Section 524.140  Application Procedures

All applications must be considered and acted upon by the Department no later than 180 days after being received by the Department.

a)         Upon receipt of the application, the Department shall review the application to determine whether the designated area qualifies as a River Edge Redevelopment Zone under Section 10-4 of the Act;

b)         If an area is found to be qualified, the Department shall:

1)         Publish a notice in at least one newspaper of general circulation within the municipality to notify the general public of the application and the opportunity to comment.  The notice shall:

A)        include a description of the area;

B)        include a brief summary of the application, indicating locations where the applicant has copies for public inspection;

C)        indicate appropriate procedures for filing with the Department written comments from zone residents, business, civic and other organizations, and property owners;

2)         The Department shall either approve or deny an application within 180 days after receiving the application.

A)        If approval of an application is not received within 180 days, then the application is considered to be denied.

B)        If the application is denied, the Department shall inform the municipality of the specific reasons for denial.