New York Senate Bill S09364

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/5/26
• Refer: 3/5/26

Caption

Authorizes the village of Southampton to alienate and discontinue the use of certain parklands.

Summary

This bill authorizes the Village of Southampton, in Suffolk County, to discontinue and alienate a specified 2.478-acre parcel of parkland for the purpose of constructing a new wastewater treatment facility. Because parkland is generally protected under New York law, the bill provides a specific legislative exception allowing the village to repurpose the land for municipal infrastructure. As a condition of that authorization, the village must dedicate a separate 1.10-acre parcel as parkland, so long as that replacement parcel has never been used for public open space or municipal park purposes. The bill also requires the village to address any shortfall in fair market value by dedicating additional funds for new parkland acquisition and/or capital improvements to existing park and recreational facilities. If any federal funding was involved in the original parkland, the village must also comply with applicable federal conversion requirements before the transfer can occur.

Impact

The bill would amend the legal status of specific parklands in Southampton by allowing their conversion from protected park use to a wastewater treatment site, while imposing replacement-park and value-equivalency conditions. It affects local land use and parkland protection rules by creating a special statutory authorization for this parcel, and it may also trigger federal review obligations if federal assistance was used for the original park acquisition or improvement. The practical parties affected are the Village of Southampton, local residents who use the parkland, and any agencies involved in wastewater infrastructure, park replacement, or federal land-conversion compliance.

Sentiment

The bill appears to be framed as a practical local infrastructure measure rather than a controversial statewide policy change. The text suggests support for the project’s public utility purpose, since it allows a wastewater treatment facility to proceed while preserving parkland value through replacement land and possible monetary offsets. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or debate in the available materials.

Contention

The main point of contention is the loss of existing parkland versus the need for a wastewater treatment facility. Potential concerns include whether the replacement parcel is truly equivalent in usefulness, whether the fair market value offset is sufficient, and whether the new parkland has ever served as public open space. Another possible issue is compliance with federal park conversion rules if federal funds were used, which could delay or complicate implementation. These concerns would likely matter most to local residents, park advocates, and municipal officials balancing environmental, recreational, and infrastructure needs.