Recent Events

Twenty-second Annual
Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference

The Land Use Law Center is pleased to announceheld its 22nd annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference on December 7 - 8, 2023. This year’s conference theme was Balancing Economic Realities with Environmental and Social Concerns.

As in previous years, the Land Use Law Center developed a conference program that showcased innovative best practices in land use and sustainable development.

Additional highlights of the conference included:

  • The Founders Award Reception on Thursday, December 7.
  • Featured sessions on comprehensive and environmental plans and tools, affordable green housing, takings law and case updates, ethics in law and planning, resiliency and energy and so much more.
  • 30th Anniversary Celebration Reception


For more information, please visit our conference page.

When: December 7 and 8, 2023
Where: Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, White Plains, NY


Sixth Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit
Compacts and Crises – Practical plans to address the Housing Shortage

The 6th Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit, using the Governor’s Housing Compact as a starting point,  will explore practical strategies for addressing the housing crisis in our area, through Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Auxiliary Dwelling Units (ADUs) and collaborative local strategies for identifying sites and developing housing.  Emphasis will be on practical considerations, available resources, and implementable strategies.

There will be a light Breakfast and time to network. 

For more information and to register click here.

When: May 11, 2023, 8:00AM - 12:15PM
Where: NYS Judicial Institute at Haub Law, White Plains, NY


Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program
Fishkill Creek Watershed

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance and Pace University’s Land Use Law Center will be bringing the award-winning Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) training program to municipalities in the Fishkill Creek watershed in the spring of 2023.

As a municipality within the Fishkill Creek, we would like to extend an invitation for your community to participate in this free training. A list of eligible municipalities and map of the watershed areas can be found by clicking here.

The LULA program is a three-day course. The training teaches local leaders how to develop sound and balanced strategies to accomplish policy objectives and to carry them out effectively. The content for this training will focus specifically on land use, watersheds, and climate change adaptation. The program will help leaders create new networks of support, identify land use techniques, and develop implementable local strategies to enable watershed protection and development that is protective of water resources.

Each community will leave the program with a trained leadership group, as well as an implementation plan to document next steps on watershed protection or climate resiliency. The Land Use Law Center will create gap analyses for each participating community regarding their water resource goals and current zoning and comprehensive plan language.

The LULA program will be held from 9 AM-3 PM on April 28, May 5, and May 12 at the Beacon Institute for River and Estuaries at Clarkson University located at 199 Dennings Ave., Beacon, New York 12508. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day. After the training, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance will facilitate a follow-up meeting to support next steps, with the timing and structure to be determined based on the needs identified during the LULA.

We are looking for your assistance to nominate and encourage leaders from your community to participate in the training. Ideally, 2-4 leaders would attend from each municipality and participate for the full three-day program. Local leaders may include chairs and members of the legislative body, planning and zoning board members, Conservation Advisory Committee members, Climate Smart Communities Task Force members, administrative board members, members of other local bodies involved in the land use process, watershed group members, local landowners, developers, business leaders, community activists, and representatives of civic and environmental groups.

If you are interested in attending, and meet the residential and attendance requirements, please complete and return an application.

We are excited to bring this training to the Fishkill Creek watershed and look forward to working with your municipality. If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact Tiffany at 914-422-4034, tzezula@law.pace.edu or Emily Vail at 845-224-3252, emily@hudsonwatershed.org.

When: April 28, May 5 and May 12, 2023, 9:00AM - 3:00PM (you must be able to attend all 3 dates)
Where: Beacon Institute for River and Estuaries at Clarkson University, Beacon, NY


Twenty-first Annual
Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference

The Land Use Law Center held the 21st annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference on December 8, 2022. This year’s conference theme was Land Use Under Siege: Revisiting Well Grounded.

The Founder’s Award Dinner was held on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.  The pre-conference reception and networking event was held at Haub Law School at Pace University, Tudor Room, 78 North Broadway, White Plain, NY.  This year we honored the Founder’s Award Recipient, John R. Nolon.

