What's happening
This bill prohibits renaming or redefining traditionally recognized neighborhoods in large cities without a formal public process and penalizes real estate brokers for misrepresenting neighborhood names.
Why it matters
Prevents sudden or unofficial changes to neighborhood names and boundaries. , which can protect community identity and preserve historical or cultural significance in major cities.
Requires a formal, public process before any neighborhood can be renamed or its boundaries altered. , ensuring residents and local community boards have input and oversight, rather than allowing changes driven by private interests or rebranding efforts.
Imposes specific penalties on real estate brokers. who market properties using unapproved or invented neighborhood names, aiming to curb misleading advertising practices that can distort perceptions of local areas and potentially inflate property values.
Defines what counts as a “traditionally recognized” neighborhood. by tying it to official recognition from community boards, creating a clear legal standard to prevent arbitrary or speculative neighborhood branding.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect Neighborhood Names
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
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.
Protect Historic Neighborhood Names
In Assembly Committee · Local Governments · Sponsor Robert J. Rodriguez
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
212
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. BENJAMIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to protecting the integrity of traditionally recognized neighborhoods
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new article 19-C to read as follows:
ARTICLE 19-C
NEIGHBORHOOD INTEGRITY ACT Section 995. Neighborhood integrity.
§ 995. Neighborhood integrity. 1. No person or entity shall rename or re-designate a traditionally recognized neighborhood within a city with a population of one million or more, or in any way reconstitute traditionally recognized neighborhood boundaries, except as set forth in subdivision two of this section.
2. The mayor, upon a majority approval of the city council, shall designate and direct a government office or agency to develop a process for the proposed renaming of any traditionally recognized neighborhood, or for the reconstitution of the boundaries of any such neighborhood. Such process shall require input from the community board or boards which represent such areas as established by the applicable city charter.
3. No real estate broker or any agent of a real estate broker shall market, disseminate or promote, including but not limited to, in any written or electronic form the sale or rental of an apartment, house or other real property as part of, or located in, a designated neighborhood that is not a traditionally recognized neighborhood or recognized as such pursuant to the process set forth in subdivision two of this section. A violation of this section shall subject the real estate
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01751-01-9
S. 212 2
broker to a monetary fine, license suspension or license revocation as determined by the secretary of state pursuant to section four hundred forty-one-c of the real property law.
4. Traditionally recognized neighborhoods or neighborhood boundaries are those officially recognized by at least one of the community boards presently established by the applicable city charter.
§ 2. 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 general municipal law, in relation to protecting the integrity of traditionally recognized neighborhoods
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to prohibit renaming neighborhoods or rede- fining traditional boundaries without community input.
Summary of provisions
The general municipal law is amended by adding a new article, 19-C, which reads in part:
"Section 995. Neighborhood integrity. 1. No person or entity shall rename or re-designate a traditionally recognized neighborhood within a city with a population of one million or more, or in any way reconsti- tute traditionally recognized neighborhood boundaries, except as set forth in subdivision two of this section.
2. The mayor, upon a majority approval of the city council, shall desig- nate and direct a government office or agency to develop a process for the proposed renaming of any traditionally recognized neighborhood, or for the reconstitution of the boundaries of any such neighborhood. Such process shall require input from the community board or boards which represent such areas as established by the applicable city charter."
Existing law
None
Justification
Real estate brokers have an obligation under New York State law to publicly disseminate information that is accurate about the property or listing being marketed. Notwithstanding this provision, realtors have increasingly resorted to a practice of renaming neighborhoods and redrawing traditional neighborhood boundaries in order to rebrand an area as more desirable for affluent New Yorkers. These actions are not without consequence.
First, realtors are artificially inflating housing prices in newly renamed or redrawn neighborhoods to the detriment of working families and middle class residents struggling to remain in increasingly unaf- fordable communities. Second, neighborhoods are often renamed without regard to its history, culture, character and tradition, thereby result- ing in changes to the cultural and historic landscape of New York City. Third, prospective homebuyers and tenants are compelled to pay higher rents or purchase prices than they might otherwise confront.
One of the most egregious new examples of this practice is the renaming of parts of Harlem south of 125th Street as "Sofia". Other examples throughout New York City include real estate brokers renaming parts of Crown Heights as "ProCro," parts of Little Italy as "Nolita," marketing the South Bronx as "SoBro" and rebranding parts of Sunset Park as "Greenwood Heights" due to the presence of the Greenwood cemetery in that community. In other words, some realtors have apparently concluded that it is more desirable to rename a neighborhood after the dead, rath- er than associate it with those who have been living in that community for decades.
While individuals may have a right to call neighborhoods anything they like. Real estate brokers, however, are licensed and regulated by New York State and have an affirmative obligation to provide accurate infor- mation to the public. This obligation is undermined by the unchecked practice of inventing neighborhoods out of thin air in order to attract high income residents and further contribute to the gentrification phenomenon.
This legislation will require New York City to develop an official proc- ess for the renaming of neighborhoods and redrawing of traditional boun- daries. The process should include the relevant local community board and involve meaningful community input.
Legislative history
2017-18: S.6616 / A. 8615 2011-12: A.7740
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.