BILL NUMBER: S7834A
SPONSOR: WEBB
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to authorizing the town of Ithaca to alienate and
discontinue the use of certain parklands
 
PURPOSE:
Authorizes the Town of Ithaca to alienate certain parklands for the
purpose of maintaining and operating such lands for agricultural
purposes.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill would authorize the Town of Ithaca to discontin-
ue and alienate the parklands for the purpose of maintaining and operat-
ing such lands for agricultural purposes.
Section two of the bill provides that the authorization to alienate
certain parklands shall only be effective on the condition that the Town
of Ithaca dedicate the lands described in section four of the bill,
provided that such land has never been used for public open space or
park purposes.
Section three of the bill describes the metes and bounds of the parkland
the Town of Ithaca is alienating.
Section four of the bill describes the metes and bounds of the replace-
ment lands the Town of Ithaca is dedicating.
Section five provides that the Town of Ithaca shall dedicate the differ-
ence between the fair market value of the lands being alienated and the
lands being dedicated if the parklands which are being dedicated are not
equal to or greater than the lands being alienated.
Section six provides that the Town of Ithaca must comply with all feder-
al requirements if the Town has received any federal assistance or
support from the federal government in the purchase, maintenance, or
improvement of the parklands being alienated.
Section seven sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Saponi Meadows Subdivision was approved in 1994, which created
Peachtree Lane, Apple Blossom Lane and Amber Lane. As part of this
approval, Saponi Park was dedicated to the Town of Ithaca in 1995 as the
park land requirement. The 1994 plans showed future phases and roads
which would have continued to the south on the 21.6-acre Eddy Hill Inc.
property, filling in the gap between Peachtree Lane and the current park
property. The park property and the remaining Eddy Hill Inc.'s property
have been farmed since 1994. The current owners have stated they have no
intention of developing the property into additional residential lots,
and the Town has not made any improvements to the park property. The
current landowners and the Town feel there would be substantial public
benefit to relocating the park approximately 1,100 feet to the north,
adjacent to the residential development that it went with.
The Town of Ithaca has indicated, by formal resolution, that it wishes
to discontinue the use of the existing Saponi Park for park and recre-
ation purposes and wishes the New York State Legislature to authorize
and empower the Town to alienate Saponi Park so that the Town can
acquire another property of the same size and 'within 1,100 feet on the
same road. This bill provides the requested authorization to alienate
this property as parkland.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately