STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         925--C

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 9, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  MAY, HARCKHAM, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, SALAZAR --
          read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to
          the Committee on Environmental Conservation -- reported favorably from
          said committee and committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction
          and  Community  Development  --  committee  discharged,  bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --
          recommitted  to the Committee on Environmental Conservation in accord-
          ance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law and the public  hous-
          ing  law,  in relation to enacting the "sustainable affordable housing
          and sprawl prevention act"

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "sustaina-
     2  ble affordable housing and sprawl prevention act".
     3    § 2. The environmental conservation law is amended  by  adding  a  new
     4  section 8-0119 to read as follows:
     5  § 8-0119. Certain actions exempt or subject to limited review.
     6    1.  Exempt  actions  for  construction  of  residential dwellings. (a)
     7  Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary,  qualifying
     8  actions  with  respect to the construction of a new multiple dwelling or
     9  more than one contiguous multiple  dwellings  that  meet  the  following
    10  thresholds  shall  be automatically determined not to have a significant
    11  impact on the environment and shall be  exempt  from  any  environmental
    12  review  requirements  under  this  article  or  any rules or regulations
    13  promulgated pursuant hereto:
    14    (i) fewer than ten total residential units in municipalities that have
    15  not adopted zoning or subdivision regulations;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03398-14-4

        S. 925--C                           2

     1    (ii) fewer than fifty total residential units in a building  in  which
     2  no  more than twenty percent of the floor area consists of commercial or
     3  community facility uses not to be connected at the commencement of habi-
     4  tation to existing  community  or  public  water  and  sewerage  systems
     5  including sewage treatment works;
     6    (iii)  in a city, town, or village having a population of ninety thou-
     7  sand persons or less, fewer than two hundred total residential units  in
     8  a  building  in  which  no  more  than  twenty percent of the floor area
     9  consists of commercial or community facility uses to be connected at the
    10  commencement of habitation to existing community  or  public  water  and
    11  sewerage systems including sewage treatment works;
    12    (iv)  in  a city, town, or village having a population of greater than
    13  ninety thousand but less than one million, fewer than five hundred total
    14  residential units in a building in which no more than twenty percent  of
    15  the  floor  area consists of commercial or community facility uses to be
    16  connected at the commencement of habitation  to  existing  community  or
    17  public water and sewerage systems including sewage treatment works; or
    18    (v)  in  a  city  having  a population of one million or more persons,
    19  fewer than one thousand total residential units in a building  in  which
    20  no  more than twenty percent of the floor area consists of commercial or
    21  community facility uses to be connected at the commencement  of  habita-
    22  tion  to existing community or public water and sewerage systems includ-
    23  ing sewage treatment works.
    24    (b) To be determined as a "qualifying action" under paragraph  (a)  of
    25  this subdivision, such multiple dwelling shall:
    26    (i)  be  located  in a census tract defined as an urbanized area or an
    27  urban cluster by the federal Census Bureau;
    28    (ii) be located on previously disturbed land;
    29    (iii) qualify as affordable housing, as shall  be  determined  by  the
    30  division  of housing and community renewal, relative to the municipality
    31  or county, as shall be determined by the division of housing and  commu-
    32  nity renewal, in which it is located;
    33    (iv) not be located in an area:
    34    (1)  projected  to  experience flooding in the event of sea level rise
    35  greater than or equal to the high-medium projection by  year  twenty-one
    36  hundred  as  set  forth  in  regulations promulgated pursuant to section
    37  3-0319 of this chapter, or any other science-based projection of  future
    38  sea level conditions deemed satisfactory by the commissioner;
    39    (2) designated as a special flood hazard area by the federal emergency
    40  management agency, provided that this provision shall not apply to muni-
    41  cipalities that have adopted a building code that mitigates flood hazard
    42  risk  by  requiring new construction to be elevated above the base flood
    43  elevation as defined by the federal emergency management agency; or
    44    (3) designated as a critical environmental area by the department;
    45    (v) complete  a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment pursuant to  the
    46  federal Comprehensive Environmental  Response,  Compensation and Liabil-
    47  ity  Act  (42  U.S.C.  Chapter 103), and complete testing for lead water
    48  and  paint, asbestos, and radon, the results of which shall be submitted
    49  by the proposed developer of such multiple dwelling to the local  agency
    50  responsible  for  approving or denying the application for such multiple
    51  dwelling. If the Phase I Environmental  Site  Assessment  finds  contam-
    52  ination  that  exceeds acceptable levels of contaminants for residential
    53  use as set forth in regulations promulgated pursuant to titles  thirteen
    54  and fourteen of article twenty-seven and title five of article fifty-six
    55  of  this chapter and related regulations governing environmental remedi-
    56  ation, the local agency responsible for approving or denying the  appli-

