State Environmental Quality Review Act - Local Modifications

While SEQR identifies actions which may be expected to have a significant impact on the environment (called Type I actions), local agencies may add to this list so that actions that may have a significant impact on a particular community are also considered Type I actions, and thus require additional evaluation. For example, a small community may decide that a nonresidential development which proposes parking for 750 vehicles (opposed to the 1000 vehicle threshold for a Type I action under SEQR) may be expected to have a significant environmental impact on their community. To ensure that any project with that number of parking spaces would be more thoroughly evaluated in the future, a local government may choose to change the threshold for the Type I list from 1000 to 750 vehicles.

Another way local agencies can modify SEQR is to create their own environmental assessment forms to better reflect conditions in their communities. SEQR also allows individual agencies to adopt any additional procedures that may be necessary for them to implement SEQR, as long as the procedures are no less protective of environmental values, public participation and agency and judicial review than the State regulations.

Local agencies may also designate specific geographic areas within their boundaries as Critical Environmental Areas, which is included as a separate tool in this toolbox.