The planning commission may, on its own motion or at the request of the agency, or shall, at the direction of the legislative body or upon the written petition of the owners in fee of a majority of any redevelopment area, excluding publicly owned areas or areas dedicated to a public use, select one or more redevelopment areas comprising all or part of the area for evaluation, and formulate a preliminary plan for the redevelopment of each redevelopment area.
NRS 279.524