(1) The board shall review all recommendations submitted by the review board and determine which applications meet the criteria contained in section 7.

    (2) The board shall do all of the following:

    (a) Designate renaissance zones.

    (b) Subject to subsection (3), approve or reject the duration of renaissance zone status.

    (c) Subject to subsection (3), approve or reject the geographic boundaries and the total area of the renaissance zone as submitted in the application.

    (3) The board shall not alter the geographic boundaries of the renaissance zone or the duration of renaissance zone status described in the application unless the qualified local governmental unit or units and the local governmental unit or units in which the renaissance zone is to be located consent by resolution to the alteration.

    (4) The board shall not designate a renaissance zone under section 8 before November 1, 1996 or after December 31, 1996.

    (5) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the designation of a renaissance zone under this act shall take effect on January 1 in the year following designation. However, for purposes of the taxes exempted under section 9(2), the designation of a renaissance zone under this act shall take effect on December 31 in the year of designation. For designations made pursuant to section 8a(2), the board of the Michigan strategic fund may choose a beginning date, provided that the date must be January 1 of a year and must not be more than 5 years after the date of designation. The board of the Michigan strategic fund may provide that the January 1 beginning date be determined under a written agreement between the board of the Michigan strategic fund and the qualified local governmental unit in which the renaissance zone is to be located. However, for purposes of the taxes exempted under section 9(2), the designation of a renaissance zone under section 8a(2) shall take effect on December 31 in the year immediately preceding the year in which the designation under section 8a(2) takes effect.

    (6) The board shall not designate a renaissance zone under section 8a after December 31, 2002.

    (7) Through December 31, 2002, a qualified local governmental unit in which a renaissance zone was designated under section 8 or 8a may modify the boundaries of that renaissance zone to include contiguous parcels of property as determined by the qualified local governmental unit and approval by the review board. The additional contiguous parcels of property included in a renaissance zone under this subsection do not constitute an additional distinct geographic area under section 4(1)(d). If the boundaries of the renaissance zone are modified as provided in this subsection, the additional contiguous parcels of property shall become part of the original renaissance zone on the same terms and conditions as the original designation of that renaissance zone.

    (8) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this act, before July 1, 2004, a qualified local governmental unit in which a renaissance zone was designated under section 8a(1) as a renaissance zone located in a rural area may modify the boundaries of that renaissance zone to include a contiguous parcel of property as determined by the qualified local governmental unit. The contiguous parcel of property shall only include property that is less than .5 acres in size and that the qualified local governmental unit previously sought to have included in the zone by submitting an application in February 2002 that was not acted upon by the review board. The additional contiguous parcel of property included in a renaissance zone under this subsection does not constitute an additional distinct geographic area under section 4(1)(d). If the boundaries of the renaissance zone are modified as provided in this subsection, the additional contiguous parcel of property shall become part of the original renaissance zone on the same terms and conditions as the rest of the property in that renaissance zone.

    (9) A business that is located and conducts business activity within a renaissance zone designated under this act, except as designated under section 8a(2), shall not make a payment in lieu of taxes to any taxing jurisdiction within the qualified local governmental unit in which the renaissance zone is located.

    (10) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this act, before July 1, 2006, a qualified local governmental unit in which a renaissance zone of less than 50 contiguous acres but more than 20 contiguous acres was designated under section 8 or 8a as a renaissance zone in a city located in a county with a population of more than 160,000 and less than 170,000 may modify the boundaries of that renaissance zone to include a contiguous parcel of property as determined by the qualified local governmental unit. The contiguous parcel of property shall only include property that is less than 12 acres in size. The additional contiguous parcel of property included in a renaissance zone under this subsection does not constitute an additional distinct geographic area under section 4(1)(d). If the boundaries of the renaissance zone are modified as provided in this subsection, the additional contiguous parcel of property shall become part of the original renaissance zone on the same terms and conditions as the rest of the property in that renaissance zone.

    (11) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this act, before July 1, 2006, a qualified local governmental unit in which a renaissance zone of more than 500 acres was designated under section 8 or 8a as a renaissance zone in a county with a population of more than 61,000 and less than 64,000 may modify the boundaries of that renaissance zone to include a contiguous parcel of property as determined by the qualified local governmental unit. The contiguous parcel of property shall only include property that is less than 12 acres in size. The additional contiguous parcel of property included in a renaissance zone under this subsection does not constitute an additional distinct geographic area under section 4(1)(d). If the boundaries of the renaissance zone are modified as provided in this subsection, the additional contiguous parcel of property shall become part of the original renaissance zone on the same terms and conditions as the rest of the property in that renaissance zone.

    (12) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this act, before July 1, 2006, a qualified local governmental unit in which a renaissance zone of more than 137 acres was designated under section 8 or 8a as a renaissance zone in a county with a population of more than 61,000 and less than 63,000 may modify the boundaries of that renaissance zone to include a parcel of property that is separated from the existing renaissance zone by a roadway as determined by the qualified local governmental unit. The parcel of property shall only include property that is less than 67 acres in size. The additional contiguous parcel of property included in a renaissance zone under this subsection does not constitute an additional distinct geographic area under section 4(1)(d). If the boundaries of the renaissance zone are modified as provided in this subsection, the additional contiguous parcel of property shall become part of the original renaissance zone on the same terms and conditions as the rest of the property in that renaissance zone.