Zoning law on the eastern end of Long Island is a complicated morass of both Town, County, State, and Federal regulations that are designed to regulate how private property owners develop and use their land. The area of zoning law is complicated in both substance and procedure and, unfortunately, makes it difficult for individual property owners to properly analyze their future land use plans or implement them. Since 1999, Denise’s practice has focused on the intricacies of these regulations as they apply to both residential and commercial development. Representing both municipalities and private property owners, she has a dual perspective on how these matters play out from the design phase to the development phase.
She has also been instrumental in her position of Sag Harbor Village Attorney in trying to stream-line the variance process and to educate the public and other practitioners to make the process less intimidating, difficult, and cumbersome. She maintains office hours in Sag Harbor Village Hall every other Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm (please call our office to make an appointment) to help as many individuals as possible through the process. In addition to assisting applicants, she also assists community and neighborhood organizations, which often provide an invaluable service to residents by monitoring and participating in the regulatory approval process. The laws of zoning are designed to strike a balance between the benefit to the landowner in developing his or her property and the potential detriment to the community as a result of that development. Accordingly, as a Village Attorney, Denise also strikes a balance in assisting both groups of stakeholders in navigating the regulatory process.
Based on Denise’s extensive experience in this area of law, she is uniquely qualified to guide you through the substantive and the procedural aspects of (a) obtaining subdivision approvals, (b) obtaining site plan application approvals, (c) obtaining zoning variances, (d) appealing or defending building inspector’s interpretations before the Zoning Board of Appeals, and (e) obtaining environmental permits. Please contact her if you need assistance with matters before the Town Trustees, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board, the Architectural Review Board, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and/or the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
Beyond her understanding and knowledge of the law, her land use practice encompasses an awareness of good planning, including a keen recognition that zoning applications, particularly those involving environmental issues, often involves technical knowledge that requires retention of appropriate experts. Compiling, coordinating, and counseling a proper team of experts, while not required in all cases, can be the difference between an approval or a denial of a complicated or controversial application. With years of experience and a background of local knowledge and expertise, Denise can properly guide you and your team through the permitting process.