Subdivision 1. Designation of districts. A city may designate development districts within the boundaries of the city. Before designating a district, the city must consult with its planning agency or department and must hold a public hearing on the designation. Notice of the hearing must be published in the official newspaper of the city or, if there is no official newspaper, in a newspaper of general distribution in the city. The city shall also provide for relocation pursuant to section 469.133 and consult with the advisory board created by section 469.132 before making this designation.

Subd. 2. Powers. Within these districts the city may:

(1) adopt a development program consistent with which the city may acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, alter, extend, operate, maintain, or promote developments aimed at improving the physical facilities, quality of life, and quality of transportation;

(2) acquire land or easements through negotiation or through powers of eminent domain;

(3) adopt ordinances regulating traffic in pedestrian skyway systems, public parking structures, and other facilities constructed within the development district. Traffic regulations may include direction and speed of traffic, policing of pedestrianways, hours that pedestrianways are open to the public, kinds of service activities that will be allowed in arcades, parks, and plazas, and rates to be charged in the parking structures;

(4) adopt ordinances regulating access to pedestrian skyway systems and the conditions under which such access is allowed;

(5) require private developers to construct buildings so as to accommodate and support pedestrian systems which are part of the program for the development district. When the city requires the developer to construct columns, beams, or girders with greater strength than required for normal building purposes, the city shall reimburse the developer for the added expense from development district funds;

(6) install special lighting systems, special street signs and street furniture, special landscaping of streets and public property, and special snow removal systems;

(7) acquire property for the district;

(8) lease or sell air rights over public buildings and spend public funds for constructing the foundations and columns in the public buildings strong enough to support the buildings to be constructed on air rights;

(9) lease all or portions of basement, ground, and second floors of the public buildings constructed in the district; and

(10) negotiate the sale or lease of property for private development if the development is consistent with the development program for the district.

History: 1987 c 291 s 127; 2001 c 7 s 75