        S. 925--C                           3

     1  cation  may  require remediation of the site to applicable standards for
     2  residential use prior to  the  issuing  of  a  construction  permit  for
     3  construction of a multiple dwelling;
     4    (vi)  receive  a  written certification from a qualified environmental
     5  professional, as such term shall be defined by the department  in  regu-
     6  lation, that the construction of such multiple dwelling will not violate
     7  any  state  wetland  laws  under articles twenty-four and twenty-five of
     8  this chapter, or any rules or regulations promulgated thereto;
     9    (vii) receive a written certification from a  qualified  environmental
    10  professional,  as  such term shall be defined by the department in regu-
    11  lation, that construction of such multiple dwelling, as  proposed,  will
    12  not  violate  any drinking water laws under article eleven of the public
    13  health law, or any rules or regulations promulgated thereto; and
    14    (viii) receive certification by an architect  licensed  by  the  state
    15  that the building has been designed to meet one or more of the following
    16  building standards:
    17    (1)  the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Building Rating
    18  System (LEED) published by the United States Green Building Council  for
    19  the  category  of  certified  gold,  at minimum, as determined by a LEED
    20  accredited professional;
    21    (2) Enterprise green communities review and certification; or
    22    (3) Passive House Institute Passive House certification.
    23    2. Actions with respect to construction of multiple dwellings  subject
    24  to  limited  review.  (a) Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to
    25  the contrary, actions with respect to the construction of  new  multiple
    26  dwellings  that  are not exempt from environmental review under subdivi-
    27  sion one of this section, and that are qualifying actions, shall not  be
    28  subject  to  any  environmental  review standards under this article, or
    29  rules or regulations promulgated thereto, that do not  consist  of  core
    30  environmental  concerns, as such term shall be defined by the department
    31  in regulation. Topics of review that shall be exempt under this subdivi-
    32  sion as failing to meet the  standard  of  core  environmental  concerns
    33  shall  include, but not be limited to, traffic impacts, casting of shad-
    34  ing or shadows, impacts on views from neighboring buildings, consistency
    35  with community character, impacts on  neighborhood  character,  and  the
    36  resources  of local school systems; except that, in the case of a disad-
    37  vantaged community, such topics of concern may include  traffic  impacts
    38  and the resources of local school systems.
    39    (b)  To  be determined as a "qualifying action" under paragraph (a) of
    40  this subdivision, the proposed multiple dwelling shall:
    41    (i) be located in a census tract defined as an urbanized  area  or  an
    42  urban cluster by the federal Census Bureau;
    43    (ii) be located on previously disturbed land;
    44    (iii)  qualify  as  affordable  housing, as shall be determined by the
    45  division of housing and community renewal, relative to the  municipality
    46  or  county, as shall be determined by the division of housing and commu-
    47  nity renewal, in which it is located; and
    48    (iv) not be located in an area:
    49    (1) projected to experience flooding in the event of  sea  level  rise
    50  greater  than  or equal to the high-medium projection by year twenty-one
    51  hundred as set forth in  regulations  promulgated  pursuant  to  section
    52  3-0319 of this chapter,  or any other science-based projection of future
    53  sea level conditions deemed satisfactory by the commissioner;
    54    (2) designated as a special flood hazard area by the federal emergency
    55  management agency, provided that this provision shall not apply to muni-
    56  cipalities that have adopted a building code that mitigates flood hazard

