Bill Text: NY A04502 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to adding affordable housing to the definition of "environment" for purposes of environmental quality reviews

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to environmental conservation [A04502 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A04502-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4502
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 4, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced by M. of A. ESPAILLAT, PERALTA -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of
         A.  BOYLAND,  DIAZ, GOTTFRIED, HOOPER -- read once and referred to the
         Committee on Environmental Conservation
       AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
         adding  affordable  housing  to  the  definition  of "environment" for
         purposes of environmental quality reviews
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Legislative  intent.    The  legislature hereby finds and
    2  declares that a significant number of residents of the state are  living
    3  in  substandard  housing  and that there exists a shortage of housing at
    4  reasonable costs for various  income  levels.  A  recent  housing  needs
    5  survey undertaken at the request of the division of housing and communi-
    6  ty  renewal indicated that the number of new construction or substantial
    7  rehabilitation units needed  statewide  approaches  four  hundred  forty
    8  thousand.  It  is  further  found that existing federal, state and local
    9  housing programs are not meeting the housing needs of the  residents  of
   10  the state of New York. It is further found that the critical shortage of
   11  housing demands that the state and local governments become sensitive to
   12  the  impacts  which rezonings and other governmental actions have on the
   13  availability of affordable housing. To assure that an adequate supply of
   14  safe and affordable housing exists for all citizens of the state of  New
   15  York,  it  is a necessary part of the state environmental quality review
   16  (SEQR) process to examine the impact of a  governmental  action  on  the
   17  availability of affordable housing.
   18    S 2. Subdivision 6 of section 8-0105 of the environmental conservation
   19  law,  as  amended by chapter 228 of the laws of 1976, is amended to read
   20  as follows:
   21     6. "Environment" means the physical conditions which will be affected
   22  by a proposed action,  including  land,  air,  water,  minerals,  flora,
   23  fauna,  noise,  objects  of historic or aesthetic significance, existing
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07775-01-9
       A. 4502                             2
    1  patterns of population concentration,  distribution,  or  growth,  [and]
    2  existing  community  or neighborhood character, AND NEW HOUSING OPPORTU-
    3  NITIES AND AFFORDABILITY.
    4    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.