Governor Hochul has nominated Walter Mosley to serve as New York’s Secretary of State. The previous secretary of state, Robert Rodriguez, has taken another statewide role as the head of the Dormitory Authority of New York....more
In Move Eden Housing v. City of Livermore (2024) 100 Cal.App.5th 263, the First District Court of Appeal overturned the trial court and held that the City of Livermore (City) City Clerk was required to process a referendum...more
The court of appeal held that a City Council resolution approving a development agreement that included policy decisions regarding development of a public park was a legislative act subject to referendum. Move Eden Housing v....more
Last week, an interesting lawsuit was filed in Boston with a distinctly and perhaps ironic environmental justice flavor. A non-profit, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, along with fifteen Boston residents, brought suit to...more
Candidates from Philadelphia’s progressive Working Families Party (WFP) are officially seeking to oust Republicans from office in the upcoming November election. WFP City Council candidate Nicolas O’Rourke is working to...more
The construction of a bike path ran into a bump in the road when the Mill Creek Metropolitan Park District (Park District) attempted to take land through eminent domain. The Park District is a public entity that is attempting...more
In their recent Judgment in R (on the application of Day) v Shropshire, the UK Supreme Court decided that public rights over local authority land – which was later discovered to be a public park - survived a sale to a...more
2023 Mayoral Race Update: Gym Wins Another Big Endorsement; Campaign Issues Continue to Be Drawn Into Focus- A coalition of local organizations under the umbrella of Philadelphia’s progressive Working Families Party...more
Continuing our series of articles reviewing the lesser publicized aspects of the American Rescue Plan Act guidance (hence, the “B-sides” moniker), here we address the U.S. Treasury’s issued guidance as it relates to spending...more
While marijuana is both medically and recreationally legal in Colorado, there are still areas in the state that are considered to be no drug zones. Marijuana isn’t the only drug in Colorado, however, and drug crimes extend to...more
The Boston Globe is reporting this morning on exciting plans to improve the Boston Common, America's first public park. The Common and its neighbor, the Public Garden, are on the top of any list of the most special public...more
There has been a major development in the ongoing legal fight over the ability of the Mill Creek Metropolitan Park District in Mahoning County to condemn private property for its bikeway project. ...more
The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) released rules and associated program guideline documents (Brownfield Remediation and Building Demolition and Site Revitalization) to govern the disbursement of $500 million in total...more
Another court of appeal has held that local special taxes adopted by a citizen-sponsored initiative do not require two-thirds voter approval. City of Fresno v. Fresno Building Healthy Communities, No. F080264. (5th Dist.,...more
According to ClimateWire (subscription required), Miami Beach is planning an underwater park just off the coast. Not that I would ever be snarky, but given how often parts of Miami Beach are now under water during high tides,...more
California voters reject measure to expand rent control - Bullet SFGate – November 4 - Voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a ballot measure that would have let California cities expand rent control in a state where...more
The Ballard Spahr Zoning and Land Use Team is continuing to monitor all aspects of the Philadelphia land use approval process during the COVID-19 emergency, including the issuance of zoning and building permits, regulation of...more
Effective May 8, 2020, the City and County of Los Angeles announced that specific retail businesses are permitted to open for online or phone orders, with curbside pickup only, including florists, toy stores, music stores,...more
In 2020, Ohio’s development officials are again awarding grants to fund commercial and industrial development projects that don’t have known end users. JobsOhio is now in the midst of launching a $50 million per year grant...more
The court of appeal held that the City of Alameda’s development fee for parks and recreation was invalid and unenforceable because there was no reasonable relationship between the fee charged and the burden from new...more
The court of appeal found that an amended and restated lease requiring upgrades and improvements to an existing amusement park was exempt from the requirements of CEQA under the Class 1 exemption. San Diegans for Open...more
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is proposing significant revisions to its State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) Handbook to conform with recently-adopted amendments to the SEQR...more
A special parcel tax is still “applied uniformly to all taxpayers” even though it may affect individual taxpayers differently, a California appellate court recently held....more
Osceola County is considering a significant increase in park impact fees for residential development. The new park impact fees will impact all residential development in the County as well as development within municipalities...more
San Diegans for Open Government v. City of San Diego – filed Dec. 27, 2018, publication ordered Jan. 15, 2019, Fourth District, Div. One - The Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court judgment upholding use...more