§ 2-6. Adoption and approval of plan.

(a) Department to prepare.

(1) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall prepare:

(i) a Renewal Plan or Plans for each area of the City designated as a Renewal Area; and

(ii) a Conservation Plan or Plans for each area of the City designated as a Conservation Area.

(2) The order in which said Plans are to be prepared shall be determined by said Department.

(b) How effective.

(1) A Renewal Plan becomes effective on approval by the Director of Planning, as required by subsection (c) of this section, and the enactment of an appropriate ordinance. The Planning Commission shall recommend the appropriate ordinance to the City Council.

(2) A Conservation Plan becomes effective on approval by the Director of Planning, as required by subsection (c) of this section. However, if any part of the plan requires a zoning change or authorizes the use of eminent domain for acquisition of any property, that part of the plan is not effective until approved by the Planning Commission and by the enactment of an appropriate ordinance.

(c) Review by Planning.

(1) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall submit all proposed Renewal Plans and Conservation Plans to the Director of the Department of Planning for review.

(2) No Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan may be adopted by the Department of Housing and Community Development until the Director of Planning has approved it with respect to:

(i) its conformity to the Master Plan or Official Detailed Plan, if any, as applicable to the area involved;

(ii) the detailed location of any public improvements proposed in the plan;

(iii) its conformity to the rules and regulations for subdivisions; and

(iv) all zoning changes proposed in the plan.

(3) If the Director of the Department of Planning fails to approve a proposed Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan in any of the foregoing respects, he shall promptly report the same to the Department of Housing and Community Development together with the recommendations for modifying the Plan.

(d) Enabling ordinances.

(1) The Department of Housing and Community Development may recommend to the City Council the passage of an ordinance approving a Renewal Plan or, if required by subsection (b) of this section, a Conservation Plan that the Department has adopted.

(2) This ordinance may not be passed until after a public hearing at which parties in interest and citizens have had an opportunity to be heard.

(3) Notice of the hearing must be given by:

(i) posting notice in the neighborhood of the area involved at least 10 days before the hearing; and

(ii) publication once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in Baltimore City.

(4) The notice must:

(i) contain the time, date, place, and purpose of the hearing;

(ii) generally identify the area covered by the plan;

(iii) outline the general scope of the project under consideration; and

(iv) state that the documents constituting the plan are available for inspection at a place designated in the notice.

(5) The public hearing may be adjourned from time to time without further notice.

(6) Amendments proposed to a plan as a result of a public hearing:

(i) do not require further notice or additional hearings; but

(ii) must be referred to the Department of Housing and Community Development and to the Director of Planning for their study and report to the City Council.

(7) Any zoning change proposed by a Renewal Plan or a conservation Plan must be approved by an ordinance enacted in accordance with the State Land Use Article and the Baltimore City Zoning Code.

(e) Effect of ordinance.

(1) The approval by ordinance of a Renewal Plan or a Conservation Plan when required by subsection (b) of this section shall constitute authorization to the Department of Housing and Community Development to:

(i) acquire, by condemnation if necessary, all land and improvements thereon or interests therein designated for acquisition in said Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan; and

(ii) subject to the approval of the Board of Estimates as hereinafter provided, to dispose of all land and improvements thereon or interests therein designated for disposition in said Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan.

(2) The standards and controls embodied in a Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan approved by ordinance shall thereupon become enforceable in the same manner as the other ordinances of the City.

(f) Administration of Plan.

The Department of Housing and Community Development shall administer Renewal Plans and Conservation Plans adopted and approved as heretofore provided.

(g) Change requires new approval.

(1) No change may be made to any Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan unless that change is approved by an ordinance of the Mayor and City Council.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, an ordinance seeking to amend a Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan must be adopted and approved in the same manner as that required by this section for the adoption and approval of a new Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan.

(3) If the Planning Commission determines that the proposed amendment is a technical correction or a minor modification that would not substantially affect the Plan or the size, use, or disposition of any property subject to the Plan, the proposed amendment need not be posted or advertised as otherwise required by subsection (d) of this section.

(h) Plan or amendment initiated by Councilmember.

(1) When a Councilmember initiates a plan or an amendment, the provisions of this subsection (h) shall be followed.

(2) Any member of the Baltimore City Council may submit to the City Council a bill proposing:

(i) a Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan for any area of the City; or

(ii) an amendment to an existing Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan.

(3) At the request of a member of the City Council, the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Planning shall provide assistance in the preparation of any such bill, including technical amendments which may be necessary to bring the bill into conformity with existing ordinances.

(4) After introduction, the bill shall be sent to the Department of Housing and Community Development and to the Planning Commission for recommendation and report.

(5) The Department of Housing and Community Development shall review the proposed plan or amendment for conformity to § 2-5(b) and (c). In case of a proposed amendment to an already approved Urban Renewal Plan or Conservation Plan, it shall also review and evaluate the impact of said amendment to the Plan.

(6) The Planning Commission shall review the proposed plan or amendment with respect to:

(i) conformity to the Master Plan or Official Detailed Plan, if any, as applicable to the area involved;

(ii) the detailed location of any public improvements proposed in the plan or amendment;

(iii) its conformity to the rules and regulations for subdivisions; and

(iv) all zoning changes proposed in the plan or amendment.

(7) The agencies shall report their findings, together with a recommendation for modifications, if applicable, to the City Council.