Boston is continuing its commitment to planning-led rezoning with the recent release by the Boston Planning and Development Agency ("BPDA") of a draft zoning text amendment and zoning map to implement the PLAN: Downtown...more
In March, the Prince George’s County Council acted on zoning legislation that will influence the County’s development trajectory for years to come. ...more
On March 6, 2024, the Florida State Legislature passed SB 1420 in an effort to block regulations proposed by the Orange County Charter Review Committee (CRC) that would have drawn a new rural boundary that would have heavily...more
Recognizing that Downtown San Francisco is “struggling” post-pandemic, State Senator Scott Wiener has announced new legislation to exempt certain projects in the area from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review...more
A newly proposed piece of Florida legislation, HB 1053, aims to triple the required “buffer” distance between schools and medical marijuana treatment centers that cultivate, process, or dispense medical cannabis....more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill 102 on March 28, 2023, with an effective date of July 1, 2023. Commonly referred to as the Live Local Act (the Act), it has significant land use, zoning and tax benefits...more
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed, the Beatles performed the first stadium concert in the history of rock, and the Washington Hilton opened just north of Dupont Circle in Washington, DC....more
More Density, More Height and Less Bureaucracy - The Live Local Act (“Live Local” or the “Act”) makes unprecedented changes to zoning law that impact and limit local government power....more
On June 2, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued its much-anticipated decision in Tracer Lane II Realty, LLC v. City of Waltham, SJC-13195, interpreting for the first time the statutory protection for...more
The DC Office of Planning has released the New York Avenue Roadmap, an introduction to three planning studies Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration will implement to transform the New York Avenue NE Corridor into a mixed-use...more
On January 13, 2022, the Brookhaven Town Board voted unanimously to adopt new legislation that creates the Greater Bellport Overlay District. The law aims to foster redevelopment in the hamlet of Bellport and encourages the...more
On Dec. 15, 2021, the City Council approved the City’s rezoning plan for the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods. The Council’s action completed the legislative process, thereby turning the plan into law. The stated objectives of the...more
Nearly five years ago, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed into law Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16). Since that time, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), the agency responsible for issuing licenses...more
In my last post, “Real Estate Alphabet Soup: Y Is for Yard”, I continued my primer on the “alphabet soup” of real estate. This post continues to stir the “alphabet soup” and completes the recipe with the final ingredient, the...more
Zoning laws are changing in Connecticut. The goal? To make housing more affordable and accessible for everyone. - Nearly a century ago, the Connecticut Legislature adopted the “Standard Zoning Enabling Act” (now Chapter...more
The Department of City Planning (DCP) has proposed a text amendment to modify regulations relating to gyms, spas, and licensed massage therapy and other health and fitness facilities defined as Physical Culture or Health...more
On May 17, the City Planning Commission (CPC) certified the SoHo/NoHo Neighborhood Plan (the Plan), which would replace outdated zoning regulations that preclude residences, including affordable housing, and severely restrict...more
Surprise! During the summer of Covid-19, the Town Board of Oyster Bay passed Local Law 4 of 2020, amending Chapter 246, the Town’s zoning code, to eliminate apartments over stores or offices as a permitted principal use in...more
Mayor de Blasio’s citywide zoning agenda continues to press forward. On March 17, the proposed Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency text amendment, which seeks to advance the design of resilient buildings, was unanimously...more
Continuing a trend reported in our Sept. 9, 2020 alert (“Zoning and Land Use: Turning the World Right-Side Up Again”), the Appellate Division for the First Department, which exercises appellate jurisdiction over courts in...more
On March 9, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a series of proposed citywide zoning text amendments intended to incentivize the creation of local grocery stores, boost transit station accessibility, and ease administrative...more
In an effort to stimulate the revitalization of abandoned, vacant or underutilized commercial shopping centers, bowling alleys and health club properties, the Brookhaven Town Board recently voted to adopt a new zoning...more
The need for zoning reform has been a perennial topic in both chambers of the Massachusetts State House for almost two decades. Signed into law by Governor Baker on January 14, 2021, Chapter 358 of the Acts of 2020, “An Act...more
On Jan. 19, 2021, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed an amendment to Section 277 of the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL) that would “authorize flexibility in zoning to address high commercial vacancy rates and...more
The New York City Council, under Speaker Corey Johnson, announced this week the release of a proposal for “A New Comprehensive Planning Framework for New York City,” to support equitable, inclusive growth, and citing the...more