Planning grants and special planning grants

The commissioner is authorized to make planning grants and special planning grants to municipalities to facilitate the planning of development projects, provided (a) no such grant shall be made in an amount in excess of fifty per cent of the estimated reasonable cost of such planning as determined by said commissioner and (b) the municipal share of such planning costs may be paid in noncash contributions, the value of such contributions to be determined by the commissioner. Planning grants and special planning grants may be made to any distressed municipality, as defined in section 32-9p, in amounts up to one hundred per cent of such planning costs if the commissioner determines that there is a substantial likelihood that the planned development project will be consummated. Special planning grants may be authorized for development projects consisting, predominantly, of industrial buildings, which it is anticipated, within eighteen months, shall have more than fifty per cent of the usable floor area unused or substantially underutilized and shall result in significant unemployment. Said commissioner may consult with and advise any development agency in the preparation of a plan for a development project.