For the purposes stated in § 45-24.4-1, the city council of any city has the authority to establish, designate, lay out, and define, as special development districts, areas that are or may be or have been the subject of or substantially affected by combined federal, state, local, and private action in connection with railroad relocation projects and/or railroad abandonment actions, in the same manner as cities are presently empowered to establish, designate, lay out, and define zoning districts.