What's happening
This bill requires the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals to notify affected state senators and assembly members about land use plans and zoning changes.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. by ensuring that state legislators whose districts are directly impacted by land use or zoning changes are formally notified, enabling them to represent constituent concerns in real time.
Facilitates better coordination. between city and state officials on decisions about land development, which can have significant local and regional consequences for infrastructure, housing, and community character.
Empowers communities. by giving their elected state representatives more timely information and a potential role in the public discussion about proposed changes, potentially increasing opportunities for public input and scrutiny.
May lead to more robust oversight. of controversial or complex land use decisions, since state senators and assembly members often have broader political reach and resources to raise issues that local boards or borough presidents might not fully address.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Notify Lawmakers on City Plans
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1683
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the New York city charter, in relation to notification by the New York city board of standards and appeals to certain affected state senators and assembly members
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 196 of the New York city charter, as amended by a vote of the people of the city of New York at the general election held in November of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
§ 196. Affected boards and borough presidents. For purposes of this chapter: the term "affected community board" shall mean the community board for a community district in which land included in a plan or an application pursuant to this chapter is located; the term "affected borough president" shall mean the president of a borough in which land included in such a plan or an application is located; and a borough board shall be deemed "affected" if such a plan or application includes land within two or more community districts within the borough represented by such borough board; and "affected senator or assembly member" shall mean the respective senator or assembly member for the land included in a plan or an application pursuant to this chapter.
§ 2. Section 197-b of the New York city charter, as amended by a vote of the people of the city of New York at the general election held in November of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
§ 197-b. Notification of plans and proposals. a. Advance notice of all preliminary and final plans of public agencies and public benefit corporations or of private agencies, entities or developers filed with the city that relate to the use, development or improvement of land subject to city regulation shall be given to the affected community board or boards [and], the office of the affected borough president and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01035-01-7
S. 1683 2
the affected senator or assembly member, provided that exceptions may be made in matters of no appreciable public concern by agency rule.
b. Copies of (1) all requests for proposals and other solicitations of proposals issued by or on behalf of the city, whether or not issued by an agency, a local development corporation or other entity, and (2) all letters of intent executed by or on behalf of the city, whether or not executed by an agency, a local development corporation or other entity, that relate to the private use or the disposition of city-owned land, shall be conveyed to the community boards where such land is located [and], the office of the borough president where such land is located and the affected senator or assembly member where such land is located promptly after issuance or execution.
§ 3. Paragraph 1 of subdivision a of section 200 of the New York city charter, as amended by a vote of the people of the city of New York at the general election held in November of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
1. The city planning commission may upon its own initiative at any time or upon application as provided in section two hundred one, adopt a resolution to amend the text of the zoning resolution subject to the limitations provided by law. Before adopting any such resolution, the commission shall notify any community board [or], borough board, senator or assembly member affected by the resolution and shall afford persons interested an opportunity to be heard at a time and place to be specified in a notice of hearing to be published in the City Record for the ten days of publication of the City Record immediately prior thereto setting forth in general terms the nature of the proposed resolution and a statement of the place at which the entire resolution may be examined.
§ 4. Subdivision a of section 201 of the New York city charter, as amended by a vote of the people of the city of New York at the general election held in November of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
a. Applications for changes in the zoning resolution may be filed by any taxpayer, community board, borough board, borough president, by the mayor or by the land use committee of the council if two-thirds of the members of the committee shall have voted to approve such filing with the city planning commission. All such applications involving changes in the designation of zoning districts under the zoning resolution shall be subject to review and approval pursuant to section one hundred ninety-seven-c and one hundred ninety-seven-d. For applications involving other changes in zoning resolutions and regulations, the commission prior to taking action upon any such application shall refer it to the affected community boards [or], borough boards, senators or assembly members for a public hearing and recommendation.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the New York city charter, in relation to notification by the New York city board of standards and appeals to certain affected state senators and assembly members
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of the bill is to provide notice to affected state elected officials of applications to the New York City board of standards and appeals.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends section 196 of the New York City charter to include "affected senator or assembly member", which shall mean the respective senator or assembly member for the land included in a plan or application.
Section 2 amends section 197-b, subdivision a, to require the affected senator or assembly member receive advance notice of all preliminary and final plans of public agencies and public benefit corporations, or of private agencies, entities or developers filed with the city, that relate to the use, development or improvement of land subject to city regulation.
Subdivision b is amended to require that copies of all requests for proposals and other solicitations of proposals issued by or on behalf of the city, and all letters of intent executed by or on behalf of the city, shall also be conveyed to the affected senator or assembly member where such land is located.
Section 3 amends subdivision a of section 200 of the New York City charter to provide that before the city planning commission amends the text of a zoning resolution, the commission shall also notify the affected senator or assembly member and afford those interested an opportunity to be heard.
Section 4 amends subdivision a of section 201 of the New York City charter to provide that before adopting any applications for changes in the zoning resolutions and regulations, the commission will refer them to the affected senators or assembly members for a public hearing and recommendation.
Section 5 provides that this act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
While the New York City charter currently requires that the affected community board and borough president receive notification of applications to the board of standards and appeals, the affected state senator and assembly members are not included.
It is critical that these elected officials also be made aware of these important matters that effect their constituents so that they have opportunity to respond in a timely manner when necessary.
Prior legislative history
2015-2016: S5050
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None EFFECTIVE DATE : This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.