This section defines key terms used in the chapter, including area, blighted area, city, development plan, legislative authority, mortgage, real property, redevelopment, redevelopment project, and urban redevelopment corporation.
353.020. Definitions. — The following terms, whenever used or referred to in this chapter, mean: (1) "Area", that portion of the city which the legislative authority of such city has found or shall find to be blighted so that the clearance, replanning, rehabilitation, or reconstruction thereof is necessary to effectuate the purposes of this law. Any such area may include buildings or improvements not in themselves blighted, and any real property, whether improved or unimproved, the inclusion of which is deemed necessary for the effective clearance, replanning, reconstruction or rehabilitation of the area of which such buildings, improvements or real property form a part; (2) "Blighted area", the same meaning as defined pursuant to section 99.805; (3) "City" or "such cities", any city within this state and any county of the first classification with a charter form of government and a population of at least nine hundred thousand inhabitants or any county with a charter form of government and with more than six hundred thousand but less than seven hundred thousand inhabitants. The county's authority pursuant to this chapter shall be restricted to the unincorporated areas of such county; (4) "Development plan", a plan, together with any amendments thereto, for the development of all or any part of a blighted area, which is authorized by the legislative authority of any such city; (5) "Legislative authority", the city council or board of aldermen of the cities affected by this chapter; (6) "Mortgage", a mortgage, trust indenture, deed of trust, building and loan contract, or other instrument creating a lien on real property, to secure the payment of an indebtedness, and the indebtedness secured by any of them; (7) "Real property" includes lands, buildings, improvements, land under water, waterfront property, and any and all easements, franchises and hereditaments, corporeal or incorporeal, and every estate, interest, privilege, easement, franchise and right therein, or appurtenant thereto, legal or equitable, including restrictions of record, created by plat, covenant or otherwise, rights-of-way and terms for years; (8) "Redevelopment", the clearance, replanning, reconstruction or rehabilitation of any blighted area, and the provision for such industrial, commercial, residential or public structures and spaces as may be appropriate, including recreational and other facilities incidental or appurtenant thereto; (9) "Redevelopment project", a specific work or improvement to effectuate all or any part of a development plan; (10) "Urban redevelopment corporation", a corporation organized pursuant to this chapter; except that any life insurance company organized pursuant to the laws of, or admitted to do business in, the state of Missouri may from time to time within five years after April 23, 1946, undertake, alone or in conjunction with, or as a lessee of any such life insurance company or urban redevelopment corporation, a redevelopment project pursuant to this chapter, and shall, in its operations with respect to any such redevelopment project, but not otherwise, be deemed to be an urban redevelopment corporation for the purposes of this section and sections 353.010, 353.040, 353.060 and 353.110 to 353.160. (L. 1943 p. 751 § 3, A.L. 1945 p. 1242 § 2, A.L. 1947 V. I p. 393, A.L. 1969 S.B. 373, A.L. 1976 H.B. 1369, A.L. 1988 H.B. 1738, A.L. 1993 H.B. 566 merged with S.B. 376, A.L. 2000 H.B. 1238, A.L. 2004 S.B. 1253, A.L. 2021 S.B. 153 & 97)