Zoning and land use law makes up a large portion of the real estate practice of the Real Estate & Lending Group. Typically, the Group’s zoning practice involves representation of owners or developers seeking to obtain governmental approval for their planned use of property. We routinely represent owners and developers in zoning and land use issues through every stage of a development project. Our Group’s lawyers appear regularly before local zoning hearing boards, planning commissions and governing bodies and, on occasion, they have served as special counsel to local zoning hearing boards and have represented citizens’ groups challenging particular ordinances or developments. The Group’s lawyers have also argued zoning cases before both local and appellate courts.

Among the significant zoning cases which the firm has handled are:

• Obtaining a rezoning from residential to commercial status for a large parcel of property on which a portion of a shopping center was to be erected. In connection with the same project, we successfully overturned a neighboring municipality’s spot zoning of a portion of the same tract.
• The Group was able to obtain a reversal of an adverse zoning board decision prohibiting a client from establishing its business in a mixed use area.
• We have worked with a large suburban hospital to obtain the necessary variances and other approvals in connection with the construction of a major expansion to the hospital.