2023 New York Laws › EXC - Executive › Article 41 - Office of Urban Revitalization › 894 - Declaration of Purpose.

* § 894. Declaration  of purpose. The legislature finds and determines
  as follows:
1.  The  urban  areas  of  the  state  of   New   York   have   unique
  characteristics, needs, conditions and opportunities.  These urban areas
  are  vital  to the economic, social and general health of our state. The
  magnitude of the challenge of economic habilitation of those  distressed
  urban  areas which are in need of assistance is such that a concentrated
  effort by the state in cooperation with these communities is required.
2. Past efforts on the part  of  the  state  to  facilitate  necessary
  assistance to distressed urban areas have been characterized by specific
  and  innovative  program approaches to individual symptoms of blight and
  deterioration. The state has firmly established through these individual
  program approaches its commitment to preserving the viability  of  urban
  areas.  Numerous  agencies  have  been  created, empowered and funded to
  assist and coordinate these efforts in specific areas of need.
3. Efforts have further been made, through the  establishment  of  the
  urban  affairs cabinet, to facilitate and to enhance the coordination of
  state programs and efforts intended to  remedy  the  problems  of  urban
  blight and deterioration.
4.  Despite  these  tangible  past  and  present  commitments to urban
  preservation  and  development,  the  legislature   hereby   finds   and
  determines  that many of the urban areas of our state continue to suffer
  from blight and deterioration of  basic  public  services,  the  private
  economic  sector, housing stock and other critical elements of community
  vitality.
5. It is further found and declared that the numerous efforts  of  the
  state  designed  to  address  and  to  correct  existing and encroaching
  indices of community distress must  be  strengthened  and  enhanced  and
  assistance to local and community agencies and organizations designed to
  maximize  the  amount  of  financial  and  other  assistance directed to
  distressed urban areas must be improved.
6. It is therefore, the intent of  the  legislature  to  establish  an
  office of urban revitalization. The legislature intends that such office
  shall  augment  the  efforts  of  the  urban cabinet in coordinating the
  programs  and  efforts  of  the  state  agencies  and   public   benefit
  corporations to remedy existent problems in distressed urban areas. Said
  office  shall  also  be  empowered  to assure the provision of technical
  assistance  to  localities  and  community  organizations  engaging  the
  improvement    of   economic,   housing,   industrial   and   commercial
  revitalization of distressed communities. The legislature  intends  that
  this  office  serve  these  organizations  in  order  to  maximize their
  abilities to successfully obtain assistance from all  available  private
  and public sources.
7.  It  is further the intent of the legislature to empower the office
  to initiate, subject to legislative authorization and appropriations for
  that purpose, programs of financial assistance to  local  and  community
  agencies  and  organizations consistent with the policy of enhancing the
  revitalization of distressed urban areas.
8. These programs of assistance to distressed  urban  communities  and
  community organizations will thereby constitute an economic advantage to
  the  state  and  facilitate  the implementation of the revitalization of
  distressed urban areas.
* NB Expired March 31, 1985