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Immigration Law

St. Mary’s Law Journal

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The Changing Face Of Vested Rights In Texas Land Development: A New Hat For An Old Law., Rebecca A. Copeland Jan 2007

The Changing Face Of Vested Rights In Texas Land Development: A New Hat For An Old Law., Rebecca A. Copeland

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Texas Legislature has recently made changes to Chapter 245 of the Local Government Code giving vested rights greater protection than ever before. Owners and developers now have greater protections, however, there are many circumstances under which the application of the law is unclear. Chapter 245 governs the issuance of permits for local development. The greater protections provided by the amendments include: defining the filing date upon which rights vest as the date “fair notice” is given to the regulatory agency, establishing a certified mail date as prima facie proof of the application’s filing date, and providing substantive rules governing …


The Role Of Variances In Determing Ripeness In Takings Claims Under Zoning Ordinances And Subdivision Regulations Of Texas Municipalities., John Mixon, Justin Waggoner Jan 1998

The Role Of Variances In Determing Ripeness In Takings Claims Under Zoning Ordinances And Subdivision Regulations Of Texas Municipalities., John Mixon, Justin Waggoner

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas zoning law follows the national standards in creating boards of adjustment. Unlike most states, Texas does not allow its boards of adjustment to grant so-called “use” variances. A variance is essentially a legal waiver from compliance with certain land-use regulations which is granted to a landowner by a government entity in certain limited cases. There are two general types of variances: the area variance and the use variance. Use variance permits the property in question to be used in a manner totally different than that allowed by the ordinance. Whereas the area variance only modifies or relaxes the degree …