Whenever the Department determines that an area within the municipality may be eligible for designation as a conservation area within the meaning of this Act, it shall make such investigation and hold such hearings as may be required, including at least one public hearing held within the area. Any hearing may be conducted by the Department or by a committee appointed by it, consisting of one or more members of the Department. The Department and any member, employee or agent thereof so designated shall have power to administer oaths, take affidavits, subpoena and require the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books and papers pertaining to such investigation. The Department may after such hearing designate such areas as conservation areas for the purposes of this Act. Such designation together with an accurate description of the area included in such designation shall be made by resolution of the majority of the Department and be part of the records of the Department.
     Following such designation the Department shall draw up or have submitted for its approval a conservation plan for the area, which plan may include but is not limited to (1) land uses, residential and non-residential; (2) improvement, alteration, or vacation of major and minor streets and alleys, provision for restricted service access, and off-street parking; (3) locations and easements for public utilities; (4) community facilities; (5) landscaping and site engineering; (6) building restrictions; (7) recommended construction including new buildings, rehabilitation and conversions, demolition of designated structures, and elimination of non-conforming uses; (8) population density, ground coverage, and number of dwelling units recommended; (9) recommended standards of maintenance, and requirements of applicable health and safety ordinances; (10) zoning and/or rezoning required; (11) costs and financing arrangements of public portions of the plan; (12) recommended time table of various stages of the program; (13) any and all other steps needed to carry out the plan. Such plan shall conform to the comprehensive plan, if any, of the municipality. In any municipality which has provided for the creation of a Department, to operate within the boundaries of such municipality, pursuant to the provisions of this Act, the Department shall nominate and the presiding officer shall appoint no less than nine nor more than fifteen residents of each conservation area designated by the Department to serve as a “Conservation Community Council” for their respective areas. One member of each such council shall be designated as Chairman by the presiding officer. Members of such councils shall be appointed to serve three year terms except that one-third of the initial membership of each council shall serve terms of one year and one-third of the initial membership of each council shall serve terms of two years. Members shall serve without pay and shall be eligible to succeed themselves. A member shall hold office until his successor shall have been appointed and qualified. No member of a council may hold public or political party office during his period of membership. A majority of the members of each council shall constitute a quorum to transact business and no vacancy shall impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of each council, and every action of a conservation community council approved by a majority of the members present shall be deemed to be the action of the conservation community council; provided that not less than five members shall constitute a quorum.
     The councils shall:
     (a) Consult with, assist and advise the Department in the preparation of the conservation plan for their respective areas;
     (b) Assist the Department in the administration of the conservation plan within their respective areas;
     (c) Approve by majority vote as hereinbefore provided the conservation plan for their respective areas before it is submitted to the governing body, as hereinafter provided;
     (d) Take vigorous appropriate steps to reconstitute community pride and encourage self-help through planned individual and block rehabilitation efforts within their respective areas.
     Any Conservation Community Council heretofore created pursuant to the “Urban Community Conservation Act,” approved July 13, 1953, as amended, shall be deemed lawfully and validly created under the terms of this Act, and shall have all the authority and exercise the same powers, and be subject to the same duties as herein prescribed for Conservation Community Councils; and nothing herein contained shall affect or impair the validity of any act or proceeding done or performed by such Conservation Community Councils under the aforesaid Urban Community Conservation Act.
     The Department shall cooperate and consult with public and private agencies and individuals interested in the area, in preparing the plan. Upon its completion the plan shall be submitted to the governing body, together with a request for such implementing legislation as may be required and within the authority of the governing body and the opinion of the plan commission of the municipality, if any, on the merits of the plan.
     The governing body of the municipality shall by resolution adopt or reject such plan. Following favorable action by the governing body, the Department shall certify such plan as adopted and may thereafter exercise in such areas the powers granted under this Act; provided that nothing in this Section shall restrict the Department from the exercise within the municipality of any other powers which have been delegated to it by the governing body, notwithstanding the failure to certify any conservation plan as adopted.