Community Pacts Questioned in the Zoning Process

Community Pacts Questioned in the Zoning Process

“Now, in a report that is likely to have considerable influence on policy makers, the New York City Bar Association has urged the city to stop allowing community benefits agreements to be part of the zoning approval process. The report warns, among other things, that the agreements could create an opportunity for corruption. ‘It is our recommendation that the city announce that it will not consider CBA’s in making its determinations in the land-use process,’ the bar association said in the report last month. The report, which was in the works long before the armory proposal was defeated, also urged the city to declare that it would no longer play a role in ‘encouraging, monitoring or enforcing the agreements.’ ”

The New York Times
April 27, 2010