Task force proposed a framework for negotiating future Community Benefit Agreements related to publicly assisted development projects. A Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) is a private agreement negotiated between developers and community groups in order to garner support for real estate development projects. In exchange for community support, a developer may agree to provide amenities, such as infrastructure improvements or wage guarantees which are not required by the City’s land use review process. Since 2005, CBAs have been negotiated in connection with several large projects in the City, including the Atlantic Yards project, the new Yankee Stadium, and Columbia University’s campus expansion in Manhattanville

While the City Council cannot be a party to a CBA, the lack of an agreement deemed suitable by the local community contributed to the Council’s decision to deny the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment project. 6 CityLand 167 (Dec. 2009). There currently is no formalized framework for developing CBAs, and a recent report from the City Bar Association expressed concerns about the transparency and enforceability of these agreements. The report recommended that the City either refuse to consider CBAs during the land use review process or only consider CBAs that conform to uniform standards. (read more…)