ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PERMITTING LAW: LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACTS Introduction to New York’s Environmental Justice Permitting Law On December 31, 2022, Governor Hochul signed New York’s Environmental Justice Permitting Bill (S8830) into law, which will go into effect in June 2023. This law updates New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”), which requires…
Solar Leases: Landowner Considerations Background Solar developers are currently seeking parcels of land in New York State that are suitable for installing solar arrays. If a solar developer offers you a lease agreement, you want to ensure that the terms of the lease are fair and clearly identify who is responsible for certain obligations. Attorneys…
KINGSTON’S NEW ZONING PLAN ADDRESSES HOUSING ISSUES Despite widely held consensus that the Hudson Valley is experiencing an unprecedented housing crisis, there is little in the way of public agreement on the best way to go about addressing it. As a result, a patchwork of legislative solutions have hit the books in municipalities across the…
OPEN MEETINGS LAW AMENDED TO PERMIT SOME REMOTE ATTENDANCE The Open Meetings Law was recently amended to permit public bodies to use videoconferencing to conduct open meetings under “extraordinary circumstances” without there being a declared state disaster emergency in effect. Public bodies seeking to use remote attendance must adopt a local law or ordinance to…
HOUSING – THE OVERLOOKED INFRASTRUCTURE The United States is experiencing a critical shortage of affordable housing opportunities. According to a recent publication of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) titled “The Doubled Trouble of the Housing Market,” we are experiencing the double whammy of record high home prices and record low inventory of available homes….
BALANCING THE SHORT-TERM RENTALS MARKET IN THE HUDSON VALLEY Over the last few years, the Hudson Valley and Catskills has become a very popular short-term rental (STR) market and part of the national debate about their merits and shortcomings. While many residents that operate STRs experience financial success and help bring visitors to their area,…
YES WE CAN ATTRACT HIGH TECH DEVELOPMENT as it appears in the Summer Edition of the Sullivan County Partnership’s “In the Know” Magazine – July 1, 2021 When most people think of the land use and zoning process in New York State, the picture that comes to mind is a stop sign, or at the…
HOUSING THE HUDSON VALLEY as it appears in the Senior Gazette Housing the Hudson Valley, as it appears in the Senior Gazette, written by John C. Cappello, Esq., Partner, J&G and Joe Czajka, Senior Vice President of Research, Development & Community Planning and Executive Director Center for Housing Solutions and Community Initiatives, Hudson Valley Pattern…
HOUSING THE HUDSON VALLEY as it appears in the Sullivan County Partnership’s In The Know Magazine 3/10/21 By John C. Cappello, Partner, J&G, LLP (www.jglaw.law) and Joe Czajka, Senior Vice President for Research, Development, and Community Planning, Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress (www.pattern-for-progress.com) Over the last several years the Hudson Valley has experienced significant commercial…
What is one to do when the Building Inspector denies you a building permit or says you are violating the zoning law? You can modify your plans of course, but what if you can’t afford to do so or are physically unable to modify them? What if you think the building inspector made a mistake?…
