(65 ILCS 115/10-5.2)
    Sec. 10-5.2. Department Review of River Edge Redevelopment Zone Applications.
    (a) All applications must be considered and acted upon by the Department no later than 180 days after being received by the Department.
    (b) Upon receipt of an application from a municipality the Department shall review the application to determine whether the designated area qualifies as a River Edge Redevelopment Zone under Section 10-4 of this Act.
    (c) If any such designated area is found to be qualified to be a River Edge Redevelopment Zone, the Department shall publish a notice in at least one newspaper of general circulation within the municipality in which the proposed zone is located to notify the general public of the application and their opportunity to comment. Such notice shall include a description of the area and a brief summary of the application and shall indicate locations where the applicant has provided copies of the application for public inspection. The notice shall also indicate appropriate procedures for the filing of written comments from zone residents, business, civic, and other organizations and property owners to the Department.
    (d) Within 180 days after receiving an application, the Department shall either approve or deny that application. If an approval of an application is not received within 180 days after the Department's receipt of the application, then the application is considered to be denied. If an application is denied, the Department shall inform the municipality of the specific reasons for the denial.
    (e) In determining which designated areas shall be approved and certified as River Edge Redevelopment Zones, the Department shall give preference to:
        (1) areas with high levels of environmentally
    
challenged areas;
        (2) areas that have evidenced the widest support from
    
the municipality seeking to have such areas designated as River Edge Redevelopment Zones;
        (3) areas for which a specific plan has been
    
submitted to effect economic growth and expansion;
        (4) areas for which there is evidence of prior
    
consultation between the municipality seeking designation of an area as an River Edge Redevelopment Zone and business, labor, and neighborhood organizations within the proposed Zone;
        (5) areas for which a specific plan has been
    
submitted which will or may be expected to benefit zone residents and workers by increasing their ownership opportunities and participation in a River Edge Redevelopment Zone development.
    (f) The Department's determination of whether to certify a River Edge Redevelopment Zone shall be based on the purposes of this Act, the criteria set forth in Section 10-4 and subsection (e) of this Section, and any additional criteria adopted by regulation of the Department under paragraph (d) of Section 10-4.
(Source: P.A. 94-1021, eff. 7-12-06.)