What's happening
This bill allows Mount Pleasant to swap one piece of parkland for another of equal value.
Why it matters
Ensures no net loss of parkland or value for Mount Pleasant residents. The bill requires that any parkland removed from public use must be replaced with new parkland of equal or greater fair market value and acreage, protecting community access to recreational spaces.
Mandates transparency and financial accountability. If the replacement land is worth less than the original parkland, the town must invest the difference into acquiring additional parkland or improving existing parks, ensuring public assets are not diminished in value.
Includes safeguards for federal investment and compliance. If federal funds were ever used for the parkland, the bill prevents the swap from proceeding until all federal requirements are met, protecting both local and federal interests in public land use in Westchester County.
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Who cares
Town of Mount Pleasant Officials and Residents
Local government leaders and residents care about the use, sale, or swapping of parkland in their community, as it affects public space, recreation, and local quality of life.
Parks and Recreation Advocates
Organizations and individuals who prioritize the preservation, maintenance, and enhancement of public parks will be interested in how parkland is being discontinued, replaced, or improved.
Developers and Real Estate Interests
If parkland is being alienated, developers or parties interested in the land for non-park purposes will care about opportunities for new projects or land acquisition.
Federal Agencies (if applicable)
If federal funding or assistance was ever used for the parkland in question, federal agencies like the Department of the Interior will be stakeholders, as they oversee compliance with federal requirements regarding parkland conversion.
Headline styles
Swap Parkland in Mount Pleasant
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 10549a
- Amend and recommit to local government
- Referred to local government
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.
Allow Parkland Swap in Mount Pleasant
In Assembly Committee · Local Governments · Sponsor MaryJane Shimsky
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10549--A
IN SENATE
May 20, 2026
Introduced by Sen. STEWART-COUSINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT authorizing the town of Mount Pleasant to alienate and discontinue the use of certain parklands
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subject to the provisions of this act, the town of Mount Pleasant, county of Westchester, is hereby authorized, acting by and through its governing body, and upon such terms and conditions as determined by such governing body, to discontinue as parkland and alienate the lands described in section three of this act for the purpose of constructing housing.
§ 2. The authorization contained in section one of this act shall be effective only upon the condition that the town of Mount Pleasant dedicate the lands described in section four of this act as parkland, provided that the town of Mount Pleasant has never used such lands for public open space or park purposes.
§ 3. The parklands authorized by section one of this act to be alienated are described as follows:
ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land situate, lying and located in the Town of Mount Pleasant, County of Westchester, State of New York and bounded and described as follows:
Beginning at a point formed by the division line between Lot 42, Block A and the westerly side of Eastview Drive as shown on a map entitled "Subdivision Map Section No. Two, Stonegate" dated Oct. 4, 1965 and filed in the Westchester county Clerk's Office (Division of Land Records) on June 7, 1966 as Map No. 14848, said point being the POINT OF BEGINNING;
Thence from said point of beginning along Lot 42, North 73 degrees 35 minutes 27 seconds East, a distance of 270.00 feet;
Thence along a proposed lot line over property now or formerly Arden Development #2 Corp. (Recreation Area), South 24 degrees 22 minutes 33 seconds East, a distance of 165.08 feet;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15854-03-6
Thence along Lot 43, Block A, South 67 degrees 17 minutes 46 seconds West, a distance of 283.89 feet to a point on the westerly side of Eastview Drive;
Thence along said westerly side of Eastview Drive Northerly, a distance of 195.01 feet along a non-tangent curve to the right of which the radius point lies North 67 degrees 17 minutes 46 seconds East a radius of 1,775.00 feet, and having a central angle of 6 degrees 17 minutes 41 seconds to the point and place of BEGINNING.
Containing 50,044 square feet or 1.1489 acres, more or less.
