If Looks Could Kill … Your Wireless Siting Application
Often times, property owners wish to develop their property in a manner that differs from what is allowed by their local zoning ordinance. When this happens, the property owner must seek and obtain a “variance” from their...more
After a series of bills became law at the end of the General Assembly’s session in June, significant changes are coming to Rhode Island’s land use and zoning laws beginning in 2024. Among its many changes made, the...more
Dear YouDig? I am retired and live with my wife in what I thought was a bucolic neighborhood in beautiful Ohio City, that is, until now. We heard through the grapevine that a new business was coming into our city and...more
In Matter of Bernstein v Putnam Val. Zoning Bd. of Appeals, property owners sought to construct a hot tub on their residential property, located in a protected area known as a wetland buffer. The Wetlands Inspector for the...more
The Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division (Second Judicial Department) (“Court”) addressed in a January 20th Order a zoning issue associated with the storage of vehicles with mounted hydrovac equipment....more
In my last post, “Real Estate Alphabet Soup: U Is for Unities,” I continued my primer on the “alphabet soup” of real estate. This post continues to stir the “alphabet soup” with the letter “V.”...more
In perhaps a sign of the linguistic times, Appeals Court Justice James R. Milkey’s opinion in the case of Comstock v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Gloucester received more media coverage for certain racial history commentary...more
When deciding an area variance application, a zoning board may consider the proposed use of the property and the purpose in seeking the variance. However, the zoning board cannot fail to account for the five-factor test...more
In Matter of Magid Setauket Assoc., LLC v The Town of Brookhaven Bd. of Zoning Appeals, the petitioners were the owner and the operator (“Petitioners”) of a Shell gas station located in the Old Setauket Historic District (the...more
The Supreme Court, Suffolk County recently upheld a determination of the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) perhaps ending a lengthy and controversial review of the development of a day camp on residentially...more
A recent Second Department decision, Matter of Reddock v New York State Dept. of Envtl. Conservation, highlights a unique procedural quirk involving Article 78 proceedings where the challenge is based upon “substantial...more
Residents of the Village of East Williston have prevailed (for now) over the East Williston Union Free School District’s plan to install a six-foot tall perimeter fence at the North Side School in the Village of East...more
A recent Fourth Department decision upheld a determination by the Town of Westmoreland Zoning Board of Appeals (the “Westmoreland ZBA” or the “Board”) finding that a dog training business is not a “customary home occupation”...more
A recent decision from the Supreme Court of Warren County, John Carr v. Village of Lake George Village Board, demonstrates how a simple omission on a site plan approval application can upend an approved project, even though...more
The Tennessee Court of Appeals (“Court”) addressed in a April 4th Opinion a question involving stormwater issue regulations that utilize water quality buffers. See Precision Homes, INC. v. The Metropolitan Government of...more
If you’re seeking a special permit for a project, be prepared to prove that your proposal complies with the town’s bylaws. First things first. What is a special permit? Generally, a special permit allows an applicant to...more
In the recent decision of Publix Supermarkets, Inc., v. Miami-Dade County, Case No. 17-082 AP, the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in and for Miami-Dade County held: (i) the applicant successfully carried its burden in a...more
Two bills were recently introduced before Philadelphia City Council which aim to expand City Council’s input and influence over the implementation of the Philadelphia Zoning Code and curb the rising popularity of multifamily...more
On May 2, 2019, the Arizona Court of Appeals in a memorandum decision, upheld a superior court judgment affirming a variance granted by the City of Phoenix Board of Adjustment (Board) to allow the operation of a medical...more
CEQA Case Report: Understanding the Judicial Landscape for Development - In a published opinion issued on October 23, 2018, Save Lafayette Trees v. City of Lafayette, Case No. A154168, the California Court of Appeal...more
In Voutsinas v. Schenone, 2018 NY Slip Op 07439 (2d Dept, November 17, 2018), the Appellate Division, Second Department...more
Earlier this month, an Islamic community center filed suit against the City of Troy, Michigan (“City”) after the City denied the group’s application for a variance needed to operate a mosque at the property it owns in the...more
The Appellate Division, Second Department, issued a decision on October 10, 2018, which rejected a town’s attempt to saddle an applicant with over $17,000 in consulting fees supposedly incurred by the town in reviewing...more
The Second Department recently reversed a Suffolk County Supreme Court decision granting a use variance for a mother-daughter residence in the Village of Patchogue (the “Village”), in spite of statements made on the record by...more
A use variance is arguably one of the most difficult zoning approvals to obtain and is rarely granted. Petitioners in 54 Marion Ave., LLC v. City of Saratoga Springs, 2018 N.Y. Slip Op. 04611, 162 A.D.3d 1341 (3d Dep’t...more