Land Use & Zoning

Navigating the land use, zoning and SEQRA approvals processes from project inception to shovel in the ground
Our Approach

Our attorneys spend many nights of the week advocating before planning boards, zoning boards of appeal, legislative bodies, and other governmental agencies – or representing these boards as Special Counsel on complex development projects. That means leading our clients’ development teams, working with municipal officials and staff, providing strategic advice and substantive guidance, compiling a complete administrative record, organizing public outreach, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

And because many of the attorneys in our land use and zoning practice are also litigators, we position our clients for success if their application ends up in court. The attorney who fought in the trenches during the review process will bring a comprehensive knowledge of the administrative record when defending (or challenging) municipal determinations.

What We Do

Zarin & Steinmetz successfully guides clients through federal, state and local zoning, land use and environmental regulatory processes, including:

  • Site plan, special permit, and subdivision applications
  • Environmental impact review under SEQRA
  • Comprehensive plan & zoning text/map amendments
  • Public-Private Partnerships
  • Wetlands, steep slopes, floodplain, and other sensitive feature permits
  • Area and use variances
  • Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)
  • Padavan Law and Fair Housing Act (FHA) compliance
  • County Planning review under New York General Municipal Law
  • Administrative Law
  • SHPO review/historic preservation
  • Green building/LEED certification
Recent News
Michael Zarin and Lee Lefkowitz recently reunited with the team of attorneys, planners, and elected officials whose years of collaboration led to the successful construction of a new cell tower at the Bedford Post Inn in Bedford, New York. The project team celebrated the milestone, as the completed facility is the culmination of a complex...
Lee Lefkowitz is representing a homeowner in a $6.4 million federal case involving undisclosed infrastructure issues discovered after the purchase of a residence in Armonk, New York. Filed in U.S. District Court in White Plains on May 28, the case highlights the importance of comprehensive due diligence in high-value residential real estate transactions. The complaint...
David Cooper and Aaron Warner completed a multi-week eminent domain valuation trial on Tuesday in the New York Court of Claims on behalf of the owner and operator of an industrial property in the Town of Hempstead. The clients acquired and leased the property in 2016 with the intention of developing a concrete crushing and...