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Council declines lead‑agency role for University Settlement camp conveyance; state to lead SEQRA review
Summary
City staff said New York State Parks proposed to be lead agency for a Type I SEQRA review of conveyance of University Settlement camp property; the council agreed not to be lead agency and told staff to inform the state it has no objection.
City Attorney Nick Ward Willis explained that the state is considering conveying the University Settlement camp property to the city and that state Parks expressed an intent to be the SEQRA lead agency. He described the action as a Type I requiring an environmental impact statement because the property transfer is a change in deed for a parcel the state owns. "We've been assured by this data this is really a perfunctory task here," he said, arguing the state's role as lead agency is appropriate because Parks currently owns the property.
Council members agreed with staff’s recommendation not to assume lead‑agency status and authorized the city administrator to notify the state that the city has no objection to the state being lead. Staff noted the internal review at state agencies and the attorney general's office may take several months.
