SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                      1461

(1)    finds that one or more slum or blighted areas exist in such
municipality;

(2)    locates and defines the said slum or blighted areas;

(3)    finds that the rehabilitation, redevelopment, or a combina-
tion thereof, of such area or areas, is necessary in the interest of the
public health, safety, morals or welfare of the residents of such
municipality.

(4)    with respect to incorporated areas the governing body shall
comply with provisions (1), (2) and (3) of this subheading and
make a request to the municipality to initiate the project.

18-16. Preparation and approval of plan.

(a)    Powers. The municipality, in order to carry out the pur-
poses of this subheading, shall prepare or cause to be prepared an
urban renewal plan for slum or blighted areas in the municipality,
and shall formally 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 recommenda-
tions as to its conformity with the master plan for the development
of the municipality as a whole. The planning body shall submit its
written recommendation with respect to the proposed urban renewal
plan to the municipality 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 circulation 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 munici-
pality 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 hardship to such families; (2) the urban renewal
plan substantially conforms 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.

(b)    Change. An urban renewal plan may be modified at any
time, provided that if modified after the lease or sale of real prop-
erty in the urban renewal project area, the modification may be
conditioned upon such approval of the owner, lessee or successor in
interest as the municipality 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.