Land Development & Zoning

Conversant with all areas of property law and a thorough understanding of the environmental review process, our attorneys advise both public and private sector clients in all aspects of land development.

We advise developers, sellers, purchasers and property lessors and lessees, and will secure permits and approvals for commercial uses ranging from office buildings, restaurants, retail establishments and shopping centers, to utility facilities, gasoline stations, wireless transmission sites and solid waste disposal facilities.

In addition to our private sector clients, we serve as special counsel to several municipalities for zoning and planning issues, including zoning regulations, compliance, and other projects of concern to the local community.

Our work in this area has included:

  • Legal counsel for the development of a 408,000 square foot retail shopping complex located on the I-84 corridor in Putnam County, including defending legal challenges to the approvals
  • Representing a major multi-national company’s planned corporate training center in Westchester County
  • Representing nation-wide residential developers on projects in Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties
  • Obtaining a contested approval for a 104-lot residential subdivision on 310 acres in the New York City watershed, and successfully handling litigation by environmental organizations challenging the project
  • Obtaining special permits, site plan, subdivision and variances for a $1.675 billion natural gas fired electric manufacturing facility in Dutchess County that would generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity and create hundreds of construction jobs.

We have successfully handled litigation involving land development, and served as legal counsel in cases that have impacted statewide zoning and planning.

We have successfully represented municipalities in complex, multi-jurisdictional “border war” disputes involving high-profile projects within Westchester County, and have successfully argued landmark land use cases before the New York State Court of Appeals.

Our attorneys are active participants in their respective communities, serving as counsel for their local village, town or city boards. They frequently lecture on zoning, planning and environmental review processes for the New York State Bar Association, the Westchester County Bar Association and law schools within the New York metropolitan area. Two of our attorneys served on a Special Task Force on Eminent Domain in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. City of New London.

Important Advantages for Clients

  • Unlike many firms, our perspective has been shaped by working on land use law from both sides of the table. Our attorneys have both pursued approvals on behalf of applicants and advised municipal boards and agencies on the review process of such applications.
  • We draw on the collective expertise in related practice areas within the firm, including Real Estate, Business Transactions and Environmental Law to represent our clients through all phases of project development.
  • We have an exemplary track record of litigation success
  • Our attorneys are accessible and involved professionally in their communities within this area.

Property Law Firm - Land Development Lawyers - Westchester, New York