File #: Int 0693-2024    Version: * Name: Requiring the office of urban agriculture to create and implement a plan to convert unused industrial areas to urban agriculture sites.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Economic Development
On agenda: 3/19/2024
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring the office of urban agriculture to create and implement a plan to convert unused industrial areas to urban agriculture sites
Sponsors: Sandy Nurse, Tiffany Cabán, Amanda Farías, James F. Gennaro, Shahana K. Hanif, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Farah N. Louis
Council Member Sponsors: 7
Summary: This bill would require the Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture, in conjunction with relevant agencies and local community programs, to create and implement a plan to convert unused industrial areas in each of the five boroughs to sites that can host urban agriculture services, including hydroponic farming, food storage, and food distribution.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 693, 2. Int. No. 693, 3. March 19, 2024 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 3-19-24

Int. No. 693

 

By Council Members Nurse, Cabán, Farías, Gennaro, Hanif, Gutiérrez and Louis

 

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring the office of urban agriculture to create and implement a plan to convert unused industrial areas to urban agriculture sites

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Subdivision c of section 20-a of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new paragraph 7 to read as follows:

7.  No later than January 1, 2026, create a plan, in cooperation with relevant agencies and stakeholders, including but not limited to the office of food policy, the office of urban agriculture, the economic development corporation, the department of consumer and worker protection, the department of small business services, and urban agriculture community organizations, to be utilized in converting unused and underutilized industrial areas in each borough into means of ensuring local food resiliency. The plan shall include a preamble that addresses the long-term benefits of food resiliency, including but not limited to public health, community resilience, and employment opportunities. The plan shall address, but need not be limited to, the following issues related to food resiliency: (i) identifying city-owned, economic development corporation-owned or privately owned industrial areas in each of the five boroughs that are unused or underutilized and facilitating or funding means to convert the sites to hydroponic farming, urban farming, aquaponics, rooftop farming, food production, food distribution, food storage or food hubs, (ii) implementing means of ensuring industrial areas repurposed for food resiliency efforts are protected from environmental dangers, including but not limited to natural disasters, rising sea levels or pollutants, (iii) creating programs that incentivize local community organizations and minority- and women-owned businesses that assist in the creation or daily operation of converted sites, including programs that support the long-term affordability of operating such converted sites, (iv) for sites that are converted to a food production purpose, developing partnerships with local food networks to ensure distribution to low-income communities within New York city, (v) for sites that are converted to a food storage purpose, developing partnerships with farms located within New York state. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “economic development corporation” includes any successor local development corporation or other not-for-profit corporation, a majority of whose members are appointed by the mayor, that contracts with the city to provide or administer economic development benefits on behalf of the city and expends city capital appropriations in connection therewith.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Session 13

LS #9666/6650

1/25/2024

 

Session 12

APM

LS #9666/6650

7/24/2023