N.Y. General Municipal Law § 501: Policy and purposes of article

§ 501. Policy and purposes of article. There exist in many

municipalities within this state residential, non-residential,

commercial, industrial or vacant areas, and combinations thereof, which

are slum or blighted, or which are becoming slum or blighted areas

because of substandard, insanitary, deteriorated or deteriorating

conditions, factors, and characteristics, with or without tangible

physical blight. The existence of such areas constitutes a serious and

growing menace, is injurious to the public safety, health, morals and

welfare, contributes increasingly to the spread of crime, juvenile

delinquency and disease, necessitates excessive and disproportionate

expenditures of public funds for all forms of public service and

constitutes a negative influence on adjacent properties impairing their

economic soundness and stability, thereby threatening the source of

public revenues.

In order to protect and promote the safety, health, morals and welfare

of the people of the state and to promote the sound growth and

development of our municipalities, it is necessary to correct such

substandard, insanitary, blighted, deteriorated or deteriorating

conditions, factors and characteristics by the clearance, replanning,

reconstruction, redevelopment, rehabilitation, restoration or

conservation of such areas, the undertaking of public and private

improvement programs related thereto and the encouragement of

participation in these programs by private enterprise.

It is necessary for the accomplishment of such purposes to grant

municipalities of this state the rights and powers provided in this

article. The use of such rights and powers to correct such conditions,

factors and characteristics and to eliminate or prevent the development

and spread of deterioration and blight through the clearance,

replanning, reconstruction, rehabilitation, conservation or renewal of

such areas, for residential, commercial, industrial, community, public

and other uses is a public use and public purpose essential to the

public interest, and for which public funds may be expended.