NY State Senate Bill 2017-S2691

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to commerce, economic development and small business
Jan 17, 2017	referred to commerce, economic development and small business

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business
Law Section:: Economic Development Law
Laws Affected:: Add Art 23 §§450 - 454, Ec Dev L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S6276
2019-2020: S783
2021-2022: S1471

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the transitional green development program.

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S2691

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the economic development law, in
relation to establishing the transitional green development program

 PURPOSE :

Creates the Transitional Green Development Grant Program to assist
upstate communities with declining industrial bases to identify and
coordinate their natural, cultural and historical resources into a
strategic, sustainable development plan.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 provides legislative findings.

Section 2 adds a new Article 23 to the Economic Development Law(§§ 450
through 454) creating the Transitional Green Development Grant
Program.

§ 450 provides definitions, whereby: "Transitional Green Development"
means utilizing all elements of a municipality's current cultural,
educational, environmental and infrastructural character, and
coordinating those attributes with vestiges of its industrial past to
achieve sustainable green development; the "Transitional Green
Development Coordinator" means an individual designated by the

executive of the municipality to identify community resources, and
direct, coordinate and develop a plan for transitional green
development; "Transitional Green Development Grant" is a two-year
grant, not to exceed $150,000, funded through the Empire State
Development Corporation, to bring together a wide range of community
partners in a collaborative effort to identify the municipality's
unique qualities, and design strategies to best exploit those
characteristics for sustainable green development.

§ 451 establishes the Transitional Green Development Program

§ 452 provides for the distribution and acceptable uses for the
grants.

§ 453 provides for the duties and responsibilities of the Transitional
Green Development Coordinator.

§ 454 provides that the Commissioner of Economic Development will
promulgate rules and regulations to implement the program.

Section 2 of the bill is the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Many of the State's formerly industrial cities have been reeling from
the loss of their manufacturing base for decades, and are struggling
to redefine themselves in their post-industrial reality. Most of them
have special features - such as historic properties, waterfront areas,
museums, educational facilities or even former manufacturing buildings
- that can be redefined and exploited as economic assets with great
potential to spark redevelopment and grow jobs.(1) For instance,
according to a study by the Brookings Institute, just twelve of New
York's former industrial areas (2) together have over 450 buildings on
the National Registry of Historic Places, 40 museums, 57 two- and
four-year colleges and universities, and 45 hospitals and medical
facilities.(3)

Recent and in-progress revitalization efforts show the promise of
redevelopment and revitalization in upstate New York. Syracuse has
pursued a comprehensive redevelopment program that includes a
thoughtful focus on its downtown, including a focus on leveraging
existing cultural institutions in a planned downtown cultural
district.(4) The City of Beacon has seen increased economic activity
following development of museum resources and an effort to strengthen
surrounding areas.(5) Redevelopment projects in Buffalo have focused
on repurposing formerly abandoned grain silos as hubs for cultural,
marketing and recreational activity.(6) And city planners in Utica, in
collaboration with Cornell University's comprehensive "Rust to Green"
(R2G) initiative, have begun redirecting and repurposing the City's
existing cultural, infrastructural, natural and historical resources
toward a postindustrial, environmentally stable future.(7) Many cities
still, however, face budgetary constraints that severely restrict
their ability to identify their many, sometimes obscure, resources and
weave them into a sustainable, multifaceted development strategy. This
legislation establishes the Transitional Green Development Grant
Program to provide grants of up to $150,000 over a two-year period to
hire a temporary development coordinator, whose task will be to work
with community leaders to identify those resources, develop and assist
in the implementation of a Transitional Green Development Plan.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New Bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

$2 million appropriation over two years.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.
(1) Vey, J., The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program,
Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America's Older
Industrial Cities (2007) at 4, 34-38.
(2) Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse,
Utica, Elmira, Jamestown, Niagara Falls, Rome, and Troy.
(3) Brookings, Restoring Prosperity, State Profile: New York,
available at http://www.brookings.edu /-/media/Research/Files/Reports
/2007/5/metropolitanpolicyvey /20070520_oicNY.PDF.
(4) See City of Syracuse Comprehensive Plan 2040. Available at
http://www.syrgov.net/uploadedFiles /Compt20Plant20amended%202013-08-1
(5) Foderaro, L. "Beacon: A City Reborn as a Haven for Art." New York
Times (Mar. 26, 2009).
(6) See, e.g., Associated Press. "Labatt Blue turns Buffalo grain
silos into tall, frosty beer ad." (Sept. 30, 2014) (describing the
transformation of six silos at the former GLF grain mill into a giant
six-pack of Labatt's Blue beer cans as the area is being transformed
into a brewery, entertainment and recreation complex); Jessica
Swannie, Seven Ways to Enjoy Silo City, VisitBuffaloNiagara.com (June
10, 2015) (describing a series of cultural and recreational events
over summer 2015 at and around the site of former industrial grain
silos); Anne Neville, Silo City about to become Drive-In City, Buffalo
News (Aug. 20, 2015).
(7) See http://www.rust2green.org/ utica_background_story.php.

