§ 2655. General purposes and powers of the authority. The general purposes of the authority shall be to design, develop, plan, finance, create, site, construct, renovate, administer, operate, manage, and maintain all metroplex facilities and metroplex parks within the service district defined in section twenty-six hundred fifty-four of this title. To carry out such purposes the authority shall have the power: 1. To sue and be sued; 2. To acquire, hold and dispose of real and personal property for its corporate purposes; 3. To have a seal and alter the same at pleasure; 4. To borrow money and issue bonds for any of its corporate purposes or its projects, or to refund the same, and to provide for the rights of the holders thereof; 5. To make, subject to the provisions of section twenty-six hundred fifty-five-a of this title, by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs and, subject to agreements with bondholders, for the design, development, planning, construction, financing, operation, management, siting and maintenance of all metroplex facilities and metroplex parks within the service district; 6. To appoint officers, agents and employees; and to describe their qualifications and fix their compensation; subject, however, to the provisions of the civil service law as provided in this title; 7. To make contracts and leases, and to execute all instruments necessary or convenient; 8. To design, develop, plan, finance, create, site, construct, renovate, administer, operate, manage and/or maintain such buildings, parks, structures, and other facilities as may be necessary or convenient, specifically, but not limited to:

(a) trade exhibition facilities;

(b) public show facilities;

(c) public entertainment facilities and parks;

(d) hotel and overnight accommodation facilities;

(e) transportation and parking facilities;

(f) historic preservation facilities and parks;

(g) tourism facilities and parks;

(h) sporting event facilities and parks;

(i) special entertainment facilities and parks;

(j) educational facilities and parks;

(k) cultural and social facilities and parks;

(l) infrastructure facilities;

(m) industrial and manufacturing facilities and parks; and/or

(n) business, commercial, retail, and/or government office space, buildings and/or facilities; 9. To collect revenues, dues, costs, assessments, rentals, fees and other charges for the use of real or personal property and/or facilities and parks of the authority subject to and in accordance with such agreements with bondholders as may be provided in this title; 10. To contract for the services of architects, engineers, consultants, lawyers, financial and other professional advisors, developers, contractors, vendors, concessioners, tenants, facility and/or park users, occupants and managers and other professional consultants and service providers, and to fix their compensation; 11. To declare, designate, establish, design, create, site, construct, develop, plan, finance, operate, renovate, administer, manage and/or maintain parks and park districts within the service district so as to establish parks and/or park districts for historic preservation, educational entertainment, and/or recreation; 12. Upon the resolution of a municipality, to avoid, and be exempt from, zoning and/or planning requirements, laws and/or regulations established, created or enacted by the municipality; 13. To designate the depositories of its money; 14. To establish its fiscal year; 15. To appoint such officers, employees and agents as the authority may require for the performance of its duties and to fix and determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation subject to the provisions of the civil service law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, and to retain or employ counsel, auditors, engineers and private consultants on a contract basis or otherwise for rendering professional, management or technical services and advice; 16. To receive and consider reports and recommendations from any advisory councils or boards as may be established by local law, ordinance, or resolution; and 17. To do all things necessary, convenient or desirable, including ancillary and incidental activities, to carry out its purposes and for the exercise of the powers granted in this title.