Obtaining a Recreational Marijuana License from Your Local Municipality
State AG Pulse | Local Job, National Impact
It’s Not Easy Being Green: How To Comply with the Latest Cannabis Regulations
Recreational Marijuana Use Legalized in NYS – Your Questions Answered
The State of Cannabis in New York
Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Part I – Doing Business With the Commonwealth of Virginia
Lifting the Fog Over Lobbying Compliance
Homeless Assistance Centers and the NIMBY Response
Rapid Transit Zones in Miami-Dade County
[WEBINAR] Exploring the CPRA’s Investigatory Privilege
Real Estate Developer Rights When Cities Demand Too Much
[WEBINAR] Clearing the Smoke: 3 Years of Legal Cannabis in California
[WEBINAR] Housing and Land Use Legislative Update
[WEBINAR] Navigating California’s New Regulations for Wetlands and State Waters
[WEBINAR] Understanding and Responding to the FCC Cable In-Kind and Mixed Use Order
[WEBINAR] Advancing the Policy Discussion Around Housing
[WEBINAR] Innovative Partnerships to Overcome Housing Challenges in Communities
[WEBINAR] Focusing on the “US” in HoUSing: Merging Housing, Transportation, Incentives and Community
[WEBINAR] Update: Social Media Meets the First Amendment
[WEBINAR] Planning in the Coastal Zone
After the Charter amendments suggested by the Orange County Charter Review Committee discussed in “Proposed Charter Changes Threaten Orange County's Economic Future” were blocked by the Florida Legislature as discussed in...more
On May 13, 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 24-1313 (HB24-1313) into law. This act incentivizes transit-oriented development (TOD) by providing $35 million in grants to transit-oriented communities (TOCs) to help...more
In March 2024, Governor Inslee signed SSB 6192 into law. This amended RCW 39.04.360 to require timely execution of change orders on both public and private construction projects. The amended language, which went into effect...more
As of November 19, 2023, twenty-nine cities and towns have opted in to the Specialized Energy Code by local legislative action. The towns include Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown (effective July 1, 2023); Acton,...more
Last year, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources promulgated regulations at 225 CMR 24.00 for the Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Construction and Renovation Demonstration Project as authorized by St. 2022, c....more
Effective October 3, 2023, the construction competitive bidding threshold for certain Ohio political subdivisions including libraries, counties, and townships will increase from $50,000 to $75,000 through 2024, and will...more
On January 5, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law bill A573 which amends the Uniform Construction Code by codifying the requirement that townships complete building inspections within three business days of request by...more
Can a Michigan municipality require contractors to pay union-level wages when they are awarded government contracts? On December 8, 2022, a 3-0 panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals answered the question in the...more
Massachusetts will soon see significant updates to the energy codes that govern the construction and alteration of buildings throughout the Commonwealth. As required by the 2021 climate bill, the Massachusetts Department of...more
Much of the recent news about climate-influenced building codes has come out of California, where the California Energy Commission announced adoption of revisions to its Building Energy Efficiency Standards, also known as the...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
Exceptions outlined in state and local directives likely encompass the investigatory and remedial activities performed by environmental contractors. Most California stay-at-home orders include exceptions for professional...more
On March 18, 2020, we authored an update regarding housing construction under the shelter-in-place orders jointly issued by six Bay Area counties—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa...more
The outbreak of COVID-19 has challenged businesses across the board in unprecedented ways. Major conferences and events have been cancelled, restaurants across the country are closing down, and supply chains have been...more
Welcome back to the Environmental Legislative Updates for the 2020 Connecticut General Assembly’s “short session.” Since all is well with the Rule of Law in general, let’s see what new Rules and Laws our legislators have in...more
Several prior blog posts discussed standing requirements under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and the timeliness of challenging a SEQRA determination. A decision from the Appellate Division, Third...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a major set of restrictions on the actions California cities and counties may take to impede housing development. Senate Bill 330 broadly aims to prevent local agencies...more
Ohio local hiring laws affecting contractors are destroyed, for now. Municipalities will no longer be able to force local hiring upon contractors for various jobs. This especially impacts large cities and their citizens...more
In 2012, the City of Somerville, the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA), and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development approved the Union Square Revitalization Plan (the Plan), an urban renewal...more
The Real Estate Law (Reinforcement of Condominiums against Earthquakes) 5768-2008 (the “Reinforcement Law”) provides that in order to perform a TAMA 38 plan on a building under the “demolish and build” track, a majority of...more
Funding and partnership opportunities can help communities address the housing crisis. This webinar discusses strategies and approaches to those opportunities. In addition, we present ideas on how to closely align housing and...more
More than 10,000 bills were filed during the 86th Texas legislative session. Some of the bills that were filed and ultimately signed into law specifically impact the real estate and construction industries. Below is a...more
Fairway Manor, a senior rental housing complex for ages 55 and older, located on the border of Blue Point and Bayport, was created in 1991 when the Town Board of the Town of Islip approved a change of zone application on a 70...more
The Hempstead Town Board recently approved a sweeping rezoning of portions of North Lawrence and Inwood that are designed to encourage mixed-use, commercial and transit-oriented developments....more