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2691
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 17, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic  Devel-
   opment and Small Business
 
 AN  ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish-
   ing the transitional green development program

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. At a time when munic-
 ipal  budgets  are  stretched to their limits with regard to traditional
 expenditures, it is hereby found and declared that there  exists  within
 the  state  the  need  to  augment the capabilities of municipalities to
 identify and coordinate those qualities that give  them  unique  identi-
 ties,  in  order to best exploit those qualities as they transition from
 the formerly industrial-based economies to those  premised  on  environ-
 mentally  sustainable  economic  growth. The legislature recognizes that
 those qualities vary widely from municipality to municipality across the
 state and include, but are not limited to, cultural, educational,  agri-
 cultural,   environmental   and   infrastructural  characteristics  that
 contribute to the municipal and regional identity. It is  further  found
 that  it is the public policy of the state to provide special assistance
 to those municipalities that seek to best identify and  integrate  those
 capabilities to promote transitional growth and development.
   §  2.  The economic development law is amended by adding a new article
 23 to read as follows:
                                 ARTICLE 23
                   TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
 SECTION 450. DEFINITIONS.
         451. TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
         452. DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.
         453. GREEN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR.
         454. RULES AND REGULATIONS.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD07532-01-7

 S. 2691                             2
 
   § 450. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL
 HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   1. "APPLICANT" SHALL MEAN THE COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE SUBMITTING
 AN APPLICATION FOR A TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT GRANT.
   2. "COMMISSIONER" SHALL MEAN THE COMMISSIONER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
   3.  "TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT" SHALL MEAN UTILIZING ALL ELEMENTS
 OF A MUNICIPALITY'S CURRENT  CULTURAL,  EDUCATIONAL,  ENVIRONMENTAL  AND
 INFRASTRUCTURAL   CHARACTER   AND  COORDINATING  THOSE  ATTRIBUTES  WITH
 VESTIGES OF ITS INDUSTRIAL PAST TO ACHIEVE  SUSTAINABLE  GREEN  DEVELOP-
 MENT.
   4. "TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR" SHALL MEAN AN INDIVID-
 UAL  DESIGNATED  BY THE EXECUTIVE OF THE MUNICIPALITY TO IDENTIFY STAKE-
 HOLDERS AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES, AND DIRECT, COORDINATE  AND  DEVELOP  A
 PLAN  FOR  TRANSITIONAL  GREEN  DEVELOPMENT.  SUCH INDIVIDUAL SHALL BE A
 RESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY RECEIVING THE TRANSITIONAL  GREEN  DEVELOP-
 MENT  GRANT,  AND  HAVE  A  BACKGROUND IN URBAN OR REGIONAL PLANNING AND
 DEVELOPMENT.
   5. "TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT GRANT" SHALL MEAN A TWO-YEAR  GRANT
 TO  THE  APPLICANT,  FUNDED  THROUGH THE EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORPO-
 RATION, DEDICATED TO THE SPECIFIC TASK OF BRINGING TOGETHER LOCAL  OFFI-
 CIALS,  BUSINESS  LEADERS,  EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND A WIDE RANGE OF
 COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT  TO  IDENTIFY  THE  MUNICI-
 PALITY'S  UNIQUE  QUALITIES,  AND  DESIGN  INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO BEST
 EXPLOIT THOSE IDENTIFIED CHARACTERISTICS FOR SUSTAINABLE GREEN  DEVELOP-
 MENT. SUCH GRANT SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   6.  "TRANSITIONAL  GREEN  DEVELOPMENT  PLAN"  SHALL  BE THE PRODUCT OF
 CONSULTATION WITH ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND
 RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY, THE ACTIVE SEARCH AND INVITATION  OF  IDEAS,
 COORDINATION AND CONTEMPORARY, HISTORICAL AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH.
   §  451.  TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM. THERE IS HEREBY
 ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT A TRANSITIONAL
 GREEN DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADMINISTERING  GRANTS
 TO MUNICIPALITIES TO ASSIST IN THEIR TRANSITION FROM INDUSTRIAL TO POST-
 INDUSTRIAL, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES.
   §  452.  DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRANTS. WITHIN THE AMOUNTS APPROPRIATED AND
 AVAILABLE THEREFOR, THE COMMISSIONER  MAY  AWARD  A  TRANSITIONAL  GREEN
 DEVELOPMENT  GRANT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR THE PLANNING, DESIGN, DEVEL-
 OPMENT AND PROGRAMMING OF TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT. SUCH GRANTS TO
 MUNICIPALITIES MAY BE USED FOR:
   1. THE HIRING OF A TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR;
   2. THE USE AND MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE SPACE AND MEETING VENUES;
   3. THE REASONABLE TRAVEL EXPENSES OF  DEVELOPMENT  PROFESSIONALS  FROM
 EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK; AND
   4.  THE PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES NECESSARY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE TRAN-
 SITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
   § 453. GREEN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR. THE TRANSITIONAL GREEN  DEVELOP-
 MENT COORDINATOR SHALL:
   1.  BE A PART-TIME POSITION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE FOR A
 PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS;
   2. BE SUBJECT TO ALL THE RIGHTS, DUTIES  AND  OBLIGATIONS  OF  ARTICLE
 FOUR OF THE PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW; AND
   3.  RECEIVE  COMPENSATION  NOT  TO  EXCEED THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, OR
 TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE TRANSITIONAL GREEN  DEVEL-
 OPMENT  GRANT,  WHICHEVER  IS  LESS,  FIFTY  PERCENT  OF  WHICH SHALL BE
 DISBURSED DURING EACH YEAR OF THE TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF THE GRANT.

