Authorizes the village of Upper Brookville, county of Nassau to discontinue and alienate the use of certain parklands

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jack M. Martins says this is needed

The Incorporated Village of Upper Brookville seeks authorization to alienate a small, isolated, and functionally unusable parcel of parkland consisting of approximately 0.366 acres. The parcel contains a deteri- orating former police booth measuring approximately 10 feet by 10 feet and lacks any practical recreational utility or public accessibility. The site has no parking, utilities, sanitary facilities, or recreational amenities, and is bordered by a Nassau County drainage reserve, private property, and Chicken Valley Road, a county roadway with a 35-mile-per- hour speed limit. As a practical matter, the parcel is inaccessible to the public and has never served as an active recreational resource for residents. The property may only be viewed by passing motorists and has remained unused for years. Moreover, the parcel represents less than one-tenth of one percent of the Village's total parkland inventory. Importantly, the Village of Upper Brookville already possesses one of the highest parkland-to-land- area ratios in New York State. More than 15 percent of the Village's total land area consists of over 400 acres of publicly accessible State parkland through the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, which welcomed more than 415,000 visitors in 2025 alone. Residents addi- tionally benefit from extensive nearby recreational resources, including public nature preserves, hiking trails, golf courses, tennis courts, athletic facilities, and libraries located throughout neighboring commu- nities within the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County. The proposed alienation will not diminish recreational opportunities available to residents. Rather, the legislation will allow the Village to eliminate a long-standing municipal eyesore and facilitate develop- ment of the surrounding property in a manner consistent with the resi- dential and scenic character of the Village. Proceeds from the sale, estimated at approximately $65,000 based upon an independent appraisal, will be reinvested into existing recreational facilities and capital improvements, including enhancements intended to improve public safety and recreational infrastructure such as village tennis courts. Additionally, the Village has completed environmental review pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), resulting in a determination of no adverse environmental impact. This legislation represents a balanced and reasonable local land-use determination that preserves the public interest while enabling the Village to better main- tain and improve its recreational assets.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.