The municipal assembly, city council or board of trustees of any incorporated city in this state shall have no power to grant the use of, or the right to lay down any tracks in any street of the city, to any railroad company, or to any steam, dummy, electric, cable, horse or other street car company, whether the same shall be incorporated under any general or special law of the state, now or hereafter in force, except upon the petition of the owners of the land representing more than one-half of the frontage of the street or so much thereof as is sought to be used for railroad or street car purposes; and when the street or part thereof as is sought to be used shall be more than one mile in extent, no petition of landowners shall be valid unless the same shall be signed by the owners of the land representing more than one-half of the frontage of each mile, and of the fraction of a mile, if any, in excess of the whole mile, measuring from the initial point named in such petition, of such street or part thereof sought to be used for such purpose; provided, that this section shall not be construed to prevent granting authority to a railroad company to lay a spur track or side track to any manufacturing establishment or wholesale house, when desired by the parties owning such manufacturing establishment or wholesale house; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed so as to prohibit the municipal assembly, city council or board of trustees of any such city from granting a renewal of any franchise now in force, to the extent of the present mileage granted for such franchise.