§ 26

No housing corporation shall acquire title to any real property nor undertake any building construction without the approval of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The Illinois Housing Development Authority shall approve the proposed acquisition or construction only upon the following conditions: (a) That the project is within an area within which, under the conditions existing at the time, housing accommodations are not being provided through the ordinary operation of private enterprise to conform with reasonable standards of health, sanitation and safety, to rent at or below the average rentals for housing accommodations in the proposed project, and in such determination by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, an area of at least one-half mile in radius shall be considered; and that such acquisition or construction is necessary or convenient for the public purposes defined in this Act. (b) That there has been presented to the Illinois Housing Development Authority in such form and with such assurance as it may prescribe, a financial plan for the provision of the cost of the lands and improvements such as shall assure the successful completion and operation of the project. (c) That it appears practicable to rent the proposed housing accommodations at prices such that for the entire project the average shall not exceed the maximum prices prescribed by the Illinois Housing Development Authority. (d) That the estimated costs of the project shall be proper; and the plans and specifications of the proposed construction shall conform to reasonable standards of health, sanitation, safety and provisions for light and air. The plans and specifications mentioned in the preceding paragraph shall be submitted to the city plan commission, if such there be, of the city, village or incorporated town in which the housing project is located. Such commission shall return the plans and specifications to the Illinois Housing Development Authority within 15 days after their receipt by the commission, together with such statements and recommendations as the commission may desire to make. It shall be within the discretion of the Illinois Housing Development Authority to adopt or to reject any or all of such recommendations. Projects presented to the Illinois Housing Development Authority may include the acquisition of property for the purpose of modernizing or rehabilitating single or multiple dwellings or remodeling or altering other existing buildings into dwellings, or may be devoted solely to such modernization or rehabilitation. Every project in whole or in part for the acquisition of land or other property for the modernization, rehabilitation or construction of single family dwellings shall contain a plan for the sale of such houses to the tenants or other purchasers, and such sale may at any time be authorized by the Illinois Housing Development Authority in conformity with a plan of sale which has been approved by such Illinois Housing Development Authority. Changes in such a plan may be made in the manner provided by this Act for a change of rentals. As a condition of its approval, the Illinois Housing Development Authority may require the acceptance by a housing corporation of the designation by the Illinois Housing Development Authority of a banking corporation authorized to administer trusts to act as trustee in receiving the proceeds of obligations and securities sold by a housing corporation to meet the cost of a project, and in making payment therefrom for the acquisition of land or costs of improvements included in the project or to the housing corporation only upon a voucher or order of the housing corporation countersigned by the duly designated agent of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The Illinois Housing Development Authority shall hold a public hearing upon each proposed project and 10 days' notice of the time and place and purpose of such hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, town or village in which the proposed project is situated. If the proposed project is not situated in a city, town or village, such publication shall be in a newspaper of general circulation in the township or county. Such notice shall specify the character of the interests, rights or estates in real property sought to be acquired in connection with such project. Upon approving any project the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall make and enter upon its records a finding based upon the facts inquired into, that the proposed project is in the public interest and is necessary for the public use, and shall enter an order thereon and shall issue to the housing corporation a certificate that the acquisition of real property required for such project is necessary and convenient for the public purposes defined by this Act. Unless the power conferred by such order is exercised within a period of 2 years after the entry thereof, or within 2 years after final action by the court or courts thereon, under the terms of this section, such order shall be null and void. Upon subsequent application of the housing corporation which made the original application with respect to such project and upon notice and hearing as provided in the preceding paragraph, such order may be altered or modified by the Illinois Housing Development Authority. In all cases in which a project is approved by the Illinois Housing Development Authority over the objection, filed in writing of, any of the owners of the real property which must be acquired by purchase, condemnation or otherwise, in order to carry out such project, or over the objection filed in writing of the owners of 10 per cent of the real property within one mile of such project but not included therein, or of any municipal or public corporation affected thereby, the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall, within 20 days after such approval, file in the office of the clerk of the circuit court in the county where such project is located, an application to the circuit court for the confirmation of its approval. Such application shall contain copies of the finding and order of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, a transcript of the testimony taken at the hearing, a description of the project, a statement of its location, and the reasons for its approval by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, and shall specifically indicate any streets, alleys or other public spaces proposed to be vacated. Notice in writing of such application shall be served on all objectors 10 days before the hearing thereof, specifying the date and place of hearing. The objectors or any one or more of them may, if they see fit, file with the clerk of the circuit court on or before the day designated in such notice, objections to the confirmation of such project and the same shall be considered by the circuit court in connection with the granting or refusal of confirmation. The court shall examine such application and the objections thereto, and hear such additional evidence as may be presented thereon. If, after such examination and hearing, the court finds that such approval should be confirmed, the court shall mark the application "approved" and shall enter an order of record to that effect. Otherwise the court shall mark the application "not approved" and enter an order to that effect. Any party to the proceeding may appeal as in other civil cases.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 83-334.)