§ 11-12-5

Every plan commission and planning department authorized by this Division 12 has the following powers and whenever in this Division 12 the term plan commission is used such term shall be deemed to include the term planning department: (1) To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities a comprehensive plan for the present and future development or redevelopment of the municipality. Such plan may be adopted in whole or in separate geographical or functional parts, each of which, when adopted, shall be the official comprehensive plan, or part thereof, of that municipality. This plan may include reasonable requirements with reference to streets, alleys, public grounds, and other improvements hereinafter specified. The plan, as recommended by the plan commission and as thereafter adopted in any municipality in this state, may be made applicable, by the terms thereof, to land situated within the corporate limits and contiguous territory not more than one and one-half miles beyond the corporate limits and not included in any municipality. Such plan may be implemented by ordinances (a) establishing reasonable standards of design for subdivisions and for resubdivisions of unimproved land and of areas subject to redevelopment in respect to public improvements as herein defined; (b) establishing reasonable requirements governing the location, width, course, and surfacing of public streets and highways, alleys, ways for public service facilities, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, street lights, parks, playgrounds, school grounds, size of lots to be used for residential purposes, storm water drainage, water supply and distribution, sanitary sewers, and sewage collection and treatment; and (c) may designate land suitable for annexation to the municipality and the recommended zoning classification for such land upon annexation. (2) To recommend changes, from time to time, in the official comprehensive plan. (3) To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities, from time to time, plans for specific improvements in pursuance of the official comprehensive plan. (4) To give aid to the municipal officials charged with the direction of projects for improvements embraced within the official plan, to further the making of these projects, and, generally, to promote the realization of the official comprehensive plan. (5) To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities schemes for regulating or forbidding structures or activities which may hinder access to solar energy necessary for the proper functioning of solar energy systems, as defined in Section 1.2 of the Comprehensive Solar Energy Act of 1977, or to recommend changes in such schemes. (6) To exercise such other powers germane to the powers granted by this Article as may be conferred by the corporate authorities. For purposes of implementing ordinances regarding developer donations or impact fees, and specifically for expenditures thereof, "school grounds" is defined as including land or site improvements, which include school buildings or other infrastructure, including technological infrastructure, necessitated and specifically and uniquely attributed to the development or subdivision in question. Developer donations and impact fees contemplated in implementing ordinances may include amounts to pay for the costs of constructing a new school building if the necessity of the new school building is specifically and uniquely attributed to the development or subdivision and the affected school district certifies the necessity and costs. This amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly applies to all impact fees or developer donations paid into a school district or held in a separate account or escrow fund by any school district or municipality for a school district.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 104-162, eff. 8-15-25.)