On February 20, 2017, our colleagues blogged about Ader v. Guzman, 135 AD3d 668 [2d Dept. 2016] and a guidance letter subsequently issued by the NYS Department of State (NYSDOS). At issue was the responsibility of a real estate broker to have a working knowledge of the property being marketed, including land use
March 2017
Vested Rights – Court of Appeals Update
Sometimes called a “case of the race,” the common law doctrine of vested rights is “one of the most troublesome areas of land use regulation.” Exeter Building Corp v Town of Newburgh, 114 AD3d 774 [2d Dept 2014].
In New York, the “vested rights” doctrine is equitable in nature and implicated when a property…
East Hampton Considers New Laws Mandating Nitrogen-Reducing Sanitary Systems and Offering Rebates to Replace Existing Systems
The Town Board of the Town of East Hampton (“Town Board”) is considering progressive new legislation that will require advanced nitrogen-reducing sanitary systems for all new commercial and residential construction and major renovation projects. This law, loosely modeled after a similar law adopted by the Town of Brookhaven for projects located within the environmentally-sensitive Carmans…
Artists’ Studios in East Hampton: “Cease and Desist”
East Hampton Town restricts the size of accessory structures to 600 s.f. (each) with no plumbing. However, because of a long history of artists in the Town (e.g., Pollock, Willem and Elaine DeKooning), an artist’s studio is allowed to have a sink and to be as large as 2,500 s.f., depending on the size of…
Sky Signs, Colossal Murals and Billboards, Oh My
Two recent New York cases brought to mind the well-known poem about trees. No, not the one written by Joyce Kilmer. The other one, written by Ogden Nash. Who can ever forget those immortal words. “I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree.” Yes, the cases involve billboards and zoning.…