The Town of Babylon’s plan to revitalize the Route 110 corridor in East Farmingdale, NY keeps moving forward. The Town began targeting this area for transformation in 2005. It now looks like the Town may be closer than ever to achieving its goal of redeveloping 100 acres surrounding the intersection of Route 110 and Conklin
2017
Rock Hill Golf and Country Club Joins Brookhaven’s Golf Course District
On April 27, 2017, the Town Board of the Town of Brookhaven approved a change of zone for Rock Hill Golf and Country Club from a one-acre residential lot zone to the Golf Course District. Manorville’s Rock Hill is the first private course to join the Town’s newly created Golf Course District.
The district …
Town of Southold Expands Scope of Agricultural Use
On April 25, 2017, the Southold Town Board adopted Local Law No. 5 of 2017, which amends the Town’s Zoning Code as it relates to agricultural uses. Specifically, the local law amends and adds certain definitions to the Code in recognition of the changes in modern farm operations. The changes are also consistent with the…
Beware The Restrictive Covenant
Also known as negative easements, restrictive covenants can wreak havoc on the ability to develop property. Recently, in our real estate practice at Farrell Fritz, we have seen two alarming examples.
In both cases, the restrictive covenant combined with applying municipal zoning requirements precluded the development of the property. Fortunately, we had inserted language into…
Town Of Southampton Decides Not To Require Updated Certificates Of Occupancy For Property Transfers
The Town of Southampton recently held several public hearings to consider a local law requiring an updated certificate of occupancy prior to all property transfers. Specifically, the local law proposed amending Town Code §123-16, Certificate of Occupancy, to state that “upon any change in ownership of a property, an updated certificate of occupancy shall be…
Shoreham is Catching Rays in Move from Mulligans to Megawatts
This month, U.S.-based energy giant Invenergy expects to break ground on New York’s second largest solar farm project at the former Tallgrass golf course in Shoreham. A leader in wind and solar development, energy storage and natural gas operations, Invenergy will add the Shoreham Solar Commons to its portfolio.

The Long Island Power Authority approved…
Second Department Reverses Trial Court: Cottage is not a Nonconforming Use
On April 5, 2017, in an Article 78 proceeding, Tavano v. Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Patterson, 2017 NY Slip Op 02661, the Second Department reversed a trial court decision and reinstated a decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Patterson. The zoning board had granted petitioner Tavano’s…
Preservation by Law May Become Par for the Course: Brookhaven Town Rezones Golf Courses

The Town of Brookhaven has engaged in efforts to preserve Long Island’s links and, last month, took the first steps towards fulfilling its endeavor. On March 2, 2017, the Brookhaven Town Board unanimously adopted two resolutions rezoning Mill Pond and Rolling Oaks golf courses, respectively, from a residential district to the newly created golf course…
Type II Actions Will Be Expanded Under NYSDEC’S Proposed Changes To SEQRA Regulations
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“NYSDEC”) proposed significant changes to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”) regulations almost 5 years ago. The NYSDEC recently indicated that these proposed regulations finally will be enacted this year. The proposed regulations will streamline the SEQRA process. This post discusses changes to Type II actions…
Land Use and Environmental Pitfalls for Realtors- Includes Exclusive Power Point Presentation
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…