At the present time there are 28 bills pending in the New York State Assembly and Senate related to condemnation of private property by government entities. The bills range from comprehensive revisions of the eminent domain law in New York to minor changes directed at specific aspects of the law.…
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has remanded the case of Davis v. Town of Hempstead to the district court. The challenge involves actions taken in accordance with a local law that appears similar to many other local laws in New York State. Therefore the ultimate decision in this case…
In a December, 2005 decision the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of Omnipoint Communications against the City of White Plains. Omnipoint had been denied a permit to construct a 150 foot wireless communications tower on a local golf course. The Court noted that if supported by substantial…
The Village of Suffern New York has been sued under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by an Orthodox Jewish group that maintains a home for Orthodox Jews visiting relatives and friends at nearby Good Samaritan Hospital. The group, which was denied a use variance, has received…
The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court decided a trilogy of cases on December 27, 2005 relating to a series of determinations by the City of New Rochelle Zoning Board of Appeals to permit construction of an addition to a local religious institution. The cases, Halperin v.…
The Court of Appeals remanded a case involving New York City’s adult business zoning regulations for further hearings on whether so called 60/40 businesses should be regulated as adult businesses due to adverse secondary impacts on nearby properties and neighborhoods. The action by For the People Theatres of New York,…
On December 5, 2005 the Second Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the case of Brody v. Village of Port Chester back to the District Court on the issue of whether Brody had actual notice of the proceedings and procedures under New York Eminent Domain Procedure Law (“EDPL”) before his property…
A Long Island jury (Noghrey v. Town of Brookhaven) granted a verdict of 1.6 million dollars against the Town of Brookhaven as a result of the rezoning of two parcels of land. The property, which had been zoned to permit shopping center uses was rezoned and the owner claimed this…
The Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court ruled this summer that the Legion of Christ, Inc., a religious organization that operates a private college, must comply with local zoning. The court held the Religious Land Use and Institutionialized Persons Act (RLUIPA) was not violated by requiring a religious organization,…
The President of the New York State Bar Association has established a task force to study New York’s Eminent Domain Law in the wake of the controversy created by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London this year. The holding by the Court that municipalities may use…