Bill Text: NY S06495 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides for the protection of parkland by certified actions brought by the attorney general.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-02 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S06495 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-S06495-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 6495 I N S E N A T E February 16, 2012 ___________ Introduced by Sens. MARTINS, OPPENHEIMER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to parkland protection THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new arti- 2 cle 19-C to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 19-C 4 PARKLAND PROTECTION 5 SECTION 995. CERTIFIED ACTIONS FOR PARKLAND PROTECTION. 6 S 995. CERTIFIED ACTIONS FOR PARKLAND PROTECTION. A. THE ATTORNEY 7 GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK MAY BRING AN ACTION, IN THE NAME OF THE 8 PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, TO PROTECT A PARCEL OF PROPERTY, 9 LOCATED WITHIN ANY CITY, TOWN, VILLAGE OR COUNTY OF THE STATE, WHICH HAS 10 PREVIOUSLY BEEN DEDICATED AS PARKLAND, TO ENJOIN THE ALIENATION OR NON- 11 PARKLAND USE OF SUCH PARCEL, ON GROUNDS THAT THE ALIENATION USE WAS NOT 12 SOUGHT IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF ALIENATION UNDER THE 13 PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE AS EXPRESSED IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF 14 NEW YORK, OR THAT THE USE OF SUCH PARCEL WOULD BE FOR A PURPOSE THAT IS 15 INCONSISTENT WITH THE DEDICATION OF SUCH PARCEL FOR PARKLAND PURPOSES. 16 B. ANY ACTION BROUGHT TO ENJOIN THE ALIENATION OR NON-PARKLAND USE OF 17 A PARCEL OF PROPERTY, WHICH HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY DEDICATED AS PARKLAND, 18 ON THE GROUNDS THAT SUCH ALIENATION WAS NOT SOUGHT IN CONFORMANCE WITH 19 REQUIREMENTS OF ALIENATION UNDER THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE, OR THAT THE 20 USE OF SUCH PARCEL WOULD BE FOR A PURPOSE THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE 21 DEDICATION OF SUCH PARCEL FOR PARKLAND PURPOSES SHALL BE COMMENCED IN 22 THE SUPREME COURT IN THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE PARCEL IS SITUATED. 23 C. IF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT BRING AN ACTION UNDER SUBDIVISION 24 A OF THIS SECTION, THEN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY AUTHORIZE AN INDIVIDUAL 25 PARTY WHO IS A RESIDENT OF THE CITY, TOWN, VILLAGE OR COUNTY IN WHICH 26 THE PARKLAND PARCEL IS LOCATED, TO BRING AN ACTION, IN HIS OR HER OWN 27 NAME TO ENJOIN THE ALIENATION OR NON-PARKLAND USE OF SUCH PARCEL, ON THE EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14220-02-2 S. 6495 2 1 GROUNDS THAT THE ALIENATION WAS NOT SOUGHT IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE 2 REQUIREMENTS OF ALIENATION UNDER THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE AS EXPRESSED 3 IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, OR THAT THE USE OF SUCH 4 PARCEL WOULD BE FOR A PURPOSE THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE DEDICATION 5 OF SUCH PARCEL FOR PARKLAND PURPOSES. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY, IN WRIT- 6 ING, EXPRESSLY DENY THE AUTHORITY OF SUCH REQUESTING PARTY TO BRING SUCH 7 AN ACTION TO PROTECT SUCH PARCEL OF PARKLAND PROPERTY ON THE GROUNDS 8 THAT SUCH ACTION WOULD NOT BE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. 9 D. IN THE EVENT THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT, IN WRITING, 10 EXPRESSLY DENY THE AUTHORITY OF SUCH PARTY TO BRING SUCH AN ACTION AS 11 SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH C OF THIS SECTION, WITHIN ONE HUNDRED TWENTY DAYS 12 OF THE SUBMISSION OF A REQUEST BY SUCH PARTY TO BE AUTHORIZED BY THE 13 ATTORNEY GENERAL TO BRING SUCH AN ACTION, THEN SUCH ACTION TO PROTECT 14 THE PARKLAND PARCEL MAY BE BROUGHT BY SUCH PARTY AS IF SUCH ACTION HAD 15 BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. 16 E. ANY COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION CONSIDERING AN ACTION BROUGHT 17 UNDER THIS SECTION MAY AWARD THE PREVAILING PARTY, IN ADDITION TO COSTS, 18 AND DISBURSEMENTS, AN AMOUNT OF REASONABLE ATTORNEYS FEES INCURRED IN 19 SUCH ACTION, OR ITS APPEALS. 20 S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 21 have become a law.