Daniel M. Richmond

dmrichmond@zarin-steinmetz.com
(914) 220-9792
Biography

Dan combines his experience with SEQRA, land use and real estate law with the pragmatism and persistence to help clients realize their most challenging projects.

Dan counsels private and municipal clients on permitting and entitlements, the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), zoning, public-private partnerships, and the New York City Watershed Regulations. Dan represents clients in administrative proceedings before local land use boards throughout Westchester, Rockland, and Orange Counties. He also prosecutes litigation in Federal and State Courts, including Article 78 challenges to administrative determinations.

Dan is currently chair of the New York Bar Association’s Environmental & Energy Law Section Subcommittee on Land Use. He has served as Co-Chair of the Transportation and Land Use Working Group of the Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainability Plan. He is also a LEED® Accredited Professional.

Dan received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1994 from Vermont Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Vermont Law Review. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Williams College in 1989. Before joining Zarin and Steinmetz, Dan was a staff attorney with Riverkeeper, Inc., Assistant Corporation Counsel at the New York City Law Department, and an associate at Rivkin, Radler & Kremer in Uniondale, New York.

 

Education

Vermont Law School, J.D., cum laude

Williams College, B.A. in History

Admissions

New York

United States District Court, Southern District of New York

United States District Court, Eastern District of New York

Awards

New York Metro SuperLawyers®, Land Use & Zoning, since 2019

Notable Work

  • Represented a private developer in securing approvals for a 921,000 sq. ft. distribution center in the Town of Southeast. This cutting-edge project includes two buildings ranging in size from 303,100 to 618,000 square feet. Dan worked closely with the Town and the project’s consultants to navigate a full SEQRA process, and to secure abandonment of a Town road that ran through the project site.
  • Represented a private developer in securing approvals for a subdivision in the Town of Greenburgh. This included securing steep slope and tree removal permits.
  • Represented a religious educational institution to secure site plan and special permit approval and zoning variances for a new school for 150 students in the Town of Ramapo.
  • Represented a private developer in securing zoning changes and site plan approval to build a 64-unit senior living residence in the City of New Rochelle. This included successfully defending Article 78 challenges to City Council rezoning and Industrial Development Agency benefits package.

Our Attorneys work across multiple practice areas

Insights (Speaking Engagements & Publications)

Speaking

  • Moderator, “Green Building Codes: Westchester Case Studies,” February 28, 2014
  • Speaker, “SEQRA and Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Renewable Energy Sources,” Lorman Educational Services, June 7, 2012
  • Speaker, “Challenging and Reducing Governmental Exactions and Fees,” ALI-ABA Teleconference Seminar, June 14, 2011
  • Panelist, “Implementing Energy Projects,” Sustainable Breakfast Series, April 22, 2010
  • Moderator, “Navigating Local ‘Green’ Regulation & Implementation of Practical Green Building,” Sustainable Breakfast Series, February 18, 2010.
  • Speaker, “Emerging Fields in Environmental Review: Renewable Energy Sources, and Incorporating Developing Technologies and Strategies in the Planning Process,” Lorman Educational Services, February 3, 2009.
  • Speaker, “Practical Tips for Prosecuting and Defending Article 78 SEQRA Actions,” Lorman Educational Services, February 7, 2008.

 

Publications

  • Co-Author, “From Euclid to Darwin: The Unavoidable Evolution of Zoning in the Post-Covid-19 World,” American Bar Association State & Local Law News, Vol.44, No. 4, Summer 2021
  • Author, “SEQRA Statute of Limitations: When Will The Courts Reach Finality on This Issue?,” N.Y.L.J. (Jan. 30, 2019)
  • Author, “State Environmental Quality Review Act Through the ‘Koontz’ Prism,” N.Y.L.J. (Sept. 16, 2013)