benefits included:
    • Education
    • Employment and Workforce training
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    • Health and safety
    Benefits - Education:
    – Tuition reimbursement program for employees (p. 78)
    Benefits - Employment and workforce training:
    – Meet or exceed goal for contracting with local businesses; work hours of contract done by local workers; and prioritizing local hiring, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities (p. 35)
    – Parent company of the developer has entered into a separate agreement with labor groups: "Labor Peace Agreement" (p. 35)
    – In all contracting related to the project, the developer and casino manager must provide a reasonable preserence for competitively priced firms that are located or based within the City, and secondarily for firms located within nearby counties (p. 72)
    – Developer to make commercially reasonable efforts for construction project to result in job creation in construction industry, with ~2,900 jobs for temporary project, ~3,000 jobs for permanent project and ~2,500 jobs for construction of Hotel Extension (p. 73)
    – Developer to take commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a target foal of hiring 60% Minorities for operation of Casino (p. 74)
    – Local hiring program with six months of on-the-job training for entry-level position for local residents (p. 75)
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    – Provision of casino hotel extension rooms for rent by the general public after the fifth anniversary of casino opening (p. 32)
    Benefits - Health and safety:
    – Casino will establish partnerships with mental health counselors, hospitals, colleges, and social workers to combat problem gambling (p. 88)
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    CIT Bank
    Framework Type: Community Benefits Plan
    Sector: Finance
    Project Summary: CIT Bank, National Association seeks to merge with Mutual of Omaha Bank.
    Parties to framework: CIT Bank; Omaha Bank; California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC); National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)
    State: California
    Year Signed: 2019
    Benefits included:
    • Education
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    • Financial support
    Benefits - Education:
    – Bank will increase education and enforcement of fair housing and lending practices (p. 5)
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    – Increase mortgage lendings annually for low and middle income (LMI), African American, Latino, and Asian American Pacific Islander census tract borrowers (p. 2)
    – Work with non-profit partners to develop portfolio mortgage product that meets local community credit needs (p. 2)
    – Provide $300k in grants to non-profit orgs that will assist bank in reaching additional LMI diverse homeowners/prospective clients, and LMI small business customers (p. 3)
    – Fund loans, investments, grants of $200k annually to community groups that provide technical assistance to small businesses (p. 4)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Deliver $6.5 billion of Community Reinvestment Act lending and investments within California, to include single and multi family loans for LMI and minority borrowers; small business lending for LMI census tracts and CRA qualified community development lending (p. 1)
    – Provide $14 million annually for lending to community development financial institutions, community development corporations and other nonprofit community development funds that benefit small businesses, housing and economic development in low-income and underserved communities (p. 4)
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    City of Richmond Resort Casino
    Framework Type: Host Community Agreement
    Sector: Entertainment
    Project Summary: RVA Entertainment Holdings LLC seeks to develop and operate a resort casino in Richmond, Virginia.
    Parties to framework: RVA Entertainment Holdings, LLC; City of Richmond, VA
    State: Virginia
    Year Signed: 2021
    Benefits included:
    • Employment and Workforce training
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    • Health and safety
    • Environmental and climate
    • Other financial support
    Benefits - Employment and workforce training:
    – Ensure that a minimum of 50% of all non-“sit down” establishments will be operated by local Richmond restaurants (p. 14)
    – Ensure that at least three local Richmond restaurants will have a right of first refusal for three of the “sit down” establishments (p. 14)
    – Make a good faith effort to identify emerging small businesses and minority business enterprises and have a 40% participation rate on the project's construction (p. 25)
    – Designate a small businesses and minority business coordinator (p. 25)
    – Work in good faith to create training and outreach programs within the City of Richmond for jobs in construction and post-construction and employ individuals having such job skills (p. 25)
    – Make efforts to conduct job fairs and information sessions in each City Council District, in coordination with Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and (vii) place job advertisements with multiple media outlets (p. 26)
    – Recruit city residents first for job placement by conducting outreach that targets neighborhoods with the highest concentrations of poverty, target city residents for employment opportunities, work with partners to conduct a comprehensive training program, and create hiring opportunities for students in public schools (p. 26)