        S. 925--C                           4

     1  risk  by  requiring new construction to be elevated above the base flood
     2  elevation as defined by the federal emergency management agency ; or
     3    (3) designated as a critical environmental area by the department.
     4    3.  Mandatory review.   Every action that is a qualifying action under
     5  subdivision one or two of this section shall be subjected to a  determi-
     6  nation  by  the  local  permitting  authority  of whether such action is
     7  exempt under subdivision one of this section, and if such action is  not
     8  exempt  under  subdivision  one  of this section, whether such action is
     9  exempt under subdivision two of this section. If, after sixty days,  the
    10  local  agency  responsible  for approving or denying the application for
    11  such multiple dwelling has failed to return such  a  determination,  the
    12  applicant  may  appeal  to the division of housing and community renewal
    13  for a determination, and in such case the division shall render a deter-
    14  mination within sixty days of receipt of the application.
    15    4. Historic sites.  An  action  otherwise  exempt  from  environmental
    16  review  requirements  under  subdivision  one  of  this  section  may be
    17  required to undergo environmental review pursuant to this article or the
    18  rules or regulations promulgated pursuant hereto on the basis  that  the
    19  multiple  dwelling  would  be  constructed  wholly or partially within a
    20  historic site, provided, however that such action affects a contributing
    21  property within such historic site, and provided further that such envi-
    22  ronmental review is limited in its scope to such contributing  property.
    23  An action shall not be required to undergo an environmental review under
    24  this  subdivision  solely  on  the basis that such the proposed multiple
    25  dwelling would be  substantially  contiguous  to  a  historic  site,  or
    26  located in a neighborhood containing historic sites.
    27    5.  Wastewater  treatment  and  stormwater  management.  (a) An action
    28  exempt from environmental review requirements under subdivision  one  or
    29  two  of this section may provide concept plans to either the appropriate
    30  local governmental entity or the department that  demonstrate  that  the
    31  multiple dwelling will have adequate wastewater treatment to accommodate
    32  the  completed  multiple  dwelling  for  no less than thirty years.  The
    33  department shall establish a method  by  which  developers  of  proposed
    34  multiple  dwellings may submit such concept plans pursuant to this para-
    35  graph. Upon submission of such concept  plans,  the  local  governmental
    36  entity  or  the  department,  as  applicable, shall approve or deny such
    37  concept wastewater treatment plans  no  later  than  thirty  days  after
    38  submission of such plans.
    39    (b)  An  action  exempt  from  environmental review requirements under
    40  subdivision one or two of this section shall  be  required  to  maintain
    41  compliance with all applicable stormwater regulations.
    42    6. Disadvantaged communities. The department shall require, by rule or
    43  regulation,  that qualifying actions with respect to the construction of
    44  new multiple dwellings shall not:
    45    (a) contribute more than a de  minimis  amount  of  pollution  or  any
    46  disproportionate  pollution burden after the completion of construction;
    47  or
    48     (b) directly displace low-income households by  reducing,  in  aggre-
    49  gate,  their residential housing opportunities in a disadvantaged commu-
    50  nity.
    51    7. Authority of the commissioner. The commissioner shall be authorized
    52  to consult with any other state or local agency and to promulgate and/or
    53  amend any rules and/or regulations such commissioner shall  deem  neces-
    54  sary for the implementation of the provisions of this section; provided,
    55  however,  that  the department and the division of housing and community
    56  renewal shall jointly promulgate such  rules  and  regulations  as  they

        S. 925--C                           5

     1  shall  deem  necessary for the implementation of subdivision six of this
     2  section.
     3    §  3.  Section 8-0105 of the environmental conservation law is amended
     4  by adding six new subdivisions 11, 12, 13, 14, 15  and  16  to  read  as
     5  follows:
     6    11.  "Historic  site"  means a historic building, structure, facility,
     7  site or district, or prehistoric site that is  listed  on  the  National
     8  Register  of Historic Places (36 CFR Parts 60 and 63), or that is listed
     9  on the state register of historic places or that has been determined  by
    10  the  commissioner  of  parks, recreation and historic preservation to be
    11  eligible for listing on the state register of historic  places  pursuant
    12  to  section 14.07 or 14.09 of the parks, recreation and historic preser-
    13  vation law, or historic buildings listed as landmarks by  the  New  York
    14  city landmarks preservation commission.
    15    12.  "Contributing property" means a building, structure, facility, or
    16  site located within a historic site or district that wholly or partially
    17  contributes to such designation as a historic site.
    18    13. "Dwelling" means any building  or  structure  or  portion  thereof
    19  which  is occupied or intended to be occupied in whole or in part as the
    20  home, residence, or sleeping place of one or more human beings.
    21    14. "Multiple dwelling"  means  a  dwelling  that  is  either  rented,
    22  leased, let or hired out, or sold, to be occupied, or is occupied as the
    23  residence  or  home  of  four  or more separate individuals or groups of
    24  individuals living independently  of  each  other,  including,  but  not
    25  limited to, apartments, condominiums, and townhouses. A "multiple dwell-
    26  ing"  shall  not  be  deemed  to  include a class B multiple dwelling as
    27  defined by section four of the multiple dwelling  law,  or  a  hospital,
    28  convent, monastery, residential care facility, or a building used wholly
    29  for commercial purposes.
    30    15.  "Residential unit" means a room or group of rooms within a multi-
    31  ple dwelling that is designated as the living quarters for an individual
    32  or group of individuals  living  independently  from  other  individuals
    33  occupying such multiple dwelling.
    34    16.  "Previously  disturbed  land"  shall mean a parcel or lot of land
    35  that was occupied or  formerly  occupied  by  a  building  or  otherwise
    36  improved or utilized one year prior to the effective date of this subdi-
    37  vision,  and  was  not  most  recently  used for commercial agricultural
    38  purposes.
    39    § 4. Section 600 of the public housing law is amended by adding a  new
    40  subdivision 6 to read as follows:
    41    6.  A covered housing agency in this state shall be subject, as appli-
    42  cable, to the provisions of article eight of the environmental conserva-
    43  tion law and any rules and/or regulations promulgated thereto.
    44    § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    45  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
    46  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    47  tation  of  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
    48  completed on or before such effective date.