News & Analysis as of

Appeals State and Local Government Zoning Laws

Nossaman LLP

Sheetz Loses Again: Legislatively Enacted Fees Satisfy Nolan/Dollan

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In 2024, in what was heralded as a big win for developers in California, the U.S. Supreme Court upended decades of California precedent and held that legislatively enacted development impact fees must satisfy the “essential...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Solar Panel Array/Siting: New Hampshire Supreme Court Applies State Solar Development Statute

The Supreme Court of New Hampshire (“Court”) addressed in April 9, 2024 Opinion issues arising out of the installation of a solar array. See Mojalaki Holdings, LLC. v. City of Franklin, 2024 N.H. 17, 2024 WL 1514612 (N.H....more

Hinckley Allen

Massachusetts Appeals Court Curbs Zoning Board Discretion in Special Permit Denial

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The various approvals, permits, orders of conditions, and the like that may be required to proceed with work on a given project can seem daunting at times.  And when a project’s proposed use is not automatically authorized...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Energy & Climate Counsel

MA Appeals Court Sets New Precedent Protecting Solar Development in Local Permitting

A recent decision of the Massachusetts Appeals Court sets an important precedent in favor of solar development in the Commonwealth. In Sunpin Energy Services, LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Petersham, the court unanimously...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Arlington Missing Middle Ordinance is Void Again — For Now

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In another twist to Arlington’s Missing Middle saga, on July 8, 2025, the Virginia Court of Appeals set aside its ruling from two weeks earlier reinstating Arlington County’s Expanded Housing Option (EHO) ordinance and...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Ohio House Bill 113, 136th General Assembly, Regular Session

Ohio law empowers real property owners, acting collectively, to petition their local board of county commissioners to annex real property out of a township and into a municipality. If the subject property is less than 500...more

Alston & Bird

Land Use Matters | May 2025 | CEQA Appellate Decisions & Other Legal Developments

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City of Los Angeles - Expedited and Streamlined Review Process for Community Rebuilding - On March 18, 2025, Mayor Karen Bass issued Revised Emergency Executive Order No. 1 (EO 1) directing the Department of City Planning,...more

Nossaman LLP

Inverse Condemnation Liability Does Not Extend to Failure to Prevent Actions of Another Party

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Can a public entity be held liable for inverse condemnation when it fails to prevent another party from causing damage to private property?  This one is pretty simple:  the answer is no....more

Whiteford

Client Alert: Updates on Developments in “Missing Middle” Housing Policies - UPDATED 4/30/25

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Recent legal and policy developments continue to shape the landscape for “Missing Middle” housing initiatives, impacting developers, municipalities, and communities alike. Arlington County's Expanded Housing Option (EHO)...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Cultivator Not Entitled to Use Easement for Cannabis Purposes Absent Landowner Consent

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On October 29, 2024, the Second District Court of Appeals of California decided against the County of Santa Barbara (“the county”) in JCCRandall LLC v. County of Santa Barbara. The Court held, contrary to popular belief, that...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Legal Guidance Can Be Key in Navigating Rhode Island Land Use Matters

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Land use matters in Rhode Island are often challenging to interpreappt and navigate. In fact, the Ocean State is known for having among the most restrictive policies for zoning and land use control in the U.S. It’s not hard...more

Alston & Bird

Land Use Matters February 2025 | CEQA Appellate Decisions & Other Legal Developments

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Los Angeles County - Executive Order Streamlines Path to Rebuild Homes, Businesses, and Communities Destroyed by Los Angeles Firestorms - In response to the multiple firestorms in Los Angeles County that started on January 7,...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

The 60-Day Appeal Clock is Ticking for Challenges to Oregon Wildfire Hazard Map Assignments

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Oregon property owners who are receiving notices from the state that their property is in a zone with high wildfire risk and in a designated wildland-urban interface have until March 7, 2025 to submit appeals. ...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Appeals Court Shines Light on Solar Panel Protections

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Kearsarge Walpole LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Walpole involved a dispute over where a large-scale solar array could be placed in Walpole, Massachusetts. In Kearsarge, a solar developer (Kearsarge), along with Norfolk...more

Lowndes

Recent Court Decisions Highlight Zoning Enforcement Challenges

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The Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, sitting in its appellate capacity, recently found in two similar cases that Miami-Dade County violated property owners’ due process rights by citing them for code violations using...more

Carlton Fields

Zoning Appeals: Have We Been Doing This Wrong for 30 Years?

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Since the end of 1993, Florida land use and zoning lawyers have been taught the basics: a rezoning hearing is quasi-judicial in nature and appeals of the decision go to circuit court on certiorari review. Why is this? Because...more

Sullivan & Worcester

Zoning and Development Newsletter - January 2024

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Welcome to the Third Issue of Sullivan’s Zoning and Development Newsletter- This newsletter is a collaboration between members of our Permitting & Land Use Practice Group and the Litigation Department, in order to provide...more

Sullivan & Worcester

Zoning and Development Newsletter - July 2023

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Sullivan's Permitting & Land Use Practice Group and Litigation Department have released the second issue of their Zoning and Development Newsletter. The publication aims to provide our firm's clients and others interested...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Stick It Where the Sun Don’t Shine: Land Use Challenges Siting Large-Scale Ground-Mounted Solar Projects

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Federal and state authorities throughout the country have adopted pro-renewable energy policy goals to promote the growth of alternative energy sources using climate-friendly technologies. With the passage of the Inflation...more

Perkins Coie

Ban on Short-Term Rentals Required Coastal Commission Approval

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The Court of Appeal held that absent a distinction between short- and long-term rentals, both are permitted under city zoning ordinances, and any ban on short-term rentals that changes the status quo is an amendment that...more

Perkins Coie

Action Challenging Restrictions on Short-Term Vacation Rentals Was Barred by 90-Day Statute of Limitations

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The Court of Appeal held that an action to set aside an ordinance restricting short-term vacation rentals on the ground of failure to obtain a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) was barred by the 90-day statute of limitations...more

Perkins Coie

Court Upholds California Law Limiting Local Governments’ Ability to Deny Housing Development Applications

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In a major recent decision, the California Court of Appeal rejected a city’s interpretation of what constitutes an “objective” standard under the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), Government Code section 65589.5, and upheld...more

Pierce Atwood LLP

Mass. Appeals Court Imports Chapter 40A Presumption of Standing into Boston Zoning Enabling Act

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A recent decision of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, Porter v. Board of Appeal of Boston (pdf), addressed the question of standing to appeal a variance granted by the Board of Appeal of Boston (“BOA”). Zoning in Boston is...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Massachusetts’ New Economic Relief Bill – What Enabling Partnerships for Growth Means for Local Zoning

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On January 14, 2021, Governor Baker signed the Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth (the “Act”). Although Governor Baker vetoed specific parts of the Act, it includes a number of provisions that affect local zoning....more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

NY Court of Appeals Decides Who Gets Access to Required “Open Space”

This past week, in a 4 to 3 decision, New York’s highest court – the Court of Appeals – decided an important New York City land use question regarding how “open space” is accessed by residents on a zoning lot with multiple...more

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