Planning and Land Use

Planning and Land Use staff provides recommendations and assistance to the County Planning Board, County Executive, County Legislature, and other County and municipal agencies in areas of land use planning and regulation, as necessary and required. This includes fulfillment of New York State General Municipal Law, § 239 (l-n); participation on the County Capital Budgeting Committee and various regional planning, transportation and land use committees; and responding to technical land use planning and regulation concerns.

New York State General Municipal Law (Article 12-B, § 239-l, m, and n) requires that local communities refer certain development applications, proposed zoning changes, and comprehensive plans to the County Planning Board for review, comment, and recommendations before taking final action. The purpose of this law is to encourage local decision-makers to consider the inter-community and countywide impacts of local land use changes and to add a regional perspective to local land use decisions. The process also allows communities without the benefit of professional planning staff to take advantage of the planning expertise at the County level and helps the County Planning Board follow development trends throughout the County.

Click here  to see a schedule for submission of GML Section 239 referrals and Albany County Planning Board meeting dates.

To download an Albany County Planning Board Planning and Zoning Referral Form:

Adobe Acrobat Reader [.pdf; 127 Kb]

For more information, please email  Leslie Lombardo, Senior Planner , or call (518) 447-5644.

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