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City Parkland: Invalid Lease or Permissible License?

By Stewart E. Sterk
April 02, 2014

When may a New York municipality authorize commercial use of parkland without express authorization of the state legislature? That question recently reached the Court of Appeals in Union Square Park Community Coalition v. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYLJ 2/21/14), in which the court upheld an agreement between the city and a private party authorizing the latter to operate a seasonal restaurant in Union Square Park. In upholding the agreement, the court had to grapple with two limitations on municipal control of public parkland: the public trust doctrine and the prohibition on alienation of parkland without the permission of the state legislature.

The Public Trust Doctrine

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