§ 2-3. General powers.

(a) Enumerated.

The Department of Housing and Community Development is authorized to:

(1) recommend areas of operation to the Planning Commission;

(2) prepare Renewal Plans and to plan and to undertake Renewal Projects in Renewal Areas;

(3) prepare Conservation Plans and to plan and to undertake Conservation Projects in Conservation Areas;

(4) furnish technical and other services to community organizations concerned with housing or community development;

(5) prepare plans and to provide reasonable assistance for the relocation of persons, families, and businesses displaced by reason of the acquisition of property for public purposes;

(6) encourage and facilitate private investment in the City of Baltimore;

(7) engage in studies, experimentation, and research pertaining to housing, community development, and the existence of and the problems of correcting, eliminating, and preventing slums, blight, and urban deterioration; disseminate public information with respect thereto, and cooperate with other agencies of the City, the State, the Federal Government, or any agency thereof, in activities undertaken in connection therewith;

(8) encourage and facilitate the cooperation, interest, and participation of citizens and citizens' groups in the development and execution of Renewal Plans and Conservation Plans, in the urban renewal and conservation programs generally, and in other programs or undertakings of the Department concerning housing or community development;

(9) exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred and imposed upon the Zoning Commissioner by Ordinance No. 1247, approved March 30, 1931, as amended from time to time, and as are now or may hereafter be conferred upon him by law or ordinance;

(10) administer and enforce the City's Building, Fire, and Related Codes Article and all other regulatory codes of Baltimore City that relate to buildings, housing, or sanitation, except where that administration and enforcement is required by the City Charter or by State law to be exercised exclusively by some other officer, department, bureau, or agency of the City;

(11) assist the several City departments involved in activities related to housing and community development for the purpose of coordinating such activities and establishing consistent policies and procedures with respect thereto; and

(12) exercise the powers and perform the duties and responsibilities conferred and imposed upon the Economic Development Commission.

(b) Scope of Renewal Project.

As used in this ordinance {subtitle}, a Renewal Project:

(1) may include undertakings and activities for the elimination, the correction, or the prevention of the development or the spread of slum, blighted, deteriorated, or deteriorating areas; and

(2) may involve but shall not be limited to a program or programs of slum clearance, development, redevelopment, renovation, or rehabilitation, voluntary or compulsory rehabilitation or conservation by owners of property, or any combination or part thereof.

As used in this ordinance {subtitle}, a Conservation Project:

(1) may include undertakings and activities for the elimination, the correction or the prevention of the development or the spread of slum, blighted, deteriorated, or deteriorating areas; and

(2) may involve but shall not be limited to a program or programs of renovation or rehabilitation, voluntary or compulsory rehabilitation or conservation by owners of property or any combination or part thereof; but

(3) shall not include property acquisition by use of the power of eminent domain except where the Conservation Plan permits the acquisition of property for failure to meet minimum standards or authorizes the acquisition of vacant property or property on which structures have been razed for reasons of health or safety.