Governor Hochul’s Pro-Housing Community Program The past few years have been a rocky time for the housing market in the Hudson Valley, to say the least. With this year’s record high interest rates for mortgages and homes still listed at double or triple what they last sold for, the market doesn’t seem to be offering…
What the New York State Climate Leadership Community Protection Act means for New Yorkers: Insights from an Attorney The New York State Climate Leadership Community Protection Act (CLCPA) adopted in 2019 represents a concerted effort by the New York legislature to combat the effects of climate change. The purpose of the CLCPA is to…
Implications of the Supreme Court Ruling on Wetland Regulation Under Clean Water Act. SCOTUS Wetland Case: Sackett v. EPA On May 25, 2023, the Supreme Court came down with a ruling that limits the power of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to regulate activity surrounding wetlands under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). The Court’s…
SEEDING OPPORTUNITY INITIATIVE: NYS CANNABIS UPDATE On March 10, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the first-in-the-nation Seeding Opportunity Initiative, which will position individuals with prior cannabis-related criminal offenses to make the first adult-use cannabis sales of New York-grown products. This farm-to-store initiative makes sales in New York possible before the end of 2022. This initiative…
GOVERNOR HOCHUL SIGNS CONDITIONAL ADULT-USE CANNABIS CULTIVATION BILL Continuing the New York State Office of Cannabis Management’s momentum, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation creating a new type of adult-use cannabis license, the “Conditional Adult-Use Cannabis Cultivation” license. This license establishes a “fast-track” path for existing NYS hemp farmers to apply for a conditional license to…
MAKING ACESSORY DWELLING UNIT’S WORK FOR YOU Granny pods. Elder cottages. ECHO housing. No matter what you call them, there is no question: accessory dwelling units (“ADUs” for short) are a booming trend for affordable senior living (as well as a reliable source of passive income) in the Hudson Valley. These spaces traditionally function as…
AN IMPORTANT TIP FOR MUNICIPALITIES USING ZOOM FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS UNDER NYS GOVERNOR’S GUIDANCE Following Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.6, many municipalities are using Zoom to comply with the requirement that remote meetings be made available to the public. We want you to be aware of one potential complication of doing so. Today’s Daily Freeman…
Planning to cancel a public board meeting due to COVID concerns? You can conference call instead (but do it the right way.) A core principle of the Open Meetings Law (OML) is that public bodies must conduct public business in public. Amid widespread public health concern about public gatherings,that principle is adapting to the Coronavirus emergency….
A New YIMBYs (Yes In My Backyard) Perspective on Housing Recently, the New York Times published a very interesting and informative article by Conor Dougherty chronicling the efforts of a group of people in California to reexamine some of the common assumptions related to the need for dense residential developments in our communities. Mr. Dougherty…
NYSDOH Finally Releases New Hemp Regulations
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RELEASES NEW HEMP REGULATIONS As with almost all areas of American society, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed ‘pause’ on anticipated regulatory changes to the New York State hemp industry. December 2019 saw new hemp laws that split hemp permits into defined categories with more legislation regarding quality standards, labeling requirements,…