When requesting deviation from setback minimums or minimum lot size requirements, a developer must request an area variance. Even if the lots are zoned residential and the developer only wants to build a single-family residence, there is no guarantee that a Zoning Board of Appeals will allow deviations and grant an area variance, as in Matter of Stelling v. Gaudioso
Continue Reading How Small is Too Small of a Lot? Limits on Area Variances for Subdivisions
Area Variance
Reversal of Zoning Board’s Denial of Variance Application Upheld on Appeal
In Matter of O’Connor and Son’s Home Improvement, LLC v. Acevedo, et al., the petitioner, O’Connor and Son’s Home Improvement, LLC (“Petitioner”), owns a 120-foot by 57-foot parcel of property (the “Property”) located in the City of Long Beach (the “City”) on Long Island, which it purchased in 2015. In or around June, 2016, Petitioner submitted an application to…
Continue Reading Reversal of Zoning Board’s Denial of Variance Application Upheld on Appeal
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 yard lot line and five…
Continue Reading Appellate Division Upholds ZBA Determination Transferred from Supreme Court Pursuant to CPLR §7804(g)
Appellate Division Upholds Supreme Court Dismissal of Article 78 Petition Against East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals
In the Matter of Parsome, LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of East Hampton, decided February 10, 2021, the petitioner appealed the denial of an Article 78 Petition by the Supreme Court, Suffolk County. The Appellate Division, Second Department, upheld the Supreme Court’s determination. Specifically, petitioner purchased property in the manufacturing zoning district in the Village…
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Second Department Upholds Town’s Determination Allowing Property Owners to Build Hot Tub in Wetland Buffer
In Matter of Bernstein v Putnam Val. Zoning Bd. of Appeals, property owners sought to construct a hot tub on their residential property, located in a protected area known as a wetland buffer. The Wetlands Inspector for the Town of Putnam Valley (the “Town”) granted the owners a permit waiver, and shortly thereafter, the Town’s Zoning Board of Appeals…
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Second Department Scraps North Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals’ Denial for Lack of Evidence

In D.P.R Scrap Metal. Inc., v Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of North Hempstead, __AD3d__, [2d Dept 2020], the Appellate Division affirmed the grant of the Article 78 Petition of D.P.R. Scrap Metal Inc. (DPR) annulling the Zoning Board Appeals (ZBA) determination as arbitrary and capricious and not supported by evidence.
In this case, DPR operated its…
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Appellate Court Upholds Zoning Board’s Denial of Patio Setback Variance
In July of 2016, Lisa and Robert Gerbino (hereinafter “Gerbinos”) made an application to the Town of East Hampton Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) for setback relief to allow an existing patio that was built without a permit to remain 10.2 feet from the southern property line where 20 feet is required at their property located at 3 Old Station…
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Supreme Court Upholds Village of Southampton Zoning Board of Appeals Determination

Applicants sought to subdivide two lots located at 550 Hill Street and 554 Hill Street in the Village of Southampton into three residential lots with a 25 foot wide access easement along the southerly side of an adjoining property to provide access to one lot from Captains Neck Lane. The two lots…
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Second Department Affirms Article 78 Reversal of Village Zoning Board Determination
Petitioner, Claude Simon (“Petitioner”), owns approximately 2.25 acres of property in the Village of Upper Nyack (the “Village”), which he sought to subdivide into two separate lots. The first lot would contain the existing dwelling and other existing improvements. The vacant second lot would be improved with a single-family dwelling. However, the Village advised Petitioner that he would need to…
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Appellate Division Upholds Denial of Article 78 Petition Against Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of North Haven

Ronald A. Kaye, the property owner at 39 Actors Colony Road, Village of North Haven, sought to subdivide his 157, 241 square foot property into two residential lots. The subject property is located in the Residence R-1 Zoning District where the minimum lot size is 80,000 square feet. In October of 2016,…
Continue Reading Appellate Division Upholds Denial of Article 78 Petition Against Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of North Haven