Relates to authorizing the city of New York to transfer and convey certain city owned property to the Bedford-Stuyvesant volunteer ambulance corps.
Summary
A05615 authorizes the City of New York to transfer, at no cost, city-owned land at 727 Greene Avenue in Brooklyn to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. (BSVAC). The bill is intended to allow BSVAC to establish a permanent facility on property it has leased continuously since 1989, recognizing its long-standing role in serving the Bedford-Stuyvesant community.
The authorized conveyance is tied to specific public-service uses. BSVAC would be required to use the property primarily for operating and maintaining a volunteer ambulance service and related activities, including emergency medical response, first aid, patient transport, equipment maintenance, community health services, preventative care and wellness initiatives, mental health and maternal health services, and workforce development for EMS, public healthcare, and public safety careers. The bill also allows BSVAC to submit a survey and legal description for approval, but does not require it to do so.
Impact
The bill creates a narrow statutory authorization overriding contrary provisions of law to permit New York City to convey specified parcels in Brooklyn to a nonprofit emergency medical services provider. It affects city property law and municipal land disposition authority, and it imposes use restrictions and a reverter clause so the land returns to the city if it is not used for the approved ambulance and community health purposes. The measure would not broadly change statewide law, but it would secure long-term site control for BSVAC and support continued EMS and related community health operations in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support and no recorded opposition in committee, with unanimous favorable votes in both the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Assembly Rules Committee. The bill’s framing emphasizes recognition of BSVAC’s decades of service and the public benefit of a permanent facility, suggesting generally positive sentiment around the proposal. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded floor or hearing debate to indicate broader controversy.
Contention
There is little visible contention in the available record, as the bill advanced unanimously in committee. The main policy issue is the transfer of public land at no cost, which could raise questions about municipal asset disposition and whether the public receives adequate consideration; however, the bill addresses that concern by limiting the property to emergency medical and community health uses and by providing for reversion if those uses are not maintained. Any practical concern would likely center on ensuring the property remains dedicated to BSVAC’s nonprofit EMS mission rather than being diverted to other uses.
Same As
Relates to authorizing the city of New York to transfer and convey certain city owned property to the Bedford-Stuyvesant volunteer ambulance corps.