NY Appellate Court Rules that Lawsuit Challenging “House of Worship Law” was Timely Filed and Sufficiently Alleged SEQRA Violations

NY Appellate Court Rules that Lawsuit Challenging “House of Worship Law” was Timely Filed and Sufficiently Alleged SEQRA Violations

This post was authored by Amy Lavine, Esq. The NY Appellate Division, Second Department, issued a pair of SEQRA decisions in March, 2023 involving the Village of Chestnut Ridge’s 2019 “House of Worship Law,” which sought to allow additional gathering places and houses of worship in residential districts. in the first case, Matter of Kogut v Village of Chestnut Ridge, 2023 NY Slip Op 01283 (2d Dept. 3/15/23), the court held that the petitioners were timely in filing the proceeding pursuant to the savings provision of CPLR 205(a). The court found that the requirements in that section were satisfied because…
NY Appellate Court Rules that Lawsuit Challenging “House of Worship Law” was Timely Filed and Sufficiently Alleged SEQRA Violations

PA Appeals Court Find Competing Hotel Owner Did Not Have Standing to Challenge Zoning Board Decision

This post was authored by Gabriella Mickel, JD Candidate 2024, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University In this case, a competing hotel owner, South Bethlehem Associates, LP, challenged the decision of the Zoning Hearing Board of Bethlehem Township Pennsylvania to grant variances to Central PA Equities 30, LLC for the construction of a new hotel two blocks away. The main issue at hand is whether the competing hotel owner has the legal standing to seek a judicial review of the zoning board’s decision. The court noted that ordinarily, standing requires a showing of adverse impact, that reflects a…
NY Appellate Court Rules that Lawsuit Challenging “House of Worship Law” was Timely Filed and Sufficiently Alleged SEQRA Violations

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Holds Legislative Conditions Are Subject To Nexus-And-Proportionality Requirements

This post was authored by Robert Thomas, Esq. and originally appeared on the InverseCondemnation Blog and is reposted with permission. See, https://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2023/05/ca6-legislative-conditions-are-subject-to-nexus-and-proportionality-requirements.html The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Knight v. Metro. Gov’t of Nashville, No. 21-6179 (May 10, 2023) held that conditions imposed on every development — and not just ad hoc administratively-imposed conditions — must conform to the Nollan-Dolan-Koontz close nexus and rough proportionality standards. The Sixth Circuit has added to the growing split in the lower courts about whether legislatively-imposed conditions on development which cover everyone are, as some courts characterize them, mere land use regulations subject…