§ 4. Prior to the discontinuance and alienation of parkland described in section three of this act, the town of Mount Pleasant shall dedicate as parkland such land described as follows:
ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land situate, lying and located in the Town of Mount Pleasant, County of Westchester, State of New York and bounded and described as follows:
Beginning at a point formed by the division line between Lot #1 (Parcel D), Lot #2 (Parcel B) and the northerly side of East Stevens Avenue as shown on a map entitled "Subdivision Map with Utility Tie-Ins, Kensico Preserve" prepared by CMG Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C. dated June 14, 2024, last revised June 27, 2025 and filed in the Westchester county Clerk's Office (Division of Land records) on Aug. 7, 2025 as Map No. 29903, said point being the POINT OF BEGINNING;
Thence running along the northerly side of East Stevens Avenue, South 81 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds West, a distance of 40.74 feet;
Thence South 81 degrees 41 minutes 00 seconds West, a distance of 179.35 feet to a point;
Thence over and across Lot #1 (Parcel D), North 06 degrees 42 minutes 43 seconds West, a distance of 227.49 feet to a point;
Thence North 81 degrees 41 minutes 00 seconds East, a distance of 220.09 feet to a point on the division line between Lot #1 (Parcel D) and Lot #2 (Parcel B);
Thence South 06 degrees 42 minutes 43 seconds East, a distance of 227.36 feet to the northerly side of East Stevens Avenue, the point and place of BEGINNING. Containing 50,045 square feet or 1.1489 acres, more or less.
§ 5. In the event that the fair market value of the parklands described in section four of this act to be dedicated by the town of Mount Pleasant pursuant to this act are not equal to or greater than the fair market value of the parklands to be alienated as described in section three of this act, the town of Mount Pleasant shall dedicate the difference of the fair market value of the lands to be alienated and the lands to be dedicated for the acquisition of additional parklands and/or capital improvements to existing park and recreational facilities.
§ 6. In the event that the town of Mount Pleasant received any funding support or assistance from the federal government for the purchase, maintenance, or improvement of the parklands set forth in section three of this act, the discontinuance and alienation of such parklands authorized by the provisions of this act shall not occur until the town of Mount Pleasant has complied with any federal requirements pertaining to the alienation or conversion of parklands, including satisfying the secretary of the interior that the alienation or conversion complies with all conditions which the secretary of the interior deems necessary to assure the substitution of other lands shall be equivalent in fair market value and usefulness to the lands being alienated or converted.
§ 7. 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 authorizing the town of Mount Pleasant to alienate and discontin- ue the use of certain parklands
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Town Mount Pleasant to alienate a portion of Stonegate Park, reintegrating this land into the surrounding residential neighborhood. In exchange, the Town will desig- nate an equal-sized portion of land near the Town pool as new parkland.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill authorizes the Town Mount Pleasant to alienate a plot of existing parkland located in Stonegate Park.
Section 2 states that the Town can only take the actions outlined in
Section 1 if it dedicates a new plot of land, equal to or greater than the fair market value of the portion of Stonegate Park that will no longer be parkland, to be used as parkland. The land that the Town will dedicate is outlined in Section 4.
Section 3 describes the plot of land that will no longer be part of Stonegate park, described in metes and bounds.
Section 4 describes the plot of land near the Town pool that the Town will designate as parkland as a replacement for the land described in
Section 3, described in metes and bounds
Section 5 states that if the fair market value of the land described in Section 4 is less than the value of land described in Section 3, the Town must make up the difference by dedicating additional land as park- land or making capital improvements to existing park and recreational facilities in the Town.
Section 6 states that if the Town has ever used federal funding or assistance to purchase, maintain, or improve the plot of parkland outlined in Section 3, it must comply with all federal parkland alien- ation requirements before the plot is alienated.
Section 7 is the effective date.
Justification
The portion of Stonegate Park that the Town of Mount Pleasant seeks to alienate contains a little used, aging structure. This portion of the Park is separated from the baseball field and other amenities located at the north end of the Park by a large, wooded area, making any effort to combine the two areas impracticable. Over the years, this section of Stonegate Park has experienced significant damage to its pavilion area. In exchange for alienating this section of Stonegate Park, the Town will designate an equal-sized area of land next to the Town pool as new park- land.
Legislative history
This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications
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.