Twenty years ago, land use was well grounded. Local leaders were able to make steady progress to further environmental protection, sustainable development and the revitalization of cities and urban villages. Through optimistic guides to problem solving, using innovative land use laws, Professor John Nolon championed these efforts. Since then, localities have been challenged to address fair housing, a pandemic, shocking revelations of our racist history, threats of preemption of local power, and the ravages of climate change. The challenges today are much greater than in 2001 when Well Grounded: Using Local Land Use Authority to Achieve Smart Growth was first published. A new approach to properly using local land use power is needed. The conference is dedicated to furthering this exploration and to the prolific body of work of Professor John Nolon.

To access video recordings visit our Conference Page.

When: December 7 and 8, 2022
Where: Pace Law School, White Plains, NY


Combating the Westchester Houisng Crisis
A Forum for Activists at Pace Land Use Law Center

Westchester County faces a severe housing shortage, which heavily impacts seniors, millennials, working families, people of color, and those with disabilities, and impedes our ability to grow the local economy, to combat climate change, and to promote racial justice.  Hear from experts about what our housing shortage looks like across the county, what caused it, what steps local electeds are taking to address it, and brainstorm what role all of us can play in being part of the solution!

When: October 27, 2022, 6:30PM - 9:00PM
Where: Judicial Institute at Pace Law School, White Plains, NY


Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program
Esopus Creek and Rondout Creek Watersheds

The Hudson River Watershed Alliance and Pace University’s Land Use Law Center will be bringing the award-winning Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) training program to municipalities in the Esopus Creek and Rondout Creek watersheds.

If your municipality includes the Esopus Creek watershed and/or Rondout Creek watershed. We would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in this free training.  A list of eligible municipalities can be found by clicking here.

The LULA program is a three-day course. The training teaches local leaders how to develop sound and balanced strategies to accomplish policy objectives and to carry them out effectively. The content for this training will focus specifically on land use, watersheds, and climate change adaptation. The program will help leaders create new networks of support, identify land use techniques, and develop implementable local strategies to enable watershed protection and development that is protective of water resources.

Each LULA is designed to meet the needs of the communities. Both watersheds are facing changing development pressure and complex water issues. Our goal for this program in particular is to coordinate closely with other initiatives in these watersheds, using the LULA to share valuable content and support these projects. The LULA will provide valuable content relevant to the Lower Esopus Creek Watershed Management Plan and the Ulster County Natural Resource Inventory mapping project, which are both starting in late summer 2022. Participation in the LULA program will enhance communities’ ability to make the most of these important projects.

In addition, each community participating will leave the program with a trained leadership group, as well as an implementation plan to document next steps on watershed protection or climate resiliency. The Land Use Law Center will create gap analyses for each participating community regarding their water resource goals and current zoning and comprehensive plan language.

The LULA program will be held from 9 AM-3 PM on September 22, October 6, and October 20 at the Town of Rosendale Recreation Community Center (located at 1055 Route 32, Rosendale, NY). Lunch will be provided each day. After the training, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance will facilitate a follow-up meeting to support next steps, with the timing and structure to be determined based on the needs identified during the LULA.

This project is funded by a grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

When: September 22, October 6 and October 20, 2022, 9:00AM - 3:00PM (you must be able to attend all 3 dates)
Where: Town of Rosendale Recreation Community Center, Rosendale, NY


Health Law and Policy Summit
Unblurring the Lines in Healthcare: Understanding Key Legal Issues for Operations and Transactions and for the Delivery of Care

Join Elisabeth Haub School of Law professors as they clarify the practice of healthcare for lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners who seek to respond to everyday operations, transactional, and delivery of care challenges and emerging issues. Learn how healthcare organizations can meet their current responsibilities, prepare for public health challenges, and seek more equitable health policies.

For more information and to register click here.

When: May 18, 2022, 8:00AM - 12:00PM
Where: NY Judicial Institute at Pace Law, White Plains, NY and Virtually


Fifth Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit
Hudson Valley Housing and Development –  Planning to Stay - Aging and Resiliency

New York’s population is aging and the climate is changing– causing regular and devastating extreme weather events.  The Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit will consider these realities in the context of creating and ensuring livable communities and affordable housing.   Panel discussions from planners, advocates, developers, government officials and funders will explore best practices, lessons learned and available resources for increasing and improving affordable housing.  There will be a light Breakfast and time to network. 

For more information and to register click here.

