Bill > A00049

This bill requires municipalities (including counties, cities, towns, and villages) to proactively determine whether it is in the public interest to create and periodically update their comprehensive plans, with a specific focus on addressing housing needs. The legislation changes existing municipal laws to mandate that local governments shift from a permissive approach (where preparing a comprehensive plan was optional) to a more deliberate process of evaluating and potentially developing or updating such plans. Specifically, each municipality must now determine whether to prepare a comprehensive plan and, if one exists, review and potentially update it at least once every ten years to ensure it adequately addresses local housing requirements. The bill provides a deadline of January 1, 2030, for municipalities without an existing comprehensive plan to develop one, and for those with plans older than ten years to revise and update their documents to meet the new housing needs assessment standard. Additionally, the bill requires that these comprehensive plans and their updates be filed with appropriate local and state offices, ensuring transparency and accessibility of municipal planning documents.

Government Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A49