Authorizes the town of Eden, county of Erie, to discontinue as parklands and alienate certain lands for the purpose of providing needed resources to the existing parks within such town.
Summary
This bill authorizes the Town of Eden in Erie County to discontinue and alienate two specified parcels of parkland, totaling about 4.3 acres, and to sell or convey those lands at fair market value. The stated purpose is to generate resources to improve the town’s existing parks and recreational facilities. The bill includes detailed legal descriptions of the parcels to be removed from park use.
The authorization is conditioned on the town dedicating an amount equal to or greater than the fair market value of the parkland being sold toward acquiring replacement parkland and/or making capital improvements to existing park and recreation facilities. It also requires compliance with any applicable federal requirements if the land was acquired or improved with federal assistance, including any necessary approval from the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to ensure equivalent replacement lands in value and usefulness.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would create a local exception to New York’s parkland alienation rules for the Town of Eden, allowing the town to convert designated parkland to non-park use and transfer it to another owner. It would also impose a replacement or mitigation requirement, ensuring that the town reinvests at least the fair market value of the alienated land into new parkland or park improvements. Any federal parkland restrictions tied to prior funding would still have to be satisfied before the conversion could occur.
Sentiment
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition. Based on the bill’s structure and purpose, it appears to be a targeted local land-use measure intended to support park improvements rather than a broad policy change. The absence of recorded controversy suggests the bill may be routine or noncontroversial, though that cannot be confirmed from the available record.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the loss of existing parkland versus the promised benefit of reinvesting proceeds into park improvements or replacement land. Any concern would likely focus on whether the substituted investments truly match the fair market value and recreational usefulness of the land being removed from park use. If federal funds were involved in the original acquisition or improvement of the parkland, compliance with federal conversion requirements could also be a practical hurdle.
Same As
Authorizes the town of Eden, county of Erie, to discontinue as parklands and alienate certain lands for the purpose of providing needed resources to the existing parks within such town.