N.Y. General Municipal Law § 236: General powers

§ 236. General powers. The body creating such planning commission may,

at any time, by ordinance or local law or resolution, provide that the

following matters, or any one or more of them, shall be referred for

report thereon, to such commission by the board, commission,

commissioner or other public officer or officers of said city or village

which is the final authority thereon before final action thereon by such

authority: the adoption of any map or plan of said city or incorporated

village, or part thereof, including drainage and sewer or water system

plans or maps, and plans or maps for any public water front, or marginal

street, or public structure upon, in or in connection with such front or

street, or for any dredging, filling or fixing of lines with relation to

said front; any change of any such maps or plans; the location of any

public structure upon, in or in connection with, or fixing lines with

relation to said front; the location of any public building, bridge,

statue or monument, highway, park, parkway, square, playground or

recreation ground, or public open place of said city or village. In

default of any such ordinance, local law or resolution all of said

matters shall be so referred to said planning commission.

The body creating such planning commission may, at any time, by

ordinance, local law or resolution, fix the time within which such

planning commission shall report upon any matter or class of matters to

be referred to it, with or without the further provision that in default

of report within the time so fixed, the planning commission shall

forfeit the right further to suspend action, as aforesaid with regard to

the particular matter upon which it has so defaulted. In default of any

such ordinance, local law or resolution, no such action shall be taken

until such report is so received, and no adoption, change, fixing or

location as aforesaid by said final authority, prior thereto, shall be

valid. No ordinance, local law or resolution shall deprive said planning

commission of its right or relieve it of its duty, to report, at such

time as it deems proper upon any matter at any time referred to it.

This section shall not be construed as intended to limit or impair the

power of any art commission, park commission or commissioner, now or

hereafter existing by virtue of any provision of law, to refuse consent

to the acceptance by any municipality of the gift of any work of art to

said municipality, without reference of the matter, by reason of its

proposed location or otherwise, to said planning commission. Nor shall

this section be construed as intended to limit or impair any other power

of any such art commission or affect the same, except in so far as it

provides for reference or report, or both, on any matter before final

action thereon by said art commission.