Opinion ID: 779379
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: maps and plats showing:

Text: 56 [the affected areas and designated public uses of those areas] 57 (2) lists of the owners of the various parcels of property proposed to be acquired; and 58 (3) an estimate of the cost of acquisition and redevelopment. 59 Ind.Code § 36-7-14-15. 60 Once these findings are made the redevelopment commission shall adopt a resolution declaring that the blighted area is a menace to the social and economic interest of the unit and its inhabitants. Id. The resolution must then be submitted to the plan commission which determines whether the resolution and the redevelopment plan conform to the plan of development for the unit and approve or disapprove the resolution and plan proposed. Ind.Code 36-7-14-16. 61 Obviously, the Plan Commission did not pursue this statutory option. Instead, it simply justified the vacation based on conclusory and largely unsupported statements as to the state of the homes on HNS properties. Because the Plan Commission has neglected to follow the statutory requirements for determining blight, they cannot now rely on that legislatively determined public use in order to justify their taking. To hold otherwise would obviate the procedural requirements of Indiana's blight code. Because the Plan Commission has not relied on a legislative determination of public use, the traditional deference given to those determinations is not appropriate in this case. 18