1496                               Laws of Maryland                          [Ch. 830

plan for slum or blighted areas in the municipality, and shall formal-
ly approve such plan. Prior to its approval of an urban renewal
project, the municipality shall submit such plan to the planning body
of the municipality, for review and recommendations as to its con-
formity with the master plan for the development of the municipality
as a whole. The planning body shall submit its written recommenda-
tion with respect to the proposed urban renewal plan to the munici-
pality within sixty days after receipt of the plan for review; upon
receipt of the recommendations of the planning body or, if no
recommendations are received within said sixty days, then without
such recommendations, the municipality may proceed with a public
hearing on the proposed urban renewal project. The municipality
shall hold a public hearing on an urban renewal project after public
notice thereof by publication in a newspaper having a general circula-
tion within the corporate limits of the municipality. The notice shall
describe the time, date, place and purpose of the hearing, shall
generally identify the urban renewal area covered by the plan, and
shall outline the general scope of the urban renewal project under
consideration. Following such hearing, the municipality may approve
an urban renewal project and the plan therefor if it finds that: (1) a
feasible method exists for the location of any families who will be
displaced from the urban renewal area in decent, safe and sanitary
dwelling accommodations within their means and without undue hard-
ship to such families; (2) the urban renewal plan substantially con-
forms to the master plan of the municipality as a whole; and (3) the
urban renewal plan will afford maximum opportunity consistent with
the sound needs of the municipality as a whole, for the rehabilitation
or redevelopment of the urban renewal area by private enterprise.

An urban renewal plan may be modified at any time, provided that
if modified after the lease or sale of real property in the urban re-
newal project area, the modification may be conditioned upon such
approval of the owner, lessee or successor in interest as the munici-
pality may deem advisable and in any event shall be subject to such
rights at law or in equity as a lessee or purchaser, or his successor or
successors in interest, may be entitled to assert. Where the proposed
modification will substantially change the urban renewal plan as
previously approved by the municipality, the modification shall be
formally approved by the municipality, as in the case of an original
plan.

Upon the approval by the municipality of an urban renewal plan
or of any modification thereof, such plan or modification shall be
deemed to be in full force and effect for the respective urban renewal
area and the municipality may then cause such plan or modification
to be carried out in accordance with its terms.

Section 6. Disposal of Property in Urban Renewal Area, (a) The
municipality may sell, lease or otherwise transfer real property
or any interest therein acquired for it by an urban renewal project,
for residential, recreational, commercial, industrial, educational or
other uses or for public use, or may retain such property or interest
for public use, in accordance with the urban renewal plan, subject
to such covenants, conditions and restrictions, including covenants
running with the land, as it may deem to be necessary or desirable to
assist in preventing the development or spread of future slums or
blighted areas or to otherwise carry out the purposes of this Article.