    – General contractor to use union labor for a minimum of 40% of the Project’s construction man-hours (p. 26)
    – All employers on site must pay at a minimum the local prevailing wage rate for the City (p. 27)
    – Goal to have 60% of 953 full-time jobs and 347 part-time jobs filled by Richmond residents (p. 27)
    – Hire a workforce development coordinator (p. 27)
    – Ensure that tipped and non-tipped positions will pay an average annual compensation package of $55,000, and at least $15 per hour (p. 27)
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    – The hotel tower will be identified for future development and will not adversely affect the size of the green space and park in the agreement (p. 13)
    – Include an approximately 55-acre green space and park that is maintained by the owner and accessible to the public (p. 14)
    – Provide space for a Richmond Region Tourism Information Desk and representative (p. 18)
    – The owner and the city will share costs equally to beautify the area around the casino (p. 21)
    Benefits - Health and safety:
    – Provide access to a security room for the Richmond Police Department to respond to incidents, real-time access to exterior video cameras on the property, and preference will be given to the use of off-duty Richmond Police Department personnel when additional security or law enforcement is required (p. 17)
    – Spend up to $200,000 ($100,000 minimum) annually to fund mental health professionals and resources to prevent and treat problem gambling (p. 38)
    Benefits - Environmental and climate:
    – Design and construct all buildings within the project to LEED Silver standards and shall use pervious pavement where appropriate (p. 15)
    – Attempt to reduce the heat island effect by planting shade trees along sidewalks and in other outdoor landscaping and use other appropriate methods (p. 15)
    – Owner and the City to mutually agree on physical improvements to enhance the appearance of the public right of way (p. 21)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Make a minimum Capital Investment of $562,534,705 (subject to a reasonable contingency of $34,069,000) (p. 13)
    – If the owner achieves substantial completion on or before October 1, 2024, Owner will pay the City an ongoing Annual Payment as defined in the agreement (p. 27, 28)
    – Provide the City with $25,000,000 in advertising to promote any City initiatives for 10 years (p. 38)
    – Spend $50,000,000 in the City to produce television, movie, and audio/visual content during the 120 months following the opening of the project (p. 38)
    – Commits to fulfill the obligations stated in proposal with a minimum amount of $16,000,000 over the first ten years of the project (p. 38)
    – Provide a minimum of $325,000 annually for transit mobility solutions to support travel of its employees to and from work (p. 38)
    Benefits - Other:
    – Conduct a design charrette and allow City staff to participate; the City has the right to consultation and architectural review (p. 15)
    – Include art valued in the aggregate minimum amount of $500,000 and commission artists from Richmond and Virginia (p. 15)
    – Implement a point & reward program that will allow patrons to redeem points for food, beverage, merchandise, and admission to businesses and organizations in the City and will not charge a set-up fee for businesses and organizations to participate (p. 18)
    – Prohibition of on-site payroll check cashing services (p. 38)
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    County of DeKalb and Waste Management of Illinois Inc.
    Framework Type: Host Community Agreement
    Sector: Waste/Landfill
    Project Summary: Waste Management Inc. seeks to expand its landfill facility in DeKalb County, Illinois.
    Parties to framework: Waste Management of Illinois, Inc; County of DeKalb, Illinois
    State: Illinois
    Year Signed: 2009
    Benefits included:
    • Employment and Workforce training
    • Local infrastructure and housing
    • Environmental and climate
    • Financial support
    • Other
    Benefits - Employment and workforce training:
    – Give preference to suitably skilled applicants residing in the County before hiring other applicants residing in other counties for work at the Landfill (p. 14)
    Benefits - Local infrastructure and housing:
    – Provide 4 publically available recycling drop boxes to the county (p. 18)
    – Offer opportunities for residents to enter into a Property Value Guarantee Agreement (p. 10, 34)
    – Assume responsibility for all repairs and reconstruction to maintain roads their trucks will use (p. 16)
    Benefits - Environmental and climate:
    – Provide alternate potable water supply to owners of inadvertently contaminated water wells (p. 10)
    – Agrees that its responsibilities to the County and its residents include active environmental stewardship, including a methane recovery program, citizen forum procedures and a household hazardous waste collection program (p. 17)
    Benefits - Financial support:
    – Make one time contribution of $80,000 to DeKalb Economic Development Corporation as well as an annual contribution of at least $5,000 per year (p. 11)
    – Pay a Host Benefit Fee for each ton of waste disposed of in the Expansion for which a disposal fee is paid (p. 12)
    Benefits - Other:
    – Accept all roadkill from the DeKalb County Highway Department and all non-hazardous waste generated by the county free of charge (p. 3)
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