Prior to the establishment of a tax increment district and approval of a district master plan for such tax increment district, the municipal legislative body or the board of selectmen in the case of a municipality in which the legislative body is a town meeting shall (1) consider whether the proposed tax increment district and district master plan will contribute to the economic growth or well-being of the municipality or to the betterment of the health, welfare or safety of the inhabitants of the municipality; (2) at least ninety days prior to establishing a tax increment district and approving the district master plan for such tax increment district, transmit the district master plan to the planning commission of the municipality, if any, requesting a study of the district master plan and a written advisory opinion. Such written advisory opinion shall include a determination on whether the plan is consistent with the plan of conservation and development of the municipality adopted under section 8-23; (3) hold at least one public hearing on the proposal to establish a tax increment district. Notice of the hearing shall be published at least ten days prior to the hearing in a newspaper having general circulation within the municipality and shall include (A) the date, time and place of such hearing, and (B) the boundaries of the proposed tax increment district by legal description; and (4) determine whether the proposed tax increment district meets the following conditions:

(A) A portion of the real property within a tax increment district shall meet at least one of the following criteria: (i) Be a substandard, insanitary, deteriorated, deteriorating or blighted area; (ii) be in need of rehabilitation, redevelopment or conservation work; or (iii) be suitable for industrial, commercial, residential, mixed-use or retail uses, downtown development or transit-oriented development; and

(B) The original assessed value of a proposed tax increment district plus the original assessed value of all existing tax increment districts within the municipality may not exceed ten per cent of the total value of taxable property within the municipality as of October first of the year immediately preceding the establishment of the tax increment district. Excluded from the calculation in this subdivision is any tax increment district established on or after October 1, 2015, that consists entirely of contiguous property owned by a single taxpayer. For the purpose of this subdivision, “contiguous property” includes a parcel or parcels of land divided by a road, power line, railroad line or right-of-way. A municipality may not establish a tax increment district if the conditions in this subdivision are not met.

(P.A. 15-57, S. 3.)