Land Use & Zoning Law
Environmental Law
Real Estate Matters
LAND USE AND ZONING LAW
The Hudson River Valley is extraordinarily rich in natural beauty and steeped in history. As part of the New York City metropolitan area, the Hudson Valley is also home to a dynamic and growing economy. Throughout the Hudson Valley, a constant tension exists as communities seek to negotiate a balance between preserving and protecting open space, scenic views, historic sites, and livable communities with the need to cultivate and sustain economic vitality. Thus, proposed development and zoning and land use laws are frequent sources of controversy. This ongoing contest between individual property rights and public interests in controlling the impact of land use now touches, in some way, virtually all land owners and municipalities.
Grant & Lyons represents clients whose interests reach across the entire spectrum of zoning and land use law.
We represent a variety of municipal clients such as Town or Village Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeal. We provide counseling to them in the following areas:
zoning legislation
procedures regarding the enactment of zoning legislation (Town and Village Boards)
application of zoning laws (Planning Boards)
application of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and issues surrounding environmental impact statements (Planning Boards)
interpretation of zoning laws (Zoning Boards of Appeal)
enforcement of zoning laws (Zoning Enforcement Officers or Administrators)
litigation in all courts on zoning and land use issues
We also represent homeowners, citizens' groups, and other individuals and organizations concerned about the legality or impact of a proposed development or project. We assist these clients by crafting strategies to assure that municipalities and developers follow provisions of the applicable zoning and environmental laws. We also help them in formulating and delivering the factual and legal arguments necessary to seek the maximum protection of their rights. We have appeared for these clients before Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeal as well as litigating on their behalf in the courts.
Finally, we also represent landowners and those seeking to develop real property. For these clients we provide services in the following areas:
Providing pre-project analysis by helping to identify zoning and environmental impact issues and obstacles.
Evaluating the potential effect of these factors on the cost and feasibility of a given project.
Designing solutions to problems raised by these factors.
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Our practice encompasses all aspects of environmental law. Years of teaching environmental law at the law school and graduate school level ensure the highest quality in our advice and counsel. The partners have extensive experience representing clients in a wide and diverse range of environment-related legal issues involving:
environmental impacts of development,
brownfields issues, including participation in voluntary brownfields remediation programs,
conservation and historic preservation, including conservation easements,
wetlands,
mining and reclamation,
damage to natural resources,
pollution and contamination of air, water and soil,
private and public nuisance,
solid waste management,
enforcement of environmental laws by government agencies,
petroleum spills,
insurance coverage for pollution and environmental damage,
cellular telephone towers.
Additionally, we have advised clients on laws such as SEQRA, NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and other environmental compliance regulations. The firm has extensive experience in representing clients in connection with permitting and enforcement matters involving the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Grant & Lyons counsels clients regarding environmental issues in land and business development, including complex regulatory issues. We are experienced in handling major federal and New York State "Superfund" litigation. We have also represented participants in New York State's Voluntary Cleanup Program for New York brownfields. For years we have worked closely with groundwater experts, hydrogeologists and other expert consultants in evaluating properties with environmental issues. We have directed environmental audits, and have supervised remediation when environmental concerns have been identified. Our environmental clients include corporations, government agencies, national and regional environmental groups, as well as many individuals.
REAL ESTATE MATTERS
Grant & Lyons maintains a strong practice in the field of real estate. Our expertise includes: representing sellers and purchasers of both commercial and residential property; distressed property issues; and seller financing. At Grant & Lyons, we are aware of both the financial and emotional importance of real estate transactions to our clients. Hence, in contrast to many "closing factory" real estate law firms, at Grant & Lyons our real estate clients receive careful, personal, "hands on" attention from the partners in all substantive aspects of the transaction. The services rendered by our firm in this field will appeal most to those clients to whom high quality representation is an important value.
Environmental Law
Real Estate Matters
LAND USE AND ZONING LAW
The Hudson River Valley is extraordinarily rich in natural beauty and steeped in history. As part of the New York City metropolitan area, the Hudson Valley is also home to a dynamic and growing economy. Throughout the Hudson Valley, a constant tension exists as communities seek to negotiate a balance between preserving and protecting open space, scenic views, historic sites, and livable communities with the need to cultivate and sustain economic vitality. Thus, proposed development and zoning and land use laws are frequent sources of controversy. This ongoing contest between individual property rights and public interests in controlling the impact of land use now touches, in some way, virtually all land owners and municipalities.
Grant & Lyons represents clients whose interests reach across the entire spectrum of zoning and land use law.
We represent a variety of municipal clients such as Town or Village Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeal. We provide counseling to them in the following areas:
zoning legislation
procedures regarding the enactment of zoning legislation (Town and Village Boards)
application of zoning laws (Planning Boards)
application of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and issues surrounding environmental impact statements (Planning Boards)
interpretation of zoning laws (Zoning Boards of Appeal)
enforcement of zoning laws (Zoning Enforcement Officers or Administrators)
litigation in all courts on zoning and land use issues
We also represent homeowners, citizens' groups, and other individuals and organizations concerned about the legality or impact of a proposed development or project. We assist these clients by crafting strategies to assure that municipalities and developers follow provisions of the applicable zoning and environmental laws. We also help them in formulating and delivering the factual and legal arguments necessary to seek the maximum protection of their rights. We have appeared for these clients before Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeal as well as litigating on their behalf in the courts.
Finally, we also represent landowners and those seeking to develop real property. For these clients we provide services in the following areas:
Providing pre-project analysis by helping to identify zoning and environmental impact issues and obstacles.
Evaluating the potential effect of these factors on the cost and feasibility of a given project.
Designing solutions to problems raised by these factors.
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Our practice encompasses all aspects of environmental law. Years of teaching environmental law at the law school and graduate school level ensure the highest quality in our advice and counsel. The partners have extensive experience representing clients in a wide and diverse range of environment-related legal issues involving:
environmental impacts of development,
brownfields issues, including participation in voluntary brownfields remediation programs,
conservation and historic preservation, including conservation easements,
wetlands,
mining and reclamation,
damage to natural resources,
pollution and contamination of air, water and soil,
private and public nuisance,
solid waste management,
enforcement of environmental laws by government agencies,
petroleum spills,
insurance coverage for pollution and environmental damage,
cellular telephone towers.
Additionally, we have advised clients on laws such as SEQRA, NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and other environmental compliance regulations. The firm has extensive experience in representing clients in connection with permitting and enforcement matters involving the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Grant & Lyons counsels clients regarding environmental issues in land and business development, including complex regulatory issues. We are experienced in handling major federal and New York State "Superfund" litigation. We have also represented participants in New York State's Voluntary Cleanup Program for New York brownfields. For years we have worked closely with groundwater experts, hydrogeologists and other expert consultants in evaluating properties with environmental issues. We have directed environmental audits, and have supervised remediation when environmental concerns have been identified. Our environmental clients include corporations, government agencies, national and regional environmental groups, as well as many individuals.
REAL ESTATE MATTERS
Grant & Lyons maintains a strong practice in the field of real estate. Our expertise includes: representing sellers and purchasers of both commercial and residential property; distressed property issues; and seller financing. At Grant & Lyons, we are aware of both the financial and emotional importance of real estate transactions to our clients. Hence, in contrast to many "closing factory" real estate law firms, at Grant & Lyons our real estate clients receive careful, personal, "hands on" attention from the partners in all substantive aspects of the transaction. The services rendered by our firm in this field will appeal most to those clients to whom high quality representation is an important value.