Due to delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other factors, many municipalities across Long Island are experiencing significant backlogs of processing building permit applications. In some towns and villages, applicants are waiting several months to obtain a building permit. Currently, building permits can only be issued by local municipalities and their officials
June 2021
New Standards for Nitrogen-Reducing Septic Systems in Suffolk County Starting July 1st
A recent and alarming statistic shared by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services indicates that more than 80% of nitrogen found in Long Island’s surface waters is attributable to sewage. As if the idea of sewage constituents making their way into our lakes and bays isn’t concerning enough, the environmental impacts of nitrogen on…
Appellate Division Upholds ZBA Determination Transferred from Supreme Court Pursuant to CPLR §7804(g)
In 2017, 8 Bayberry Rd, LLC submitted an application to the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Bellport (“ZBA”) seeking several variances to convert an existing three-car garage into a squash court and work out area resulting in a new 23 foot high building in the front yard, ten feet from the side…
Sand Mining Hits Rock Bottom: LI’s Local Laws May Prohibit Future Operations
Last month, the Appellate Division, Third Department, held the Mined Land Reclamation Law (“Mining Law”), as amended, does not preempt certain local zoning laws which prohibit mining. Specifically, in Town of Southampton v New York State Dept. of Envtl. Conservation, 2021 NY Slip Op 03351 [3d Dept 2021], the Appellate Division held the…
Town of Huntington is the Latest Long Island Community to Regulate Small Cells in the Public Right-of-Way
In 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) issued an Order governing the installation of small cell nodes and other telecommunications facilities in an effort to speed up the deployment of the newest generation of wireless technology known as 5G. A small cell node typically consists of a single small antenna and related accessory equipment placed…