(a) The district may acquire, lease as lessor or lessee, construct, develop, own, operate, and maintain a public transit system to serve the area within the boundaries of the district.
(b) Before the district may act under Subsection (a), a petition must be filed with the district requesting the action with regard to a public transit system. The petition must be signed by owners of property representing a majority of either the total assessed value or the area of the real property in the district that abuts the right-of-way in which the public transit system is proposed to be located. The determination of a majority is based on the property owners along the entire right-of-way of the proposed transit project and may not be calculated on a block-by-block basis.