New York Assembly Bill A08371

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/13/25
• Refer: 5/13/25
• Report Pass: 6/9/25
• Refer: 6/9/25
• Report Pass: 6/10/25
• Engrossed: 6/10/25
• Refer: 6/10/25
• Engrossed: 6/11/25
• Enrolled: 8/12/25
• Chaptered: 8/15/25
• Passed: 8/15/25

Caption

Authorizes the town of Ithaca, county of Tompkins, to discontinue as parklands and alienate certain lands for the purpose of maintaining and operating such lands for agricultural purposes.

Summary

This bill authorizes the Town of Ithaca in Tompkins County to discontinue and alienate a specific 8.33-acre parcel of parkland so it can be maintained and operated for agricultural purposes. The measure identifies the land to be converted and requires the town to follow the terms and conditions set by its governing body when carrying out the change in use. As a condition of the conversion, the town must dedicate another 8.33-acre parcel as parkland, but only if that replacement property has never been used for public open space or park purposes. If the replacement parkland is worth less than the land being alienated, the town must make up the difference in fair market value by funding additional parkland acquisition or improvements to existing park and recreation facilities. The bill also preserves any applicable federal requirements if federal funds were involved in the original parkland, including compliance with any U.S. Department of the Interior conditions for conversion of parkland.

Impact

The bill creates a local, project-specific exception to New York parkland protection rules by allowing the Town of Ithaca to remove designated parkland from public park use and repurpose it for agricultural operations. It also imposes a substitution requirement, meaning the town must dedicate replacement parkland and, if necessary, provide monetary compensation for any value shortfall to support parkland acquisition or recreational capital improvements. The measure affects the town, county, and any entities involved in the land transfer or agricultural use, while preserving federal park conversion requirements where applicable.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support overall. It advanced through committee and both chambers with strong favorable votes, including unanimous approval in the Senate and a large majority in the Assembly floor vote. The voting pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a routine local land-use authorization rather than a controversial statewide policy change.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the conversion of parkland to non-park use, which can raise concerns about loss of public open space and the precedent of alienating protected park property. Any opposition would likely focus on whether the replacement parcel is truly equivalent in usefulness and whether the agricultural use justifies the change. The bill addresses those concerns by requiring replacement parkland, fair-market-value compensation if needed, and compliance with federal parkland conversion rules if federal assistance was involved.