N.Y. Public Authorities Law Section 1953
Purpose and powers of the authority

The purposes of the authority shall be to promote, develop, encourage and assist in the acquiring, constructing, reconstructing, improving, maintaining, equipping and furnishing industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, commercial and research facilities including industrial pollution control facilities, transportation facilities including but not limited to those relating to water, highway, rail and air, in one or more areas of the city, particularly but not exclusively at the site of what was formerly the Troy airport including an airstrip or airport located in the southern section of the city and thereby advance the job opportunities, health, general prosperity and economic welfare of the people of said city and to improve their standard of living; provided, however, that the authority shall not undertake any project if the completion thereof would result in the removal of an industrial or manufacturing plant of the project occupant from one area of the state to another area of the state or in the abandonment of one or more plants or facilities of the project applicant located within the state, provided, however, that neither restriction shall apply if the authority shall determine on the basis of the application before it that the project is reasonably necessary to discourage the project occupant from removing such other plant or facility to a location outside the state or is reasonably necessary to preserve the competitive position of the project occupant in its respective industry. Except as otherwise provided for in this section, no financial assistance of the authority shall be provided in respect of any project where facilities or property that are primarily used in making retail sales to customers who personally visit such facilities constitute more than one-third of the total project cost. For the purposes of this article, “retail sales” shall mean:

(i)

sales by a registered vendor under article twenty-eight of the tax law primarily engaged in the retail sale of tangible personal property, as defined in subparagraph (i) of paragraph four of subdivision (b) of Tax Law § 1101 (Definitions)section eleven hundred one of the tax law; or

(ii)

sales of a service to such customers. Except, however, that tourism destination projects shall not be prohibited by this paragraph. For the purpose of this paragraph, “tourism destination” shall mean a location or facility which is likely to attract a significant number of visitors from outside the economic development region as established by Economic Development Law § 230 (Economic development regions)section two hundred thirty of the economic development law in which the project is located. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, such financial assistance may, however, be provided to a project where facilities or property that are primarily used in making retail sales of goods or services to customers who personally visit such facilities to obtain such goods or services constitute more than one-third of the total project cost, where:

(i)

the predominant purpose of the project would be to make available goods or services which would not, but for the project, be reasonably accessible to the residents of the city of Troy because of a lack of reasonably accessible retail trade facilities offering such goods or services; or

(ii)

the project is located in a highly distressed area. With respect to projects authorized pursuant to this paragraph no project shall be approved unless the authority shall find after the public hearing required by § 2307 (Additional prerequisites to the provision of financial assistance)section twenty-three hundred seven of this chapter that undertaking the project will serve the public purposes of this article by preserving permanent, private sector jobs or increasing the overall number of permanent, private sector jobs in the state. Where the authority makes such a finding, prior to providing financial assistance to the project by the authority, the chief executive officer of the city of Troy shall confirm the proposed action of the authority. To carry out said purposes, the authority shall have power:

1.

To sue and be sued;

2.

To have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;

3.

To acquire, hold and dispose of personal property for its corporate purpose;

4.

To acquire by purchase, grant, lease, gift, condemnation, or otherwise and to use, real property or rights or easements therein necessary for its corporate purposes, and to sell, convey, mortgage, lease, pledge, exchange or otherwise dispose of any such property in such manner as the authority shall determine. With respect to real property conveyed to it by the city, however, such power of disposition shall be limited as hereinafter provided in § 1955 (Conveyance of property by the city to the authority and conveyance and leasing of said property by the authority)section nineteen hundred fifty-five of this title;

5.

To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs and, subject to agreements with its bondholders, for the regulation of the use of the project;

6.

With the consent of the city, to use agents, employees and facilities of the city, paying the city its agreed proportion of the compensation or costs;

7.

To appoint officers, agents and employees, to prescribe their qualifications and to fix their compensation and to pay the same out of funds of the authority, subject, however, to the provisions of the civil service law as hereinafter provided in § 1954 (Civil service status of officers and employees)section nineteen hundred fifty-four of this title;

8.

To appoint an attorney, who may be the corporation counsel of the city, and to fix the attorney’s compensation for services which shall be payable to the attorney, and to retain and employ private consultants for professional and technical assistance and advice; provided that an attorney acting as bond counsel for a project must file with the authority a written statement in which the attorney identifies each party to the transaction which such attorney represents. If bond counsel provides any legal services to parties other than the authority, the written statement must describe the nature of legal services provided by such bond counsel to all parties to the transaction, including the nature of the services provided to the authority;

9.

To make contracts and leases upon such terms as the authority shall deem appropriate, including without limitation leases which grant the tenant of a project an option to renew or an option to purchase the project, or both, at a fixed or otherwise predetermined price and to execute all instruments necessary or convenient;

10.

To acquire, construct, reconstruct, lease, improve, maintain, equip or furnish one or more projects;

11.

To accept gifts, grants, loans or contributions from, and enter into contracts or other transactions with, the United States and the state or any agency of either of them, any municipality, any public or private corporation or any other legal entity, and to use any such gifts, grants, loans or contributions for any of its corporate purposes;

12.

To borrow money and to issue bonds and to provide for the rights of the holders thereof;

13.

To designate the depositories of its money either within or without the state of New York;

14.

To enter into agreements requiring payments in lieu of taxes. Such agreements shall be in writing and in addition to other terms shall contain: the amount due annually to each affected tax jurisdiction (or a formula by which the amount due can be calculated), the name and address of the person, office or agency to which payment shall be delivered, the date on which payment shall be made, and the date on which payment shall be considered delinquent if not paid. Unless otherwise agreed by the affected tax jurisdictions, any such agreement shall provide that payments in lieu of taxes shall be allocated among affected tax jurisdictions in proportion to the amount of real property tax and other taxes which would have been received by each affected tax jurisdiction had the project not been tax exempt due to the status of the authority involved in the project. A copy of any such agreement shall be delivered to each affected tax jurisdiction within fifteen days of signing the agreement. In the absence of any such written agreement, payments in lieu of taxes made by an agency shall be allocated in the same proportions as they had been prior to January first, nineteen hundred ninety-three for so long as the authority’s activities render a project non-taxable by affected tax jurisdictions. A notification of the expiration of such agreement shall be delivered to the affected tax jurisdiction two years prior to the expiration of such agreement and immediately upon early termination of an agreement;

15.

To establish and reestablish its fiscal year; and

16.

To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purposes and exercise the powers expressly given in this title.

Source: Section 1953 — Purpose and powers of the authority, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/PBA/1953 (updated Feb. 17, 2023; accessed Apr. 12, 2025).

Green check means up to date. Up to date

Accessed:
Apr. 12, 2025

Last modified:
Feb. 17, 2023

§ 1953’s source at nysenate​.gov

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