Author: Patrick J. McNamara

Appellate Division Rules Distant Neighbor Can Challenge Zoning Approval

Appellate Division Rules Distant Neighbor Can Challenge Zoning Approval

In DiMarco v. Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Borough of Edgewater and Three Y LLC, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court ruled that a resident who lives approximately 2½ miles from a proposed development project can pursue a late lawsuit challenging a municipal zoning approval. In

What NJ Municipalities Need to Know About US Supreme Court’s Sign Ordinance Decision

What NJ Municipalities Need to Know About US Supreme Court’s Sign Ordinance Decision

In City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the City of Austin’s sign ordinance, which regulates “off-premises” signs more strictly than “on-premises” signs, was facially content-neutral. Accordingly, the Court remanded the case to the lower court to apply intermediate rather than

NJ Appeals Court Highlights Importance of Timeliness When Challenging Planning Board Decisions

NJ Appeals Court Highlights Importance of Timeliness When Challenging Planning Board Decisions

In Hassan v. Borough of Emerson, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court held that a plaintiff’s complaint in lieu of prerogative writs challenging a resolution granting site approval for a redevelopment project was time-barred because it was not filed within the required 45-day period. The court’s decision

NJ Appeals Court Again Upholds Denial of Digital Billboard on New Jersey Turnpike

NJ Appeals Court Again Upholds Denial of Digital Billboard on New Jersey Turnpike

Digital billboards continue to spur land use litigation in New Jersey. In Klein Outdoor Advertising, Inc. v. City of Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court upheld a zoning board’s decision to deny an application to construct a digital billboard on property

Understanding How You May Be Impacted by the Permit Extension Act of 2020

On July 1, 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy signed the “Permit Extension Act of 2020” into law. The new law (Assembly Bill No. 3919) extends certain permits, approvals, and deadlines for the duration of the public health emergency associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The law took effect immediately and is retroactive to

NJ Appeals Court Vacates Approval of Application Amended by Zoning Board

In 440 Company-Carriage House, LP v. Zoning Bd. of Adjustment for the Borough of Palisades Park, the Appellate Division vacated the zoning approvals for a high-rise building to be constructed in Palisades Park. The appeals court found that the zoning board’s approval of an application modified sua sponte by the board’s chairman was arbitrary,

Court Strikes Down NJ Zoning Law Governing Alzheimer’s Residences

Court Strikes Down NJ Zoning Law Governing Alzheimer’s Residences

In Blake Gardens, LLC v. State of New Jersey, U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan of the District of New Jersey struck down a New Jersey law that reclassified Alzheimer’s residences as health care facilities and placed them under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health (DOH). The law, New Jersey P.L. 2015 c.