[HISTORY: Comes from L.L. No. 57-2002, adopted 8-27-2002, effective 8-28-2002.]
Section 961 of Article 18-B of the General Municipal Law has authorized applications by towns for designation as an "Empire Zone." Such designation could greatly benefit the town of Hempstead, in that new businesses would be encouraged to locate in the Zone area, existing businesses would be encouraged to expand in the Zone area, and new and expanded business would generate new jobs for Town residents. This chapter establishes the legal framework for the Town of Hempstead to take advantage of the aforesaid law.
The Town of Hempstead is hereby authorized and empowered to submit an application to the Commissioner of Economic Development of the State of New York for designation of certain areas within the Town as an Empire Zone; provided, however, that such authorization and empowerment shall be conditioned upon the prior concurrence with respect to such application of the governing bodies of any and all cities, towns and villages in which such zone is located.
Pursuant to Article 18-B of the General Municipal Law, a local Empire Zone Administrative Board is hereby established to consist of not less than six members. All appointments to the Board shall be made by the Town Supervisor subject to approval of the Town Board. The members shall not include the local Empire Zone Certification Officer, and shall include a representative of local business, organized labor, financial institutions, local educational institutions, community organizations, and at least one resident of the Empire Zone. The Chairperson of the Board shall be an officer or employee of the Town of Hempstead. The local Empire Zone Administrative Board shall perform all duties required of it pursuant to § 963(b) of the General Municipal Law.
Pursuant to requirements of § 963 of the General Municipal Law, the Town Attorney shall serve as the local Empire Zone Certification Officer of the Town of Hempstead Empire Zone, and shall perform the following duty, to wit, certify, jointly with the New York State Commissioner of Economic Development and the New York State Commissioner of Labor, those businesses and enterprises that are eligible to receive benefits referred to in § 966 of the General Municipal Law, and any other applicable statutes.
A. 
The boundaries of the Town of Hempstead's designated Empire Zone shall be fully described in the appropriate appendices of the Empire Zone application and are generally as follows: The Empire Zone boundary for the Town of Hempstead will include commercial and industrial portions in Elmont, Franklin Square, West Hempstead, Uniondale, Roosevelt, Inwood, and portions of the incorporated Villages of Hempstead, and Freeport, all within the Town of Hempstead.
B. 
Elmont, Franklin Square, West Hempstead. The boundaries shall include the commercial corridor along Hempstead Turnpike running east from the New York City boundary, through the communities of Elmont, Franklin Square, and West Hempstead to the Village of Hempstead boundary, a distance of approximately five miles.
C. 
Village of Hempstead. The boundary shall then continue east along the Fulton street (Hempstead Turnpike) and Front Street commercial corridor through to encompass the central business district of the Village. It shall then extend along the Fulton Street corridor to the eastern Village boundary at Hofstra University. From the central business district, the boundary shall extend north along the North Franklin Street and Main Street corridors to the northerly boundary of the Village. To the south, the boundary shall extend along the Peninsula Boulevard corridor to the Village boundary at the Southern State Parkway. The Peninsula Boulevard corridor shall be connected through to the east to include the West Graham Avenue and South Franklin Street areas, and the Greenwich Street corridor extending south to the Village boundary.
D. 
Uniondale. The corridor shall then continue south along the commercial corridor of Nassau Road (Greenwich Street) from the Village of Hempstead boundary through the community of Uniondale, to the Southern State Parkway; continuing east along the Hempstead Turnpike corridor from the Village of Hempstead boundary (Hofstra University) to include the area bounded to the west by the Earl Ovington Boulevard corridor, to the north by the Westbury Boulevard corridor, to the east by the James Doolittle Boulevard corridor, and to the south by the Hempstead Turnpike corridor. The Zone also shall include a separate noncontiguous area on the commercial/industrial area commonly known as the "Roosevelt Raceway" area in Uniondale which is bounded to the south by the Meadowbrook Parkway to the south, the commercial/industrial corridor on Dibblee Drive to the west, the Corporate drive commercial corridor to the north, and Merchants Concourse (Avenue C) to the east.
E. 
Roosevelt. The Zone will continue south along the commercial corridor of Nassau Road (which is an extension of Greenwich Street) to encompass the central business district within the community of Roosevelt, then to the Village of Freeport boundary. The Nassau Road corridor shall be connected to Babylon Turnpike and shall extend south to include the business corridor of Babylon Turnpike to the Village of Freeport boundary.
F. 
Village of Freeport. The Zone shall continue south, from the Roosevelt boundary, along the commercial corridor of North Main Street (Nassau Road) through the Freeport Plaza urban renewal area, continuing south across Sunrise Highway, through Freeport's traditional downtown business district. It shall then continue to include the commercial area south of the Long Island Railroad and north of Merrick Road extending to the east to the Meadowbrook Parkway. A second separate noncontiguous area will be included in the Empire Zone in the commercial/recreational area of Freeport bound by the most southerly portion of Woodcliff Avenue, on the north by Richmond street, on the west by Miller Avenue/Miller Avenue Canal, and on the south by Little Swift Creek.
G. 
Inwood. The Empire Zone will include a third separate noncontiguous commercial/industrial area in the community of Inwood located in the most southwest portion of the Town of Hempstead directly adjacent to Kennedy Airport. This section of the Empire Zone will be bound on the east by the commercial/industrial corridor of Doughty Boulevard, on the south by the Burnside Avenue commercial/industrial corridor, then continue south along Sheridan Boulevard (Burnside Avenue) corridor, to include the industrial area bounded by Sheridan Boulevard on the east, Roger Avenue and McCafferty Creek on the north, and Jamaica Bay on the west and south.