52:27I-26 Powers of authority.

9. The authority shall have the following powers:

a. To enter into a designated redevelopment agreement as set forth in subsection a. of section 16 of this act;

b. As designated and empowered as the "local redevelopment authority" for Fort Monmouth for all purposes of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, Pub.L.101-510 (10 U.S.C. s.2687), and, in that capacity, to enter into agreements with the federal government, State departments, agencies or authorities, the county, the host municipalities, or private parties;

c. To adopt development and design guidelines and land use regulations consistent with and in furtherance of the plan; and to adopt, revise, adjust, and implement (1) any aspect of the plan or the development and design guidelines and land use regulations adopted in furtherance thereof, or to grant variances therefrom; (2) the economic revitalization study prepared pursuant to section 16 of P.L.2006, c.16 (C.52:27I-16); and (3) if designated as the designated agency pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2008, c.28 (C.52:27I-8.2), any aspect of the homeless assistance submission required under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, Pub.L.101-510 (10 U.S.C. s.2687);

d. To undertake redevelopment projects pursuant to the plan;

e. To acquire or contract to acquire, and to dispose of the project area or any portion, tract or subdivision of the project area, or any utility system or infrastructure servicing the project area;

f. To lease as lessee, lease as lessor whether as a titleholder or not, own, rent, use, and take and hold title to, and to convey title of, and collect rent from, real property and personal property or any interest therein, in the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties under this act;

g. To acquire, including by condemnation where necessary pursuant to the provisions of the "Eminent Domain Act of 1971," P.L.1971, c.361 (C.20:3-1 et seq.), easements, rights of way, or fee title to properties within the project area where necessary in connection with the provision of utilities, streets, roads or other infrastructure required for implementation of the plan;

h. To arrange for the clearance of any parcel owned or acquired, and for the installation, construction or reconstruction of streets, facilities, utilities, and site improvements essential to the preparation of sites for use in accordance with the plan;

i. To contract for the provision of professional services, including, but not limited to, the preparation of plans for the carrying out of redevelopment projects by registered architects, licensed professional engineers or planners, or other consultants;

j. To issue requests for proposals or requests for qualifications; to arrange or contract with other public agencies or public or private redevelopers, including but not limited to nonprofit entities, for the planning, replanning, construction, or undertaking of any project or redevelopment work, or any part thereof; to negotiate and collect revenue from a redeveloper to defray the costs of the authority, and to secure payment of such revenue; as part of any such arrangement or contract, to negotiate financial or in-kind contributions from a redeveloper to the authority or to the host municipalities to offset or mitigate impacts of the project; as part of any such arrangement or contract, to require the posting of performance guarantees in connection with any redevelopment project; as part of any such arrangement or contract, to facilitate the extension of credit, or making of loans, by the EDA, by other public agencies or funding sources, or by private entities to redevelopers to finance any project or redevelopment work, or upon a finding that the project or redevelopment work would not be undertaken but for the provision of financial assistance, or would not be undertaken in its intended scope without the provision of financial assistance, to facilitate as part of an arrangement or contract for capital grants to redevelopers; and to arrange or contract with public agencies or redevelopers for the opening, grading or closing of streets, roads, roadways, alleys, or other places or for the furnishing of facilities or for the acquisition by such agency of property options or property rights or for the furnishing of property or services in connection with the project area;

k. To participate in, conduct, or contract for the performance of environmental assessment or remediation activities or restoration arising out of or relating to environmental conditions within the project area, including but not limited to insurance or bonds related to such activities;

l. To enter upon any building or property in the project area in order to conduct investigations or make surveys, sounding or test borings necessary to carry out the purposes of the plan;

m. To arrange or contract with the EDA or other public agencies to facilitate or provide relocation assistance, of the types and in the amounts provided for businesses in the "Relocation Assistance Law of 1967," P.L.1967, c.79 (C.52:31B-1 et seq.) and the "Relocation Assistance Act," P.L.1971, c.362 (C.20:4-1 et seq.), to businesses operating within the project area who are displaced as a result of the closure and who request such assistance within a period to be determined by the authority;

