Law Commons^™

Striking An Equitable Balance: Placing Reasonable Limits On Retroactive Zoning Changes After Kittery Retail Ventures, Llc V. