N.Y. Urban Development Corporation Act 174/68 § 2: Statement of legislative findings and purposes

§ 2. Statement of legislative findings and purposes. It is hereby

found and declared that there exists in urban areas of this state a

condition of substantial and persistent unemployment and underemployment

which causes hardship to many individuals and families, wastes vital

human resources, increases the public assistance burdens of the state

and municipalities, impairs the security of family life, contributes to

the growth of crime and delinquency, prevents many of our youth from

finishing their educations, impedes the economic and physical

development of municipalities and adversely affects the welfare and

prosperity of all the people of the state. Many existing industrial,

manufacturing and commercial facilities in such urban areas are obsolete

and inefficient, dilapidated, and without adequate mass transportation

facilities and public services. Many of such facilities are

underutilized or in the process of being vacated, creating additional

unemployment. Technological advances and the provision of modern,

efficient facilities in other states will speed the obsolescence and

abandonment of existing facilities causing serious injury to the economy

of the state. Many existing and planned industrial, manufacturing and

commercial facilities are, moreover, far from or not easily accessible

to the places of residence of substantial numbers of unemployed persons.

As a result, problems of chronic unemployment are not being alleviated

but are aggravated. New industrial, manufacturing and commercial

facilities are required to attract and house new industries and thereby

to reduce the hazards of unemployment. The unaided efforts of private

enterprise have not met and cannot meet the needs of providing such

facilities due to problems encountered in assembling suitable building

sites, lack of adequate public services, the unavailability of private

capital for development in such urban areas, and the inability of

private enterprise alone to plan, finance and coordinate industrial and

commercial development with residential developments for persons and

families of low income and with public services and mass transportation

facilities.

It is further found and declared that there exist in many

municipalities within this state residential, nonresidential,

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, including obsolete and dilapidated buildings and structures,

defective construction, outmoded design, lack of proper sanitary

facilities or adequate fire or safety protection, excessive land

coverage, insufficient light and ventilation, excessive population

density, illegal uses and conversions, inadequate maintenance, buildings

abandoned or not utilized in whole or substantial part, obsolete systems

of utilities, poorly or improperly designed street patterns and

intersections, inadequate access to areas, traffic congestion hazardous

to the public safety, lack of suitable off-street parking, inadequate

loading and unloading facilities, impractical street widths, sizes and

shapes, blocks and lots of irregular form, shape or insufficient size,

width or depth, unsuitable topography, subsoil or other physical

conditions, all of which hamper or impede proper and economic

development of such areas and which impair or arrest the sound growth of

the area, community or municipality, and the state as a whole.

It is further found and declared that there is a serious need

throughout the state for adequate educational, recreational, cultural

and other community facilities, the lack of which threatens and

adversely affects the health, safety, morals and welfare of the people

of the state.

It is further found and declared that there continues to exist

throughout the state a seriously inadequate supply of safe and sanitary

dwelling accommodations for persons and families of low income. This

condition is contrary to the public interest and threatens the health,

safety, welfare, comfort and security of the people of the state. The

ordinary operations of private enterprise cannot provide an adequate

supply of safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations at rentals which

persons and families of low income can afford.

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to promote a

vigorous and growing economy, to prevent economic stagnation and to

encourage the creation of new job opportunities in order to protect

against the hazards of unemployment, reduce the level of public

assistance to now indigent individuals and families, increase revenues

to the state and to its municipalities and to achieve stable and

diversified local economies. In furtherance of these goals, it is the

policy of the state to retain existing industries and to attract new

industries through the acquisition, construction, reconstruction and

rehabilitation of industrial and manufacturing plants and commercial

facilities, and to develop sites for new industrial and commercial

building. It is further declared to be the policy of the state to

promote the development of such plants and facilities, reasonably

accessible to residential facilities, in those areas where substantial

unemployment or underemployment exists, to the end that the industrial

and commercial development of our urban areas will proceed in sound

fashion and in coordination with development of housing, mass

transportation and public services, and that job opportunities will be

available in those areas where people lack jobs.

It is further declared to be the policy of the state to promote the

safety, health, morals and welfare of the people of the state and to

promote the sound growth and development of our municipalities through

the correction of such substandard, insanitary, blighted, deteriorated

or deteriorating conditions, factors and characteristics by the

clearance, replanning, reconstruction, redevelopment, rehabilitation,

restoration or conservation of such areas, and of areas reasonably

accessible thereto the undertaking of public and private improvement

programs related thereto, including the provision of educational,

recreational and cultural facilities, and the encouragement of

participation in these programs by private enterprise.

It is further declared to be the policy of the state to promote the

safety, health, morals and welfare of the people of the state through

the provision of adequate, safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations and

facilities incidental or appurtenant thereto for persons and families of

low income.

For these purposes, there should be created a corporate governmental

agency to be known as the "New York state urban development corporation"

which, through issuance of bonds and notes to the private, investing

public, by encouraging maximum participation by the private sector of

the economy, including the sale or lease of the corporation's interest

in projects at the earliest time deemed feasible, and through

participation in programs undertaken by the state, its agencies and

subdivisions, and by municipalities and the federal government, may

provide or obtain the capital resources necessary to acquire, construct,

reconstruct, rehabilitate or improve such industrial, manufacturing,

commercial, educational, recreational and cultural facilities, and

housing accommodations for persons and families of low income, and

facilities incidental or appurtenant thereto, and to carry out the

clearance, replanning, reconstruction and rehabilitation of such

substandard and insanitary areas.

It is further declared to be the policy of New York state to encourage

the development of research and development facilities and high

technology industrial incubator space at institutions of higher

education located in this state and authorized to confer degrees by law

or by the board of regents, or on lands in reasonable proximity to such

institutions provided that (i) in the case of research and development

facilities such facilities are for the cooperative use of one or more

such institutions and one or more business corporations, research

consortia or other industrial organizations involved in research,

development, demonstration, or other technologically oriented industrial

activities; and (ii) in the case of high technology industrial incubator

space, such space shall be for rental to business concerns which are in

their formative stages and which are involved in high technology

activities, including but not limited to business concerns initiated by

students, employees of such institution, including faculty members and

other persons or firms academically associated with such institution.

It is hereby declared that the acquisition, construction,

reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement of such industrial,

manufacturing and commercial facilities, and of such cultural,

educational and recreational facilities including but not limited to

facilities identified as projects and called for to implement a state

designated heritage area management plan as provided in title G of the

parks, recreation and historic preservation law; the clearance,

replanning, reconstruction and rehabilitation of such substandard and

insanitary areas; and the provision of adequate, safe and sanitary

housing accommodations for persons and families of low income and such

facilities as may be incidental or appurtenant thereto are public uses

and public purposes for which public money may be loaned and private

property may be acquired and tax exemption granted, and that the powers

and duties of the New York state urban development corporation as

hereinafter prescribed are necessary and proper for the purpose of

achieving the ends here recited.