N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 19 § 600.5 - Coastal policies

In evaluating proposed actions against the following policies, State agencies are strongly encouraged to consider the coastal policy explanations and guidelines contained in the approved New York State Coastal Management Program document.

(a) Development policies.

(1) Restore, revitalize and redevelop deteriorated and underutilized waterfront areas for commercial and industrial, cultural, recreational and other compatible uses.

(2) Facilitate the siting of water-dependent uses and facilities on or adjacent to coastal waters.

(3) Encourage the development of the State's existing major ports of Albany, Buffalo, New York, Ogdensburg and Oswego as centers of commerce and industry, and encourage the siting, in these port areas, including those under the jurisdiction of State public authorities, of land use and development which is essential to or in support of waterborne transportation of cargo and people.

(4) Strengthen the economic base of smaller harbor areas by encouraging the development and enhancement of those traditional uses and activities which have provided such areas with their unique maritime identity.

(5) Encourage the location of development in areas where public services and facilities essential to such development are adequate, except when such development has special functional requirements or other characteristics which necessitate its location in other coastal areas.

(b) Fish and wildlife policies.

(1) Significant coastal fish and wildlife habitats, as identified on the coastal area map, shall be protected, preserved and, where practical, restored so as to maintain their viability as habitats.

(2) Expand recreational use of fish and wildlife resources in coastal areas by increasing access to existing resources, supplementing existing stocks and developing new resources. Such efforts shall be made in a manner which ensures the protection of renewable fish and wildlife resources and considers other activities dependent on them.

(3) Further develop commercial finfish, shellfish and crustacean resources in the coastal area by:

(i) encouraging the construction of new or improvement of existing onshore commercial fishing facilities;

(ii) increasing marketing of the State's seafood products; and

(iii) maintaining adequate stocks and expanding aquaculture facilities. Such efforts shall be made in a manner which ensures the protection of such renewable fish resources and considers other activities dependent on them.

(4) Ice management practices shall not damage significant fish and wildlife and their habitats, increase shoreline erosion or flooding, or interfere with the production of hydroelectric power.

(c) Agricultural lands policy. To conserve and protect agricultural lands in the State's coastal area, an action shall not result in a loss nor impair the productivity of important agriculture lands as identified on the coastal area map, if that loss or impairment would adversely affect the viability of agriculture in an agricultural district or, if there is no agricultural district, in the area surrounding such lands.

(d) Scenic quality policies.

(1) Prevent impairment of scenic resources of statewide significance, as identified on the coastal area map. Impairment shall include:

(i) the irreversible modification of geological forms, the destruction or removal of vegetation, the destruction or removal of structures, wherever the geologic forms, vegetation or structures are significant to the scenic quality of an identified resource; and

(ii) the addition of structures which because of siting or scale will reduce identified views or which because of scale, form or materials will diminish the scenic quality of an identified resource.

(2) Protect, restore and enhance natural and man-made resources which are not identified as being of statewide significance, but which contribute to the scenic quality of the coastal area.

(e) Public access policies.

(1) Protect, maintain and increase the levels and types of access to public water-related recreation resources and facilities so that these resources and facilities may be fully utilized by all the public in accordance with reasonably anticipated public recreation needs and the protection of historic and natural resources. In providing such access, priority shall be given to public beaches, boating facilities, fishing areas and waterfront parks.

(2) Access to the publicly owned foreshore and to lands immediately adjacent to the foreshore or the water's edge that are publicly owned shall be provided, and it should be provided in a manner compatible with adjoining uses. Such lands shall be retained in public ownership.

(f) Recreation policies.

(1) Water dependent and water-enhanced recreation shall be encouraged and facilitated and shall be given priority over nonwater-related uses along the coast, provided it is consistent with the preservation and enhancement of other coastal resources and takes into account demand for such facilities. In facilitating such activities, priority shall be given to areas where access to the recreation opportunities of the coast can be provided by new or existing public transportation services and to those areas where the use of the shore is severely restricted by existing development.

(2) Development, when located adjacent to the shore, shall provide for water-related recreation, as a multiple use, whenever such recreational use is appropriate in light of reasonably anticipated demand for such activities and the primary purpose of the development.

(3) Protect, enhance and restore structures, districts, areas or sites that are of significance in the history, architecture, archeology or culture of the State, its communities or the nation.

(g) Flooding and erosion hazards policies.

(1) Whenever possible, use nonstructural measures to minimize damage to natural resources and property from flooding and erosion. Such measures shall include:

(i) the setback of buildings and structures;

(ii) the planting of vegetation and the installation of sand fencing and drainage systems;

(iii) the reshaping of bluffs; and

(iv) the flood-proofing of buildings or their elevation above the base flood level.

(2) Mining, excavation or dredging in coastal waters shall not significantly interfere with the natural coastal processes which supply beach materials to land adjacent to such waters and shall be undertaken in a manner which will not cause an increase in erosion of such land.

(3) The construction or reconstruction of erosion protection structures shall be undertaken only if they have a reasonable probability of controlling erosion for at least 30 years as demonstrated in design and construction standards and/or assured maintenance or replacement programs.

(4) Activities or development in the coastal area will be undertaken so as to minimize damage to natural resources and property from flooding and erosion by protecting natural protective features, including beaches, dunes, barrier islands and bluffs. Primary dunes will be protected from all encroachments that could impair their natural protective capacity.

(5) Activities and development, including the construction or reconstruction of erosion protection structures, shall be undertaken so that there will be no measurable increase in erosion or flooding at the site of such activities or development or at other locations.

(6) Public funds shall only be used for erosion protective structures where necessary to protect human life, and new development which requires a location within or adjacent to an erosion hazard area to be able to function, or existing development; and only where the public benefits outweigh the long-term monetary and other costs, including the potential for increasing erosion and adverse effects on natural protective features.

(h) Water resources policies.

(1) State coastal area policies and purposes of approved local waterfront revitalization programs will be considered while reviewing coastal water classifications and while modifying water quality standards; however, those waters already overburdened with contaminants will be recognized as being a development constraint.

(2) Encourage the use of alternative or innovative sanitary waste systems in small communities where the costs of conventional facilities are unreasonably high, given the size of the existing tax base of these communities.

(3) Best management practices will be used to ensure the control of stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflows draining into coastal waters.

(4) Discharge of waste materials from vessels into coastal waters will be limited so as to protect significant fish and wildlife habitats, recreational areas and water supply areas.

(5) Best management practices will be utilized to minimize the non-point discharge of excess nutrients, organics and eroded soils into coastal waters.

(i) To safeguard the vital economic, social and environmental interests of the State and of its citizens, proposed major actions in the coastal area must give full consideration to those interests, and to the safeguards which the State has established to protect valuable coastal resource areas.

Notes

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 19 § 600.5