20-F - Transfer of development rights; definitions; conditions; procedures.

§ 20-f. Transfer   of  development  rights;  definitions;  conditions;  procedures.  1. As used in this section:    a. "Development rights" shall mean the  rights  permitted  to  a  lot,  parcel, or area of land under a zoning ordinance or local law respecting  permissible  use, area, density, bulk or height of improvements executed  thereon.  Development  rights  may  be  calculated  and   allocated   in  accordance  with  such  factors  as area, floor area, floor area ratios,  density, height limitations, or any other criteria that will effectively  quantify a value for the development right in a reasonable  and  uniform  manner that will carry out the objectives of this section.    b. "Receiving district" shall mean one or more designated districts or  areas  of  land  to  which development rights generated from one or more  sending districts may be transferred and in which increased  development  is permitted to occur by reason of such transfer.    c.  "Sending  district" shall mean one or more designated districts or  areas of land in which development rights may be designated for  use  in  one or more receiving districts.    d.  "Transfer  of  development rights" shall mean the process by which  development rights are transferred from one lot, parcel, or area of land  in any sending district to another lot, parcel or area of land in one or  more receiving districts.    2. In addition to existing  powers  and  authorities  to  regulate  by  planning  or  zoning  including authorization to provide for transfer of  development rights pursuant to other enabling law, the legislative  body  of  any  city is hereby empowered to provide for transfer of development  rights subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth  and  such  other  conditions  as the city legislative body deems necessary and appropriate  that are consistent with the purposes of this section,  except  that  in  cities  of  over one million any transfer of development rights shall be  provided in the zoning ordinance after adoption  by  the  city  planning  commission  and board of estimate. The purpose of providing for transfer  of development rights  shall  be  to  protect  the  natural,  scenic  or  agricultural  qualities  of  open  lands,  to enhance sites and areas of  special character or special historical, cultural, aesthetic or economic  interest or value and to enable and encourage flexibility of design  and  careful  management  of  land  in  recognition  of  land  as a basic and  valuable natural resource. The conditions hereinabove referred to are as  follows:    a. That transfer of development rights, and the sending and  receiving  districts,  shall  be  established  in accordance with a well-considered  plan within the meaning of subdivision twenty-five of section twenty  of  this  article.   The sending district from which transfer of development  rights may be authorized shall consist of natural, scenic, recreational,  agricultural or open land or  sites  of  special  historical,  cultural,  aesthetic  or  economic  values  sought to be protected. Every receiving  district, to which transfer of development  rights  may  be  authorized,  shall  have  been  found  by  the  legislative  body  of the city, after  evaluating the effects  of  potential  increased  development  which  is  possible under the transfer of development rights provisions, to contain  adequate   resources,   environmental   quality  and  public  facilities  including adequate transportation, water supply, waste disposal and fire  protection, and  that  there  will  be  no  significant  environmentally  damaging  consequences and such increased development is compatible with  the development otherwise permitted by the  city  and  by  the  federal,  state,  and  county  agencies having jurisdiction to approve permissible  development  within  the  district.  A  generic   environmental   impact  statement   pursuant   to   the  provisions  of  article  eight  of  the  environmental conservation law shall be prepared by  the  city  for  thereceiving district before any such district, or any sending district, is  designated, and such statement shall be amended from time to time by the  city  if  there are material changes in circumstances.  Where a transfer  of  development  rights affects districts in two or more school, special  assessment or tax districts, it may not unreasonably  transfer  the  tax  burden  between  the  taxpayers  of  such  districts.  The receiving and  sending districts need not be coterminous with zoning districts.    b. That sending and receiving districts be designated and mapped  with  specificity  and  the  procedure  for  transfer of development rights be  specified. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to  the  contrary,  environmental   quality   review   pursuant  to  article  eight  of  the  environmental conservation law for any action in  a  receiving  district  that utilizes development rights shall only require information specific  to the project and site where the action will occur and shall be limited  to  review  of  the  environmental  impacts  of  the action, if any, not  adequately reviewed in the generic environmental impact statement.    c. That the burden upon land within  a  sending  district  from  which  development  rights  have  been  transferred  shall  be documented by an  instrument duly executed by the grantor in the form  of  a  conservation  easement,  as  defined  in  title  three  of  article  forty-nine of the  environmental conservation law, which burden upon  such  land  shall  be  enforceable  by  the appropriate city in addition to any other person or  entity granted enforcement rights by the terms of  the  instrument.  All  provisions  of law applicable to such conservation easements pursuant to  such title shall apply with respect to conservation easements hereunder,  except that the city may adopt standards pertaining to the  duration  of  such  easements  that are more stringent than such standards promulgated  by the department of environmental conservation pursuant to such  title.  Upon  the  designation  of  any  sending  district, the city shall adopt  regulations  establishing  uniform  minimum  standards  for  instruments  creating  such  easements  within the district.  No such modification or  extinguishment of an  easement  shall  diminish  or  impair  development  rights  within  any  receiving district. Any development right which has  been transferred by a conservation easement  shall  be  evidenced  by  a  certificate  of  development  right which shall be issued by the city to  the transferee in a form suitable for recording in the registry of deeds  for the county where the receiving district is situated in the manner of  other conveyances of interests in land affecting its title.    d. That within one year after a development right is transferred,  the  assessed  valuation  placed on the affected properties for real property  tax purposes shall be adjusted to reflect the  transfer.  A  development  right  which  is  transferred  shall be deemed to be an interest in real  property and the rights evidenced thereby shall inure to the benefit  of  the transferee, and his heirs, successors and assigns.    e.  That development rights shall be transferred reflecting the normal  market in land, including sales between owners of  property  in  sending  and  receiving districts, a city may establish a development rights bank  or such other account in which development rights may  be  retained  and  sold  in  the  best  interest of the city. Cities shall be authorized to  accept for deposit within the bank gifts, donations, bequests  or  other  development  rights. All receipts and proceeds from sales of development  rights sold by the city  shall  be  deposited  in  a  special  municipal  account to be applied against expenditures necessitated by the municipal  development rights program.    f.  That  prior  to designation of sending or receiving districts, the  legislative body of the city shall evaluate the impact  of  transfer  of  development  rights  upon  the  potential development of low or moderate  income housing  lost  in  sending  districts  and  gained  in  receivingdistricts and shall find either there is approximate equivalence between  potential  low  and  moderate housing units lost in the sending district  and gained in the receiving districts or that the city has or will  take  reasonable  action  to  compensate  for  any  negative  impact  upon the  availability or potential development of low or moderate income  housing  caused by the transfer of development rights.    3.  A  legislative  body  of  a city modifying its zoning ordinance or  enacting a local law pursuant to this section shall follow the procedure  for adopting and amending its zoning ordinance or  local  laws,  as  the  case  may be, including all provisions for notice applicable for changes  or amendments to a zoning ordinance, local law or regulation.    4. Nothing in this  section  shall  be  construed  to  invalidate  any  provision  for  transfer  of  development rights heretofore or hereafter  adopted by any local legislative body, or, in the case  of  cities  over  one million, by the board of estimate.