1492                             Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 830

That a new Article is hereby added to the Charter of The City of
Hagerstown, as said Charter was enacted by Chapter 117 of the
Laws of Maryland of 1949, said new Article to be known as Article
XIII, titled "Redevelopment—Urban Renewal" and to follow imme-
diately after Article XII; to read as follows:

ARTICLE XIII Redevelopment—Urban Renewal

Section 1. Definitions. The following terms wherever used or re-
ferred to in this Article shall have the following meanings, unless a
different meaning is clearly indicated by the context:

(a)    "Federal Government" shall include the United States of
America or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise,
of the United States of America.

(b)   "Slum Area" shall mean any area where dwellings predomi-
nate which, by reason of depreciation, overcrowding, faulty arrange-
ment or design, lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities, or any
combination of these factors, are detrimental to the public safety,
health or morals.

(c)   "Blighted Area" shall mean an area in which a majority of
buildings have declined in productivity by reason of obsolescence,
depreciation or other causes to an extent they no longer justify
fundamental repairs and adequate maintenance.

(d)  "Urban Renewal Project" shall mean undertakings and activi-
ties of a municipality in an urban renewal area for the elimination
and for the prevention of the development or spread of slums and
blight, and may involve slum clearance and redevelopment in an ur-
ban renewal area, or rehabilitation or conservation in an urban re-
newal area, or any combination or part thereof in accordance with
an urban renewal plan. Such undertakings and activities may in-
clude—

(1) acquisition of a slum area or a blighted area or portion thereof;

(2)  demolition and removal of buildings and improvements;

(3)  installation, construction or reconstruction of streets, utilities,
parks, playgrounds, and other improvements necessary for carrying
out in the urban renewal area the urban renewal objectives of this
Article in accordance with the urban renewal plan;

(4) disposition of any property acquired in the urban renewal
area including sale, initial leasing or retention by the municipality
itself, as its fair value for uses in accordance with the urban renewal
plan;

(5)  carrying out plans for a program of voluntary or compulsory
repair and rehabilitation of buildings or other improvements in ac-
cordance with the urban renewal plan;

(6)  acquisition of any other real property in the urban renewal
area where necessary to eliminate unhealthful, unsanitary or un-
safe conditions, lessen density, eliminate obsolete or other uses
detrimental to the public welfare, or otherwise to remove or prevent
the spread of blight or deterioration, or to provide land for needed
public facilities; and

(7)  the preservation, improvement or embellishment of historic
structures or monuments.