David J. Cooper

dcooper@zarin-steinmetz.com
(914) 220-9795
Biography

David Cooper is an intuitive problem solver who steers private and municipal clients through many types of real estate matters and litigation.

David’s practice involves land use and zoning entitlements, SEQRA compliance, eminent domain, public-private partnerships, and litigation. His broad experience, drawn from representing both private developers and municipalities, allows David to provide clients with holistic insights and a unique window into how their adversaries, regulators, and other community stakeholders think. David also has a passion for eminent domain law, working with municipalities through the myriad challenges arising from the EDPL process, including claims for additional compensation.

As a litigator, David brings to his current work the same level of preparation and advocacy he honed as a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney. David has managed trials and presented oral arguments before the United States Court of Appeals and the New York State Appellate Division on a variety of civil and administrative law matters.

David serves on the Board of Directors of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a leading policy research and advocacy organization that promotes solutions for regional growth. He also served on the Katonah/Lewisboro School Board LES Utilization Committee, advising on the disposition strategy of an underutilized local school property.

David received his Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2003. He also received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, cum laude, from Colgate University in 1998.

Education

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D.

Colgate University, B.A. in Political Science, cum laude

Admissions

New York

United States District Court, Southern District of New York

United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

Awards

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

Notable Work

  • Served as Eminent Domain Counsel for a Rockland County Village, completing a two-week valuation trial in New York Supreme Court, as well as the subsequent appeal in the Appellate Division. David helped secure an order from the Appellate Division reversing an $8.9 million judgment against the Village.
  • Advised a private developer on a complex, public-private partnership with the Village of Pelham. As part of a land swap deal, the developer agreed to build a new police station, fire station, and Village Hall in exchange for the rights to build a mixed-used retail and residential property on municipal land.
  • Represented a national developer of residential mid-rise and high-rise projects pursuing approvals for a mixed-income workforce housing project in lower Westchester.
  • Appointed as Special Land Use Counsel to Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County to work with a developer and the state to remediate and redevelop a 156-acre former state psychiatric center with 750 residential units and over 350,000 square feet of commercial uses.

Our Attorneys work across multiple practice areas

Insights (Speaking Engagements & Publications)

Speaking

  • Panelist, Public-Private Partnerships for Development: Best Practices, Lorman Education Series, September 2019
  • Guest Lecturer, Hofstra Law School, Land Use Regulation Seminar, Fall 2021

 

Publications

  • Eminent Domain Proceedings and the Scope of the Project Rule: Navigating a Misunderstood Valuation Doctrine, NYSBA Municipal Lawyer, 2019, Vol 33, No. 1, at 22 (2019)
  • Sufficient ‘Public Purpose’ to Take Property for Trump’s Wall?, Michael D. Zarin & David J. Cooper, N.Y. Law Journal, March 13, 2019
  • Clarifying the Standard of Judicial Review in Land Use Matters: Has the Second Department Pushed the Pendulum Back to the Middle?, 12 N.Y. Zoning L. & Prac. Rep. 4 (2012)
  • Zoning Approaches to Tackle New York’s Housing Crisis, N.Y. Law Journal, March 9, 2023, at 3
Community Involvement

Greater Westchester

  • Board Member, Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
  • Committee Member, Katonah/Lewisboro School Board LES Utilization Committee

 

Memberships

  • New York State Bar Association – Local and State Government Law Section; Environmental & Energy Law Section
  • Westchester County Bar Association