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
David Cooper and Lee J. Lefkowitz successfully counseled a client through the final stages of approving the Continental Commons development project in Fishkill. Zarin & Steinmetz advised the client in securing the last of its municipal land use approvals (site plan and subdivision) and in completing all post-approval obligations required by the Town of Fishkill....
Zarin & Steinmetz attorney Lee J. Lefkowitz obtained a significant win for a developer building a 16-unit multifamily housing project in Orange County. The lawsuit—Garden Housing v. Noam Estates, No. EF003060-2025—sought to block construction of the approved project through claims of trespass and a request for a preliminary injunction. The plaintiff, a neighboring property owner,...
On June 9, 2025, Michael Zarin and Lee Lefkowitz filed their brief in Hudson View Park Company v. Town of Fishkill before the New York State Court of Appeals—New York’s highest court. Z&S’s appeal arrives at a pivotal moment in the state’s intensifying housing crisis and poses key questions about a builder’s pursuit of residential...