RSA 79-E:7: Public Benefit.

In order to qualify for tax relief under this chapter, the proposed substantial rehabilitation must provide at least one of the public benefits, and the proposed replacement must provide one or more of the public benefits to a greater degree than would a substantial rehabilitation of the same qualifying structure, as follows:

I. It enhances the economic vitality of the downtown;

II. It enhances and improves a structure that is culturally or historically important on a local, regional, state, or national level, either independently or within the context of an historic district, town center, or village center in which the building is located;

II-a. It promotes the preservation and reuse of existing building stock throughout a municipality by the rehabilitation of historic structures, thereby conserving the embodied energy in accordance with energy efficiency guidelines established by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

III. It promotes development of municipal centers, providing for efficiency, safety, and a greater sense of community, consistent with RSA 9-B; or

IV. It increases residential housing in urban or town centers.