When: May 12, 2022, 8:00AM - 12:30PM
Where: Pace Law, White Plains, NY and Virtually


Advancing Your Community's Placemaking Goals
Session II

Session II of ULI/WLI’s multi-part series on placemaking will focus on implementation tools to create welcoming, lively, walkable, sustainable, and vibrant places where people want to live, work, visit, and explore. This session will feature a panel of community leaders and economic development experts. The panel will discuss municipal tools such as the use of zoning, comprehensive plans, and special area plans to set community priorities, target funding opportunities, and attract new uses. It will address short, medium, and long-term implementation techniques and strategies. The panel will highlight economic benefits and incentives for implementing placemaking activities – be it a small-scale seasonal pop-up use or permanent improvements to the public realm. The panel will also identify financial tools and agencies that municipalities can engage to facilitate placemaking, such as grants, business improvement districts, and industrial development agencies..

For more information and to register click here.

When: April 6, 2022, 12:00-1:30PM
Where: ZOOM


Twentieth Annual
Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference

The Land Use Law Center is pleased to announce the 20th annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference. Scheduled for December 9, 2021, this year’s conference theme is Rx for Land Use Reform: Meeting the Challenge in a Time of Crisis.  

The viral pandemic has challenged the land use system to create safe sites and buildings to protect the public health and stabilize neighborhoods. This pandemic is exacerbated by three other dynamic forces that equally threaten public health: climate change, housing insecurity, and racial discrimination. The conference will explore how to meet the growing challenge of these four “pandemics” through land use policy and regulation innovation.

For more information visit our Conference Page.

When: December 9, 2021
Where: Pace Law School, White Plains, NY


Fourth Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit
Strengthening our Communities through Affordable Housing

The Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Virtual Summit will discuss new and innovative strategies for increasing affordable housing through partnership and practices in real estate, health, finance, and services. Experts from community development, lending, real estate, land use and hospitals will come together for a two topic session on preserving affordable housing and leveraging the health-housing network. Join us for the morning sessions. CLE and land use board member credits are available. 

For More information please click here.

When: May 11 and May 12, 2021
Where: Virtually via ZOOM


Westchester Municipal Planning Federation - Land Use Training Institute

Planning & Zoning Board Case Law Update

The WMPF Land Use Training Institute is the best way to keep up with your local certification and training requirements and the latest issues and trends.  This session earns one and one-half credit hours. A Certificate of Completion will be issued. 
*1.5 CLE Practice Credits are available for this program through the Pace Land Use Law Center.  You must indicate at the time of online registration that you are requesting CLE credits.  Prior to the program, please send a check in the amount of $70, payable to Land Use Law Center, 78 North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603.

SPEAKERS:
Linda B. Whitehead, Esq., McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt, LLP
Janet J. Giris, Esq, DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP

When: March 25, 2021
Where: 6:30pm - 8:00pm via Zoom

MATERIAL:
Agenda
Material


Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program
Long Island Sound Watershed

With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, municipalities within the Long Island Sound Watershed have been invited to participate in an upcoming land use training program. This Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program (LULA) is intended for local leaders who have a commitment to water quality and quantity, recreation and drinking water, and who are interested in implementing land use regulations and policy that address those water resource and resiliency issues.  The hope is each community will leave the training program with a fully trained leadership group, as well as a preliminary implementation plan or strategy regarding watershed protection or resiliency. The program is a six-day online course that is based on a “train the trainer” model, through which participants are empowered to share their program experience with others. The Center will also be creating resiliency audits for each participating community regarding their resiliency goals and current zoning and comprehensive plan language.

When:  Two-hours on the mornings of October 7, October 14, October 21, October 28, November 4 and 11
Where: via ZOOM


Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program
Meeting Local and Regional Fair & Affordable Housing Needs

Sessions include presentations from regional planners, developers, attorneys and public engagement specialists. Skilled facilitators will conduct breakout exercises and guide group discussions. Participants will virtually tour new affordable housing sites and meet developers and community reps. Curriculum will be tailored to those that register. Participants must register in advance for this free program. CLE credits for attorneys (fee of $20 per credits) and Training Certificates for local board members. All sessions to take place via Zoom. Limited spots available in order to facilitate dialogue appropriately. Priority will be given to new participants to the LULA program.

When:  Two-hours on the mornings of October 22, October 29, November 5, November 12, November 19 and December 3
Where: via ZOOM


Nineteenth Annual
Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference

The Land Use Law Center is pleased to announce the 19th annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference. Scheduled for December 7 - 10, 2020, this year’s conference theme is Making Progress in an Altered Landscape.  

We invite you to attend this educational event to learn about national, regional, and local innovations, challenges, and best practices.

Richard Rothstein author of the The Color of Law will deliver the virtual Keynote (Brown Bag Luncheon). Mr. Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute and a Fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He lives in California, where is a Fellow of the Haas Institute at the University of California–Berkeley. The Color of Law documents how American cities, from San Francisco to Boston, became so racially divided, as federal, state, and local governments systematically imposed residential segregation, with: undisguised racial zoning, public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities, subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs, and routing of highways to separate African American and white neighborhoods. Such programs still influence tragedies in places like Ferguson and elsewhere. Scholars have separately described many of these policies; The Color of Law uniquely brings them together to show how they interacted to create a powerful system of residential segregation in every metropolitan area. Once we understand that our racial landscape has been created and maintained “de jure,” by governmental law and policy, we can engage in a national conversation to design remedies.

As in previous years, the Land Use Law Center has been working on developing a conference program that will showcase innovative best practices in land use and sustainable development.

As always, conference participants can earn CLE, APA-CM, and New York State planning and zoning training credits.

For more information visit our Conference Page.

When: December 7 - 10, 2020
Where: Virtual Experience via ZOOM


Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing

Make Yourself Aware of All Available Opportunities For Clean Energy Investment and Business Development

Free informational event featuring a Superb Panel of experts including:
     Mackey Dykes, VP Financing, Connecticut Green Bank
     Fred Lee, Co-CEO of NYC Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC)
     Mike Doty, Director, Energy Efficiency Lending. Greenworks Lending

Co-Sponsored by NECHPI and the US DOE’s NY/NJ CHP Technical Assistance Partnership

When: May 5, 2020 at 1:00pm
Where: Webinar


Eighteenth Annual
Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference

The Land Use Law Center is pleased to announce the theme of its 2019 Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference – Building the Infrastructure for Our Sustainable Future.

We invite you to spend the day at this educational event, with more than 250 attorneys, business professionals, and local leaders in attendance to learn about national, regional, and local innovations, challenges, and best practices.

As in previous years, the Land Use Law Center has been working on developing a conference program that will showcase innovative best practices in land use and sustainable development. The Center is pleased to announce that this year’s luncheon keynote presenter will be Tom Murphy, Urban Land Institute Senior Resident and Canizaro/Klingbeil Families Chair for Urban development.  A former mayor of Pittsburgh, Mayor Murphy has extensive experience in revitalization and what drives investment and ensures long-lasting commitment.  He will be joined by the opening keynote speaker Thomas W. Smith, III, the executive director of the American Society of Civil Engineers.  Mr. Smith and ASCE will speak about future-scenario analysis that allows us to anticipate the coming changes and their effects on infrastructure and communities.

On Wednesday, December 4th, the Center will be hosting a dinner to allow local leaders and sponsors an opportunity to add to their conference experience and network with conference presenters and to honor our Founder’s Award recipient Lester D. Steinman, Esq., Partner, McCarthy Fingar, LLP and former Director of the Edwin G. Michaelian Municipal Law Resource Center of Pace University, Distinguished Young Attorney award recipient Victoria L. Polidoro, Esq., Rodenhausen Chale & Polidoro LLP and Ground Breaker’s Award recipients Kenneth and Sean Kearney, Kearney Realty & Development Group.

As always, conference participants can earn CLE, APA-CM, and New York State planning and zoning training credits.

For more information visit our Conference Page.

When: Thursday, December 5, 2019
Where: NYS Judicial Institute at Pace Law School, White Plains, NY


NYSERDA
Resources for Municipalities - Battery Energy Storage Systems

Learn how adopting the tools and best practices in the Battery Energy Storage System Guidebook will help your community prepare for energy storage project development
in a safe and efficient manner.

The workshop – sponsored by Sustainable Westchester and presented by NYSERDA – is for local officials and will:

  • present information about battery energy storage technology basics
  • identify important code considerations for project siting, and
  • offer a review of the Model Battery Energy Storage Law

* Training credits are available for municipal board members.
* Stay tuned for a separate NYSERDA technical training for code enforcement officers and first responders planned for later this summer.

