20 ILCS 720/5

The General Assembly makes the following findings: (1) The continued economic vitality of downtown and neighborhood commercial districts in our municipalities is essential to community preservation, social cohesion, and economic growth. (2) Municipalities need to maintain their local economies so that business owners will be able to provide goods and services to the community, to provide employment opportunities, to avoid disinvestment and economic dislocations, and to develop and sustain downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization programs to address these problems.