The following terms, wherever used or referred to in this Act shall have the following respective meanings, unless in any case a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
(a) "Department" means a Department of Urban Renewal created pursuant to this Act.(b) "Government" shall mean the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof authorized to make funds available to local public agencies by way of loans or grants for or in aid of any of the purposes of this Act.(c) "Municipality" shall mean a city, village or incorporated town.(d) "Presiding officer" shall mean the mayor or president of a city, village or incorporated town, as the case may be, for which a Department of Urban Renewal is created.(e) "Governing body" shall mean the council or the president and board of trustees of any city, village or incorporated town, as the case may be.(f) "State Housing Board" shall mean the State Housing Board created pursuant to "An Act in relation to Housing," approved July 12, 1933, as amended.(g) "Area of operation" shall mean the area within the territorial boundaries of such municipality.(h) "Real Property" shall include lands, lands under water, structures, and any and all easements, franchises and incorporeal hereditaments and estates, and rights, legal and equitable, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage or otherwise.(i) "Slum and Blighted Area" means any area of not less in the aggregate than two (2) acres located within the territorial limits of a municipality where buildings or improvements, by reason of dilapidation, obsolescence, overcrowding, faulty arrangement or design, lack of ventilation, light and sanitary facilities, excessive land coverage, deleterious land use or layout or any combination of these factors, are detrimental to the public safety, health, morals or welfare.(j) "Slum and Blighted Area Redevelopment Project" means a project involving a slum and blighted area as defined in subsection (i) of this section.(k) "Blighted Vacant Area Redevelopment Project" means a project involving (1) predominantly open platted urban land which because of obsolete platting, diversity of ownership, deterioration of structures or of site improvements, or taxes or special assessment delinquencies exceeding the fair value of the land, substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of the community and which is to be developed for residential or other use, provided that such a project shall not be developed for other than residential use unless the area, at the time the Department adopts the resolution approving the plan for the development of the area, is zoned for other than residential use and unless the Department determines that residential development thereof is not feasible, and such determination is approved by the presiding officer and the governing body of the municipality in which the area is situated, or (2) open unplatted urban land to be developed for predominantly residential uses, or (3) a combination or projects defined in (1) and (2) of this sub-section (k).(l) "Redevelopment Project" shall mean a "Slum and Blighted Area Redevelopment Project" or a "Blighted Vacant Area Redevelopment Project," as the case may be, as designated in the determination of the Department pursuant to Section 11 of this Act, or as heretofore designated in the determination of a land clearance commission which is to be dissolved pursuant to this Act, and may include such additional area of not more in the aggregate than one hundred sixty (160) acres (exclusive of the site of any abutting Slum and Blighted Area Redevelopment Project or Blighted Vacant Area Redevelopment Project) located within the territorial limits of the municipality, abutting and adjoining in whole or in part a Slum and Blighted Area Redevelopment Project or Blighted Vacant Area Redevelopment Project, which the Department deems necessary for the protection and completion of such redevelopment project or projects and of the site improvements to be made therein and which has been approved by the governing body of the municipality in which the area is situated, but the Department as to such additional area shall have power only to make studies, surveys and plans concerning services to be performed by the municipality or others, including the extension of project streets and utilities, the provision of parks, playgrounds or schools, and the zoning of such peripheral areas.(m) "Conservation Area" shall mean an area of not less than 40 acres in which the structures in 50% or more of the area are residential, having an average age of 35 years or more. Such an area is not yet a slum or blighted area as defined herein, but such an area, by reason of dilapidation, obsolescence, deterioration or illegal use of individual structures, overcrowding of structures and community facilities, conversion of residential units into non-residential use, deleterious land use or layout, decline of physical maintenance, lack of community planning, or any combination of these factors, may become such a slum and blighted area.(n) "Conservation Plan" shall mean the comprehensive program for the physical development and replanning of a "Conservation Area" embodying the steps required to prevent such "Conservation Area" from becoming a slum and blighted area.(o) "Fair Use Value" shall mean the fair cash market value of real property when employed for the use contemplated by the Community Conservation Plan.(p) "Community facilities" shall mean those physical plants which implement, support and facilitate the activities, services and interests of education, recreation, shopping, health, welfare, religion and general culture.(q) "Land Clearance Commission" shall mean a land clearance commission created prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly pursuant to the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947 (repealed) .(r) "Conservation Board" shall mean a conservation board created pursuant to the "Urban Community Conservation Act," approved July 13, 1953, as amended.Amended by P.A. 102-0510,§ 35, eff. 8/20/2021.