When: August 7, 2019, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Where: Pace Law School, Gerber Glass Building, Moot Courtroom, 78 North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603


Land Use Law Training

ONLY 40 SPOTS!

The Sullivan County Division of Planning, Sullivan Renaissance, and the Pace Land Use Law Center are teaming up to offer a two-night workshop on community character, SEQRA, signs, and more. Please see the schedule below for more information. CLE credits will be available.

When: June 24 and June 26, 2019, 5pm - 8pm
Where: Sullivan County Emergency Services Training Center

MATERIAL:
Agenda
SEQRA
Sign Code
Gaining Ground Book

PowerPoints:
Better Town Toolkit
The Land Use System
SEQRA
Municipal Regulation of Signs
 


Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program

In the spring of 2019, with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and in partnership with the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, the Land Use Law Center of Pace Law School is preparing to conduct its award winning LULA training program for selected communities in Albany County. Conducted by the Land Use Law Center, this program is intended for local leaders who have a commitment to water quality and quantity, recreation and drinking water in the Normanskill, Vlomankill, Coeymans and Onesquethaw watersheds, and who are interested in implementing land use regulations and policy that address those water resource issues.  The hope is each community will leave the training program with a fully trained leadership group, as well as a preliminary implementation plan or strategy regarding watershed protection or resiliency. The Program is designed to help leaders create new networks of support, identify successful land use techniques, and develop implementable local strategies that will enable more watershed protection and development that is protective of water resources in the region.

When: May 10, May 31, and June 14, 2019
Where: Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY 12054


Westchester Municipal Planning Federation - 2019 Land Use Training Institute

Land Use Law Update: The SEQRA Amendments: Are they having and Impact? 
Zoning and Land Use Case Law Update
Protecting Board Decisions

The WMPF Land Use Training Institute is the best way to keep up with your local certification and training requirements and the latest issues and trends.  This session earns two credit hours. A Certificate of Completion will be issued. Free for WMPF Members* and Students with current Student ID. $40 for Non-Members.* Register Online at WMPF.ORG
*2 CLE Practice Credits are available for this program through the Pace Land Use Law Center.  You must indicate at the time of online registration that you are requesting CLE credits.  Prior to the program, please send a check for $70, payable to the "Land Use Law Center" at 78 North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Gray, Esq., Keane & Beane, P.C.
David Steinmetz, Esq., Zarin & Steinmetz
Linda B. Whitehead, Esq., McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt, LLP

When: May 15, 2019
Where: Judicial Institute at Pace Law School, Lecture Hall

MATERIAL:
Agenda
Material


Third Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit
Hudson Valley Housing and Development: Updates, Innovations and Opportunities

The Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit will provide an overview of the current state of affairs in housing and present strategies for increasing affordable housing through new partnerships in real estate, health, finance, and services. Experts from community development, lending, real estate, and the faith community will come together for three panels to discuss ways that affordable housing can be created.  CLE CREDITS AVAILABLE (2 Practice and 1 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias).

Keynote Speakers Include:  George Latimer, Westchester County Executive and  Marcus Molinaro, Dutchess County Executive

When: May 2, 2019
Where: NYS Judicial Institute at Pace Law School

Material:
Agenda 
CLE Outline 
CLE Packet



Rockland County Waterfront Planning Forum: Planning for vibrant, healthy waterfronts

We are pleased to announce another educational opportunity being co-sponsored by the Rockland Municipal Planning Federation entitled:  "Rockland County Waterfront Planning Forum".  This session is being held on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 from 7-9 PM at the Haverstraw Center, 50 West Broad Street, Haverstraw, NY.  The session will feature discussions on revitalizing Hudson riverfronts - conservation and development strategies for creating healthy and prosperous communities; new developments in Comprehensive Plans and Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs; and planning perspectives from across the Hudson Valley.  Even if your community is not a Hudson River community, strategies discussed can be useful to your municipality.  

Attendance at the educational session will provide 2 hours towards the New York State mandated training time for planning and zoning board of appeals members.  In addition, both CM and CLE credits will be provided.  Please see flyer and agenda for more details.

When: April 16, 2019
Where: Haverstraw Center

Material:
Agenda
Revitalizing Hudson Riverfronts
WCA Playbook - Land Use Regulations Section