NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1122
SPONSOR: Santabarbara TITLE OF BILL:
An act to create a moratorium on the annexation of agricultural land by
certain localities for an industrial use
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OR BILL:
To stop municipalities from annexing farmland and then using it for an
industrial purpose
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Any town that is within a county with a population of 55,000
or less that has completed an agricultural and farmland protection plan
pursuant to section 324 of the Agriculture and Markets Law prior to the
effective date of this act, may impose a moratorium, not to exceed one
year, on the annexation of agricultural land greater than two hundred
acres for an industrial use, to allow for the development of an updated
agricultural and farmland protection plan. Section 2: Effective date
JUSTIFICATION:
Industrial park projects that include annexation of productive farmland
from our rural communities continue to rob our state of a prime
resource. Many entities oppose this type of annexation of farmland and
for good reason. There are significant concerns about the future impact
of proposals such as this that expose surrounding residents to signif-
icant health hazards by putting neighboring wells supplying water to
nearby homes at risk. Local residents and neighboring towns are
concerned that their property values and quality of life will decline if
the land is annexed and used for industrial purposes. Action must be
taken to allow time for further consideration of proposals like this in
the rural areas of our state that are robbing communities of some of the
richest farmland in the Eastern United States. Taking productive farm-
land and forest and converting it to industrial land gives decision
makers a false reason for bad decision making.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: A7808A - reported referred to ways and means / S6295A referred
to agriculture
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None to the state
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1122
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Local Governments
AN ACT to create a moratorium on the annexation of agricultural land by
certain localities for an industrial use
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Any town within a county with a population of fifty-five
2 thousand or less that has completed an agricultural and farmland
3 protection plan pursuant to section 324 of the agriculture and markets
4 law prior to the effective date of this act, may impose a moratorium,
5 not to exceed one year, on the annexation of agricultural land greater
6 than two hundred acres for an industrial use, to allow for the develop-
7 ment of an updated agricultural and farmland protection plan.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01465-01-5
