BILL NUMBER: S9987B
SPONSOR: SANDERS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to authorizing the city of New York to discontinue
certain parkland in the borough of Queens
 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:
This bill would authorize the City of New York to alienate certain
parcels of land to enable the New York city transit authority (NYCTA) to
make critical resiliency improvements for the Rockaway Line in Queens.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 would authorize the City of New York to discontinue portions
of parkland at the Rockaway Park, and grant to the Metropolitan Trans-
portation Authority (MTA), for the use of the NYCTA, rights over such
areas to facilitate NYCTA construction of an urgently needed signal
tower facility and track crossover adjacent to the Beach 105 Street
transit station.
Section 2 requires that MTA provide appropriate consideration to the
City of New York in exchange for the granted easements and establishes
the relevant processes; it being the intent that such consideration will
be determined after granting of such easements by the City pursuant to
the provisions of Section 1266(12-a) of the Public Authorities Law, as
it may apply.
Section 3 identify the metes and bounds of those portions of parkland
that are proposed to be occupied by a permanent signal tower facility
and track cross over at grade and located above a certain limiting ò
plane, and which will be conveyed to the MTA either through transfer of
real property, lease, exclusive permanent easement, or by other means.
Section 4 provides for compliance with federal law, to the extent appli-
cable.
Section 5 provides that the bill shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Beach 105th St Station is an NYCTA subway station in Rockaway Park,
Queens, on the Rockaway Shuttle (S) Line, which connects the Rockaway
peninsula with mainland Queens and Manhattan. The station is on an
elevated structure and is the penultimate station on the Rockaway Park
Branch of the Rockaway Line. This project will install a new signal
tower facility and track crossover to ensure that signal and communi-
cation systems serving the line can continue to operate in the event the
facilities at Rockaway Park-Beach 116th St are rendered inoperable by a
storm or flood.
The Beach 105th St Signal Tower sits above the Westbound traffic lane of
Rockaway Freeway between Beach 104th St and Beach 105th St. The parkland
provides access to both the new crossover and the Beach 105th St
Station, while minimizing impact to local residents. Certain property
rights and air rights are necessary to conduct this construction
project. Additionally, the MTA will facilitate the de-mapping of a
portion of Rockaway Freeway containing the parkland at Rockaway Park
being alienated for New York city transit authority use.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The bill would take effect on March fifth, two thousand twenty six.