Erica Edwards, Esq. Law Offices, LLC

Effective Land Use Representation

Knowing the law – the statutes and the cases – is just the start. Even years of experience practicing land use law may not be enough. In this firm’s opinion, truly effective land use lawyering is about being able to think like a land use board member, the way someone with years of first-hand board experience thinks, and then about putting that insider’s perspective to work to achieve clients’ goals.

Truly effective representation on land use and zoning matters is about intuitively understanding how planning and zoning boards make decisions. It’s about understanding first-hand who and what influences board members to vote a particular way on an application. It’s about being able to think like a board member and, accordingly, being able to predict with reasonable accuracy how the planning or zoning board will react to any given element of a client’s presentation, These are skills that an attorney with years of experience as a planning and zoning board member, and as an elected official, can offer.

Truly effective representation on land use and zoning matters is also about understanding the roles of the municipal officials who influence a municipality’s planning and zoning decisions. It’s about understanding first-hand how the zoning officer makes decisions, who and what has the potential to influence him or her and about knowing how to work with the zoning officer to achieve the client’s desired results. It’s about understanding the roles of the municipality’s engineering and planning professionals and the influence that these individuals have on planning and zoning board decisions.

Contact us today if you need legal assistance with any of the following: 

• Development and redevelopment planning;
• Preparation of applications for development and redevelopment inclusive of applications for major and minor site plan and subdivision approval, and applications for individual variances;
• Appearances before planning boards, zoning boards and other governmental and administrative agencies, to obtain land use approvals;
• Appeals of land use decisions, including appeals from zoning officers’ decisions, and defense of land use approvals;
• Advocacy in State and federal court on matters relating to zoning, condemnation and other land use issues; and
• Consultative services provided to property owners on land use and zoning matters, including negotiations with zoning officers, code enforcement officials and other municipal staff, professionals and elected officials.

Call 888-699-8088 today to arrange your free initial consultation.