Authorizes the commissioner of general services to transfer and convey certain state land to the Syosset Central School District for the purpose of building new and expanding current facilities at Berry Hill Elementary School; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.
S05929 authorizes the Commissioner of General Services to transfer and convey a specific 3.44-acre parcel of state-owned land in Syosset, Nassau County, to the Syosset Central School District. The stated purpose of the transfer is to allow the district to build new facilities and expand existing facilities at Berry Hill Elementary School. The conveyance is to be made for nominal consideration of one dollar, subject to any conditions the commissioner deems proper.
The bill includes detailed metes-and-bounds legal description of the parcel and requires the school district to submit an accurate survey for approval if it wishes to use one. It also requires the district to apply for the transfer within one year of the act’s effective date and to do so by board resolution acknowledging the use restrictions. The land must be used exclusively for Berry Hill Elementary School expansion and construction, and if the property is not accepted or used for that purpose, title reverts to the State of New York. The act takes effect immediately and expires, with repeal, two years later.
In practical terms, the bill creates a narrow, site-specific exception to state property control laws by allowing a targeted transfer of state land to a local school district. It affects the Department of General Services and the Syosset Central School District, and it would enable the district to proceed with school capital improvements on the conveyed parcel without a standard market sale process. The measure is temporary and tightly conditioned, limiting its legal effect to this one parcel and one public purpose.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate unanimously and the Assembly unanimously, indicating broad bipartisan support for the school district’s facility needs. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, and the vote totals suggest the bill was treated as a routine local land conveyance measure rather than a contested policy issue.
There is little visible contention in the available record. The only notable constraints are the one-year application deadline, the commissioner’s approval authority over the survey and conditions, and the reverter clause if the land is not used as required. Those provisions appear designed to protect the state’s interest rather than reflect disagreement, and no opposing arguments or affected stakeholder disputes are documented in the materials provided.
The bill would amend state property disposition practice by authorizing a specific transfer of state land from the State of New York, through the Commissioner of General Services, to the Syosset Central School District. It would not broadly change general land-transfer law, but it would create a special, temporary authorization for this parcel, subject to use restrictions, a reverter, and an expiration date. The affected parties are the Department of General Services, the Syosset Central School District, and indirectly the Berry Hill Elementary School community that would benefit from expanded facilities.
The available voting history shows unanimous support in both chambers, with 59-0 passage in the Senate and 144-0 passage in the Assembly, plus a unanimous Senate Rules Committee vote. That pattern indicates very positive sentiment and little to no partisan or regional division. With no committee transcripts available, there is no evidence of substantive opposition or even significant debate in the record provided.
No major contention is evident in the bill’s history or text. The main points that could have prompted discussion are the transfer of state-owned land for nominal consideration, the exclusive-use restriction limiting the property to Berry Hill Elementary School purposes, and the reverter clause returning the land to the state if the district does not use it as required. Any concerns would likely center on state asset disposition, local school expansion needs, and ensuring the land remains dedicated to the stated public purpose, but no opposing viewpoints are documented.