General Municipal Law 239-l, m & n Review

Meetings

The Cayuga County GML 239-l, m & n Review Committee meets regularly the third Thursday of each month. The referral submission deadline for a regularly schedule Review Committee meeting is Tuesday the week prior to the meeting date. Complete referrals must be received by this date in order to be reviewed at the next Committee meeting. The full schedule is available here. Meetings Meetings   Meetings

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.
View Agendas and Minutes

Reviews 

Referrals submitted for review are available prior to the meetings, and may be available for up to one year after the review date. View Current and Past Reviews

Meeting Overview

The Committee meets monthly to review local actions for potential intermunicipal or countywide impacts.

Committee Overview

Sections 239-l, 239-m, and 239-n of the General Municipal Law (GML) of New York State require that certain land use actions being reviewed under local zoning, site plan, and subdivision regulations be referred to a county planning agency for review and comment on aspects of the proposal that are of countywide or intermunicipal significance. 

In Cayuga County, the county planning agency that reviews these referrals is the Cayuga County GML 239-l, m and n Review Committee.

Reason for Establishment

The Committee was established by Cayuga County Legislative Resolution 413-05 and consists of five County department heads or their designees:

• Director of Environmental Health
• Director of Planning and Development
• Director of Soil and Water Conservation District 
• Environmental Engineer
• Superintendent of Highways

Referral Criteria

When a Town, Village, or City receives an application for a land use approval or is considering adopting land use plans or regulations, it must determine whether the action needs to be referred to the Cayuga County GML 239-l, m & n Review Committee. The referral criteria are established by law in GML sections 239-m and 239-n .

Towns, Villages, and Cities must refer the following actions:

• Adoption or amendment of a Comprehensive Plan
• Adoption or amendment of a Zoning Ordinance or Local Law
• Issuance of Special Use Permits
• Approval of Site Plans
• Granting of Use or Area Variances
• Approval of a Preliminary or Final Subdivision Plat

when the action takes place within 500 feet of:

• The boundary of any city, village, or town
• The boundary of any existing or proposed county or state park or other recreation area
• The right-of-way of any existing or proposed county or state parkway, thruway, expressway, road or highway
• The existing or proposed right-of-way of any stream or drainage channel owned by the county or for which the county has established channel lines
• The existing or proposed boundary of any county or state owned land on which a public building or institution is situated
• The boundary of a farm operation located in an Agricultural District created under Article 25AA of NYS Agriculture and Markets Law

Exemptions

GML allows the County to enter into agreements with municipalities exempting certain proposed actions that are determined to be of local concern only. The purpose of these exemptions is to eliminate unnecessary reviews, streamline local reviews and paperwork, and remove delays at the Town, Village, and City level.

Standard Cayuga County Exemption Agreement

Twenty-two local municipalities so far have executed a standard exemption agreement with the County. These municipalities are:

Standard Exemptions

1. Activities that, while within 500 feet of a state or county highway, are on a parcel that does not front on that state or county highway
2. Activities that, while within 500 feet of a municipal boundary, would be permitted within the area of the adjoining municipality abutting the parcel where the activity is proposed
3. Area variances
4. Amendments to a local zoning law or ordinance that are intended to clarify, redefine, expand, or modify words and/or terms that do not alter the dimensional or use standards of the regulation
5. Amendments to a local zoning law or ordinance that are intended to address procedural or administrative matters that do not alter the dimensional or use standards of the regulation
6. Amendments to a local zoning law or ordinance that are intended to reduce the type or number of uses permitted within a particular zoning district
7. Amendments to a local zoning law or ordinance that are intended to reduce the intensity and or density of development permitted within a particular zoning district
8. Any activity subject to review by a local agency employing a municipal planner on a full time basis who will advise the referring agency concerning the referred matter
9. Any subdivision of land not required to be submitted to the Cayuga County Health Department for review under the definition of a subdivision set forth in Section 1115 of the Public Health Law of the State of New York.

Unique Exemption Agreements

Three local municipalities have executed exemption agreements with the County that differ from the standard agreement. For more information about the exemptions in these agreements, please contact the Town or Village office directly or contact the Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development. These municipalities are:

Municipalities without Exemption Agreements

The remaining municipalities in Cayuga County have not yet executed an exemption agreement with the County. Local land use actions in these municipalities must follow the referral criteria established by GML. These municipalities are:

How to Submit a Referral

Referrals must be submitted by the Town, Village or City board that is reviewing the proposed action or other representative of the referring board.  Criteria for referrals and instructions and forms to submit a referral are available.