n. To make, consistent with the plan: (1) plans for carrying out a program of voluntary repair and rehabilitation of buildings and improvements; and (2) plans for the enforcement of laws, codes, and regulations relating to the use and occupancy of buildings and improvements, and to the compulsory repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal of buildings and improvements;

o. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, to consent to a request by a host municipality for, or request that the host municipality consider, the designation of portions of the project area as being in need of redevelopment or rehabilitation in accordance with the provisions of the "Local Redevelopment and Housing Law," P.L.1992, c.79 (C.40A:12A-1 et al.);

p. To publish and disseminate information concerning the plan or any project within the project area;

q. To adopt and from time to time amend and repeal bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;

r. To adopt and use an official seal and alter it at its pleasure;

s. To maintain an office at a place or places within the State as it may designate;

t. To sue and be sued in its own name;

u. To provide that any revenues collected shall be available to the authority for use in furtherance of any of the purposes of this act;

v. Pursuant to an adopted cash management plan, to invest any funds held in reserve or sinking funds, or any funds not required for immediate disbursement, in property or securities in which governmental units may legally invest funds subject to their control;

w. To enter into mortgages as mortgagee;

x. To apply for, receive, and accept from any federal, State, or other public or private source, grants or loans for, or in aid of, the authority's authorized purposes;

y. To consent to the modification of any contract, mortgage, or other instrument entered into by it or on its behalf;

z. To pay or compromise any claim arising on, or because of any agreement, mortgage, or instrument;

aa. To acquire or contract to acquire from any person, firm, or corporation, public or private, by contribution, gift, grant, bequest, devise, purchase, or otherwise, real or personal property or any interest therein, including such property as it may deem necessary or proper, although temporarily not required for such purposes, in the project area or in any area outside the project area designated by the authority as necessary for carrying out the relocation of the businesses displaced from the project area as a result of the closure of Fort Monmouth or other acquisitions needed to carry out the master plan;

bb. To subordinate, waive, sell, assign or release any right, title, claim, lien or demand however acquired, including any equity or right of redemption, foreclosure, sell or assign any mortgage held by it, or any interest in real or personal property; and to purchase at any sale, upon such terms and at such prices as it determines to be reasonable, and take title to the property, real, personal, or mixed, so acquired and similarly sell, exchange, assign, convey or otherwise dispose of any property;

cc. To complete, administer, operate, obtain, and pay for insurance on, and maintain, renovate, repair, modernize, lease or otherwise deal with any property;

dd. To retain attorneys, planners, engineers, architects, managers, financial experts, and other types of consultants as may be necessary;

ee. To arrange or contract with any public agency, to the extent that it is within the scope of that agency's functions, to cause the services customarily provided by that agency to be rendered for the benefit of the occupants of the project area, and have that agency provide and maintain parks, recreation centers, schools, sewerage, transportation, water and other municipal facilities adjacent to or in connection with the project area;

ff. To conduct examinations and investigations, hear testimony and take proof, under oath at public or private hearings of any material matter, compel witnesses and the production of books and papers and issue commissions for the examination of witnesses who are out of State, unable to attend, or excused from attendance; and to authorize a committee designated by it consisting of one or more members, or counsel, or any officer or employee to conduct the examination or investigation, in which case it may authorize in its name the committee, counsel, officer or employee to administer oaths, take affidavits and issue subpoenas or commissions;

gg. To make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of the duties authorized in this act;

hh. After thorough evaluation and investigation, to bring an action on behalf of a tenant within the project area to collect or enforce any violation of subsection g. or h. of section 11 of the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-12);

ii. To designate members or employees, who shall be knowledgeable of federal and State discrimination laws, and who shall be available during all normal business hours, to evaluate a complaint made by a tenant within the project area pursuant to section 11 of the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-12);

jj. To borrow monies from the EDA to fund an approved budget on terms and conditions acceptable to the EDA;

kk. To adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to implement this act; and

ll. To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purposes and exercise the powers given and granted in this act.

L.2010, c.51, s.9.