What's happening
This bill allows certain small towns in New York to temporarily halt annexing large agricultural lands for industrial use for up to one year.
Why it matters
Protects large agricultural lands. By allowing small towns to pause annexation of agricultural parcels over 200 acres, the bill gives communities a tool to safeguard significant farmland from immediate industrial development pressures.
Supports local planning. The moratorium period is specifically designed to give towns time to update their agricultural and farmland protection plans, ensuring that future land use decisions are informed and strategic.
Targets vulnerable rural communities. Only applies to towns in smaller counties (under 55,000 population) that already have a farmland protection plan, focusing the policy on areas where agricultural land may be most at risk of rapid industrial conversion.
Temporary measure with a clear purpose. The moratorium is limited to one year, balancing the need for urgent planning with the economic interests of property owners and developers, and signaling that the pause is for thoughtful policy development rather than indefinite obstruction.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Pause Industrial Use of Farmland
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 111
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to ways and means
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Print number 7808a
- Amend (t) and recommit to local governments
- Referred to local governments
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.
Pause Farmland for Industry
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor James Skoufis
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7808--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 23, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to create a moratorium on the annexation of agricultural land by certain localities for an industrial use
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Any town within a county with a population of fifty-five thousand or less that has completed an agricultural and farmland protection plan pursuant to section 324 of the agriculture and markets law prior to the effective date of this act, may impose a moratorium, not to exceed one year, on the annexation of agricultural land greater than two hundred acres for an industrial use, to allow for the development of an updated agricultural and farmland protection plan.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11303-04-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.