 S. 2691                             3
 
   THE  TRANSITIONAL  GREEN  DEVELOPMENT  COORDINATOR  SHALL  DIRECT  THE
 PRODUCTION  OF THE TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT PLAN, DURING THE FIRST
 YEAR OF THE GRANT PERIOD, WHICH SHALL BE PRESENTED IN FINAL DRAFT TO THE
 EXECUTIVE AND THE LEGISLATIVE BODY OF  THE  MUNICIPALITY  WITHIN  TWELVE
 MONTHS  OF  THE ACCEPTANCE BY THE COMMISSIONER OF THE GRANT APPLICATION.
 SUCH PLAN SHALL IDENTIFY THE  GENERAL  AND  UNIQUE  CHARACTERISTICS  AND
 RESOURCES  OF  THE MUNICIPALITY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO INTE-
 GRATE THOSE CHARACTERISTICS IN COORDINATED GREEN  DEVELOPMENT  STRATEGY.
 THE TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR SHALL OVERSEE THE INITIAL
 IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  TRANSITIONAL  GREEN DEVELOPMENT PLAN DURING THE
 SECOND YEAR OF THE GRANT PERIOD. NOTHING IN THIS PROVISION SHALL PROHIB-
 IT THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATURE FROM CONTINUING  THE  POSITION  OF  THE
 TRANSITIONAL  GREEN  DEVELOPMENT  COORDINATOR,  BY  CONTRACT  OR  DIRECT
 EMPLOYMENT THROUGH MUNICIPAL FUNDS, SUBSEQUENT TO THE EXPIRATION OF  THE
 TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT GRANT.
   §  454. RULES AND REGULATIONS. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROMULGATE RULES
 AND REGULATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRANSITIONAL GREEN  DEVEL-
 OPMENT  GRANT  PROGRAM AND, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, PROVIDE TECHNICAL
 ASSISTANCE IN ALL AREAS TO THE TRANSITIONAL GREEN DEVELOPMENT  COORDINA-
 TOR,  THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE BODIES OF THE GRANT RECIPIENT IN THE
 DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF  THE  TRANSITIONAL  GREEN  DEVELOPMENT
 PLAN.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S2691

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business Committee

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S2691

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Sponsored By

Neil D. Breslin

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business Committee

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S2691 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments