What's happening
This bill allows New York City community boards to apply for and receive grants for waterfront revitalization, with borough president approval required.
Why it matters
Empowers local, neighborhood-level voices. By allowing community boards (with borough president approval) to directly apply for waterfront revitalization grants, the bill shifts some power from citywide officials to grassroots, neighborhood-based groups, potentially making projects more responsive to local needs and concerns.
Increases funding access and competition. Community boards will now have direct access to state technical and financial assistance for waterfront projects, possibly increasing both the number and diversity of revitalization proposals considered for funding.
Adds oversight and coordination. The requirement that applications include borough president certification means that local initiatives must still align with broader borough priorities, ensuring a check on fragmented or duplicative projects while promoting collaboration.
Explicitly defines key players. By formally adding definitions of "community board" and "borough president" to state law, the bill clarifies jurisdictional boundaries and responsibilities, helping to prevent confusion or disputes over who can participate in waterfront planning and grant applications.
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Who cares
New York City community boards
Boards bordering coastal waters or inland waterways could submit waterfront revitalization programs and receive state technical assistance and preparation grants, subject to borough president certification for grant eligibility.
Borough presidents
Their certification approving a community board’s application would be required for the board to qualify for grants.
New York secretary of state and affected state agencies
They would review community board programs and address conflicts between those programs and proposed state actions or state and federal policies.
Environmental justice communities
Community board projects preparing waterfront revitalization programs could qualify for assistance covering up to 85 percent of program costs in these communities, compared with the general 75 percent cap.
Headline styles
Let Boards Apply for Grants
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 45–15
- Ordered to third reading cal.874
- Reported and committed to rules
- Referred to finance
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 43–17
- Ordered to third reading cal.329
Show 4 earlier actions
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Print number 745a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Referred to finance
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.
Let Community Boards Seek Grants
In Assembly Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Felix Ortiz
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
745--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sens. MONTGOMERY, COMRIE, GOUNARDES, LIU -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to allowing community boards to apply and receive grants for waterfront revitalization programs for coastal areas and inland waterways
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 1, 2, 3, the opening paragraph of subdivision 4, the opening paragraph and paragraph h of subdivision 5, and subdivisions 7, 9 and 10 of section 915 of the executive law, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 454 of the laws of 2001, subdivision 2 and the opening paragraph of subdivision 5 as amended by chapter 842 of the laws of 1981, and subdivision 3, the opening paragraph of subdivision 4, paragraph h of subdivision 5, and subdivisions 7, 9 and 10 as added by chapter 840 of the laws of 1981, are amended and a new subdivision 11 is added to read as follows:
1. It is the intention of this article to offer the fullest possible support by the state and its agencies to those local governments that desire to revitalize their waterfronts. Accordingly, any local government [or], two or more local governments acting jointly, or a community board which has any portion of its jurisdiction contiguous to the state's coastal waters or inland waterways and which desires to participate may submit a waterfront revitalization program to the secretary as herein provided.
2. The secretary may provide technical and financial assistance as provided in sections nine hundred seventeen and nine hundred eighteen of this article to any local government or community board for the prepara-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03435-03-9
S. 745--A 2
tion of a waterfront revitalization program for the purposes of this article.
3. A local government [or], two or more local governments acting jointly or a community board which intends to submit a waterfront revitalization program for the purposes of this article is strongly encouraged to consult, during its preparation, with other entities that may be affected by its program, including local governments, county and regional agencies, appropriate port authorities, community based groups and state and federal agencies. On request by the local government or community board, the secretary shall take appropriate action to facilitate such consultation.
The secretary shall prepare and distribute guidelines and regulations for local governments or community boards desiring to prepare, or cause to be prepared, a waterfront revitalization program (hereinafter referred to as the "program"). Such guidelines shall provide that the program will be consistent with the policies and purposes of this article generally and shall include, but not be limited to:
The secretary shall approve any local government or community board waterfront revitalization program as eligible for the benefits set forth in section nine hundred sixteen of this article if he finds that such program will be consistent with coastal policies and will achieve the waterfront revitalization purposes of this article. In making such determination, the secretary shall find that the program incorporates each of the following to an extent commensurate with the particular circumstances of that local government or community board:
h. A statement identifying those elements of the program which can be implemented by the local government or community board, unaided, and those that can only be implemented with the aid of other levels of government or other agencies. Such statement shall include those permit, license, certification or approval programs, grant, loan, subsidy or other funding assistance programs, facilities construction and planning programs which may affect the achievement of the waterfront revitalization program.
7. Where there is a conflict between a submitted waterfront revitalization program and any state or federal policy, at the request of the local government, community board or the state or federal agency affected, the secretary shall attempt to reconcile and resolve the differences between the submitted program and such policies and shall meet with the local government or community board and involved state and federal agencies to this end.
9. Before undertaking any action pursuant to any programs identified pursuant to paragraph [(h)] h of subdivision five of this section [nine hundred fifteen of this article] the affected state agency shall submit, through appropriate existing clearing house procedures including but not limited to the state environmental quality review law, information on the proposed action to local government or community board. The local government or community board shall identify potential conflicts and so notify the secretary. Upon notification of the conflict, the secretary will confer with the affected state agency and the local government or community board to modify the proposed action to be consistent with the local plan.
10. Any local government or community board which has had a waterfront revitalization program approved pursuant to this section may withdraw its program at any time by filing with the secretary a copy of a resolution of its legislative body providing for such withdrawal. Upon
S. 745--A 3
receipt of such resolution, the secretary shall immediately notify all affected state agencies.
11. For purposes of this section, no application by a community board for participation shall be considered eligible for the awarding of any grants available herein unless the application also includes certification by the borough president of the requisite borough approving the submission of such an application.
§ 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 918 of the executive law, as amended by section 2 of part T of chapter 58 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
a. To any local governments, [or to] two or more local governments, or to community boards, for projects approved by the secretary which lead to preparation of a waterfront revitalization program; provided, however, that such grants or payments shall not exceed seventy-five percent of the approved cost of such projects provided, however, in environmental justice communities, such assistance payments and/or technical assistance shall not exceed eighty-five percent of the cost of the program;
§ 3. Section 911 of the executive law is amended by adding two new subdivisions 8 and 9 to read as follows:
8. "Community board" shall have the same meaning as set forth in section twenty-eight hundred of the New York city charter.
9. "Borough president" shall have the same meaning as set forth in chapter four of the New York city charter.
§ 4. 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 executive law, in relation to allowing community boards to apply and receive grants for waterfront revitalization programs for coastal areas and inland waterways
Purpose
This legislation would enable New York City community boards located along New York's coasts or designated inland waterways to be eligible to apply for grant funding under the State's Local Waterfront Revitaliza- tion Program.
Summary of provisions
Community Boards, as defined in section twenty-eight hundred of the New York City Charter, are added to the list of applicants that are eligible to apply for funding under the State's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program as enumerated in various subdivisions of Section 1 of the execu- tive law.
The amendment to this bill provides that borough presidents shall review and approve each application prior to awarding any available grants.
Justification
Community boards are local representative bodies that perform a variety of important tasks that affect the quality of life for residents of New York City's five boroughs; there are 59 community boards throughout the City. The Boards' responsibilities include but are not limited to imple- menting procedures to improve the delivery of City services to the district; advising on land use and zoning issues; assessing the funding needs of their districts and making funding recommendations during the City's budget process. Community Boards are the chief advocate on all issues that are important to the people who live and work in their communities, including traffic problems, housing, and economic develop- ment.
Community boards are involved in planning for and helping implement projects in their respective communities, including waterfront revitali- zation initiatives. Despite the fact that the boards are important deci- sion-makers in community life, they are ineligible to apply for funding under the State's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.
Under current law, only a village, town or city along the State's coast or designated inland waterway can prepare and submit a funding proposal under this Program. Given their role and involvement in community life, community boards should be able to apply for necessary funding to support local waterfront revitalization efforts in their respective districts.
Legislative history
2012-2014: Died in Committee 2014-2015: Print Number 1062A 2015-2016: Referred to Finance 2016-2017: Referred to Finance 2017-2018: Passed in Senate
Fiscal implications
None. Community boards would be competing for funding under an existing program.
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.