The Appellate Division dismissed a challenge to SEQRA Findings where no approvals had actually be granted. In the Matter of Patel v.Board of Trustee of Village of Muttontown, the Court found the ” position taken by an agency is not definitive and the injury is not actual or concrete if…
The N.Y. State Supreme Court found that an extensive review of environmental issues was sufficient to meet the requirements of SEQRA without preparation of an environmental impact statement. In Matter of Magat v. the Village of Bronxville Planning Board, the judge of the environmental claims part of the New York…
The New York Court of Appeals held that a license to operate a restaurant in New York’s Union Square Park does not constitute an improper alienation of parkland in violation of the public trust doctrine. In Union Sq. Park Community Coalition, Inc.v. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation,…
The Appellate Division Second Department concluded that a conditional site plan approval, without more, was insufficient to create vested rights in the prior zoning of a parcel. In Matter of Exeter Building Corp. v. Town of Newburgh, the Appellate Division reversed the Supreme Court holding that the Newburgh Zoning Board…
An appellate court held that a restriction on the height of buildings fixed by a zoning board of appeals did not survive a later change of zoning for the parcel at issue. In Matter of Livingston Parkway Assn., Inc. v. Town of Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals, the Third Department…
The Appellate Division upheld a Zoning Board’s denial of a use variance to extend a ski lift over a currently unused parcel. In Matter of Holimont, Inc. v Village of Ellicottville Zoning Board of Appeals, et.al. the Court noted that the applicant failed to meet the criteria for obtaining a…
The Appellate division determined that mere proximity of a neighborhood access road was not sufficient to create standing for individuals who reside 1,300 to 2,000 feet from a proposed regional mall. In Matter of Riverhead Neighborhood Preservation Coalition v. Town of Riverhead Town Board, a local neighborhood association challenged the…
The Appellate Division found multiple extensions of a grandfather clause that permitted a specific development to proceed to final approval, despite local regulations that would have otherwise prevented it, is consistent with the Town’s comprehensive plan. In Matter of Birchwood Neighborhood Association v. Planning Board of the Town of Colonie,…
The Appellate Division upheld the lower court’s reversal of the denial of a special permit and a parking variance for a church use. In the Matter of Gospel Faith Mission International, Inc., v. Weiss, the Court found the ZBA was arbitrary in denying the application due to the fact that…
The Town of Greenburgh has agreed to pay a reported record setting 6.5 million dollars to settle the RLUIPA claims of Fortress Bible Church. The long saga of the claims against the Town of Greenburgh (located in Westchester County, New York), which we have reported at length in this Blog,…