
Jessica A. Bacher
- Executive Director, Land Use Law Center
- Adjunct Professor
BA, University of Florida
JD, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
Adjunct Professor Jessica Bacher is the Executive Director of the Land Use Law Center. Established in 1993, the Land Use Law Center is dedicated to fostering the development of sustainable communities and regions through the promotion of innovative land use strategies and dispute resolution techniques. As the Executive Director, Professor Bacher’s responsibilities include development and implementation of projects relating to local land use practice, energy siting, distressed property remediation, sustainable communities, land use responses to sea level rise, and affordable housing, as well as providing strategic assistance to numerous municipalities.
Most recently, Professor Bacher led the City of Newburgh, NY, in the development of a distressed property remediation implementation plan that focuses on the development of a land bank. Additionally, she serves as a trainer for the Center’s award-winning Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program that has educated over 2,500 local leaders in land use strategies, consensus building, and regional stewardship. Professor Bacher also chairs the American Bar Association’s Section of State and Local Government Law. At Haub Law, Professor Bacher serves as an Adjunct Professor, teaching Land Use Law, Sustainable Development Survey, and the Advanced Land Use and Sustainable Development Seminar.
Professor Bacher also administers the Center’s academic programs and guides student research. In addition, she is a Lecturer and project supervisor at Yale School of the Environment, where she manages the school’s Land Use Clinic. She authors regular land use features in New York and national publications and has edited numerous small books in the fields of Land Use and Real Estate Law, including Breaking Ground and Planning and Building in Priority Growth Districts. She also presents at regional and national conferences and served on the New York State Climate Action Plan Land Use and Local Government Working Group, Climate Smart Communities Standards Committee, Master Plan for Aging Task Force, and the Sea Level Rise Task Force Legal Work Group. Professor Bacher was selected by the American Bar Association to receive the Jefferson B. Fordham Award, an award presented to a young practitioner who has shown great promise through her contributions to the field. Professor Bacher received her JD summa cum laude from Haub Law in 2003, along with a certificate in Environmental Law.
Honors & Awards:
Jefferson B. Fordham Award
Contact:
jbacher@law.pace.edu
(914) 422-4103
Office: Gerber Glass 205