What's happening
This bill extends the minimum public notice period from 10 to 20 days before public hearings on urban development projects.
Why it matters
Gives local communities more time to review and respond. By extending the notice period to 20 days, residents, businesses, and advocacy groups have twice as long to understand and organize feedback or opposition to proposed urban development projects.
May lead to greater transparency and accountability. Longer notice periods can put more pressure on developers and public officials to address public concerns, disclose more information, and justify project decisions more thoroughly.
Could slow down project approvals but promote more thoughtful outcomes. The additional time may delay some development timelines, but it also allows for more thorough vetting of proposals, potentially reducing costly legal challenges or community backlash later.
Impacts all major stages of the development process. The change applies to several critical steps—public sales, leases, land transfers, and community board reviews—so its effects will be felt at multiple decision points in urban development.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
More Time Before Hearings
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Vetoed memo.321
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.56
- Substituted for A9993A
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1245
Show 3 earlier actions
- Print number 7912a
- Amend and recommit to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
More Time Before Public Hearings
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Amy Paulin
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7912--A
IN SENATE
March 9, 2018
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in relation to extending the amount of time between notice of a project and a public hearing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (c) of section 6 of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968 constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, is amended to read as follows:
(c) to any other person, firm, partnership or corporation, without public bidding or public sale, provided there is published in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the municipality in which the project is located a notice which shall include a statement of the identity of the proposed purchaser or lessee and of his proposed use or reuse of the land use improvement project area or applicable portion thereof, the price or rental to be paid by such purchaser or lessee, all other essential conditions of such sale or lease, and a statement that a public hearing upon such sale or lease will be held before the corporation at a specified time and place on a date not less than [ten] twenty days after such publication, and provided further that such public hearing is held in accordance with such notice.
§ 2. Subdivision 2 of section 8 of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968 constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, is amended to read as follows:
(2) Before any sale or lease of all or a substantial part of a project as authorized by subdivision one of this section is consummated, there shall be published in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the municipality in which the project is located a notice which shall include a statement of the identity of the proposed purchaser or lessee, the price or rental to be paid, all other essential conditions of such sale or lease, and a statement that a public hearing upon such sale or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08709-03-8
S. 7912--A 2
lease will be held before the corporation at a specified time and place on a date not less than [ten] twenty days after such publication, and such hearing shall be held in accordance with such notice; provided, however, that if the corporation determines that trade secrets or other confidential information about the prospective purchaser's or lessee's business operations, products, processes or designs would otherwise be revealed by such public notice and public hearing, the requirements of this subdivision may be waived by unanimous vote of the directors of the corporation.
§ 3. Subdivision 2 of section 14 of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968 constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, as amended by chapter 576 of the laws of 1969, is amended to read as follows:
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special or local law or charter, any municipality, by resolution of its local governing body, is hereby empowered without referendum, public auction, sealed bids or public notice, to sell, lease for a term not exceeding ninetynine years, grant or convey to the corporation any real property owned by it which the corporation shall certify to be necessary or convenient for its corporate purposes. Any such sale, lease, grant or conveyance shall be made with or without consideration and upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon by such municipality and the corporation. Certification shall be evidenced by a formal request from the president of the corporation. Before any such sale, lease, grant or conveyance may be made to the corporation, a public hearing shall be held by the local governing body to consider the same. Notice of such hearing shall be published at least [ten] twenty days before the date set for the hearing in such publication and in such manner as may be designated by the local governing body.
§ 4. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section 16 of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968 constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, as amended by chapter 732 of the laws of 1990, is amended to read as follows:
(iii) in any city having a population of one million or more, provide to any community board in which the project will be located, a notice that such plan will be filed upon its adoption by the corporation and that digests thereof will be available, which notice shall also state that a public hearing will be held to consider the plan at a specified time and place on a date not less than [ten] twenty days after such publication;
§ 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 state urban development corporation act, in relation to extending the amount of time between notice of a project and a public hearing
Purpose
To ensure that the general public and the community, as well as parties specifically affected by proposed Urban Development Corporation (UDC) projects, are given adequate notice of public hearings so they can attend and participate.
Summary of provisions
In relation to the following four Sections of the UDC Act-6(c); 8(z); 4(2); and 16(2)(b)(iii)-the current ten day window between public notice and public hearing is expanded to thirty days.
Existing law
The current provisions of the UDC Act require a maximum of ten days between public notice and public hearing.
Justification
The public consultation provisions of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) Act disempower communities impacted by massive redevelopment projects. Under the current provisions, a public hearing must be held within ten days of publication of notice of a redevelopment project.
Some examples of failings, with respect to the City of New York include: the fact that projects are developed in secret and not as part of a community planning process; and the fact that the Mayor and the City Clerk are notified about projects, but residents who live at project sites are not. Community Boards are supposed to be notified about a project before a public hearing occurs; however, more often than not, they do not learn about a hearing until after it has actually occurred. It is not uncommon for these public hearings to be held with no attend- ance whatsoever.
The current ten day period between public notice and hearing is a short window that often deprives community members of the opportunity to be heard.
This legislation will expand the current ten day period between notice of a project and a public hearing to twenty days. This change addresses concerns expressed by the Governor in past veto messages that longer windows of time would delay the delivery of economic development assis- tance.(See Veto No. 507 of 2014 and Veto No. 214 of 2015).
Ensuring that the public, and specifically, affected parties, have addi- tional time to actually learn of public hearings and subsequently mobi- lize, draft and execute meaningful public participation (in the form of comments, testimony and proposed alternative considerations) will promote transparency, accountability and good governance.
Legislative history
2015-16: A.7416/S.2415 - Veto Memo No. 214 of 2015 2013-14: A.9798/S.7384- Veto Memo No. 507 of 2014
Fiscal implications
None.
Local fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.