Lincoln Park Project Town Meeting article proposed

A Town Meeting article will be placed on the warrant by petition of ten or more voters. It is sponsored by Joseph Delgado, Curtis Mello, Jay Williams and ten Registered voters. This article seeks to create a quasi governmental district that would construct, operate and maintain infrastructure ...

...within the Lincoln Park project. The article follows:

PROPOSED WARRANT ARTICLE FOR 2008 DARTMOUTH SPECIAL TOWN MEETING-HOME RULE PETITION FOR THE CREATION OF THE LINCOLN PARK IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

ARTICLE : To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court to enact special legislation establishing the Lincoln Park Improvement District, a body politic and corporate, which will assume all financial liability for the capital and operating costs associated with certain existing, proposed and future public improvements within the boundaries of the District, and be empowered to purchase, own, maintain, construct, reconstruct and operate such public improvements, including, but not limited to, storm drainage systems, sewage treatment plants, sewers, water and well systems, roads, bridges, culverts, tunnels, streets, sidewalks, lighting, traffic lights, signage and traffic control systems, parking, including garages, public safety and public works buildings, parks, landscaping of public facilities, recreational facilities, transportation stations and related facilities, shuttle transportation equipment, fiber and telecommunication systems, facilities to produce and distribute electricity, including alternate energy sources such as co-generation and solar installations, to borrow funds for capital improvements and to assess betterments, assessments, special assessments and fees in relation thereto, and to support operating expenses, to enter into such contracts as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the District, and to exercise such additional powers as shall be defined in the special act, a summary of which, including the District boundaries, is available at the office of the Town Clerk; provided that the General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to the bill, unless the Board of Selectmen approve amendments to the bill before enactment by the General Court, and authorizing the Board of Selectmen to approve amendments which shall be within the scope of the general public objectives of the petition, or take any other action relative thereto.

I have a couple of disagreements with this article.
First, when a special zoning district was authorized by Town Meeting for this project, all the above infrastructure was going to be the responsiblity of the developers. Second, there is already a mechanism for the developer to provide, operate and maintain the infrastructure without a special act. It is called rent. The town has received money from the state for this project and may have to repay it if the developers can't meet the required timetable for the project. The deadlines are fast approaching. I have to believe that in the current economic situation, the developers are having some difficulty getting financing. I don't know that, I just think it may be true.
What are your thoughts on this article?
UPDATE I had posted about this project earlier here Note that I said in the earlier post that

The permit requires that the development forever remain private and the Town will not ever be responsible for roadways or parking areas, storm water management facilities, snow plowing, landscaping, Trash and recycling removal, street lighting, building maintenance or sewer and water services beyond the individual meter pits.

While I don't think this article makes the town responsible. it is not private ownership. If anyone reading here has a better understanding of the issue, let us know in comments, won't you?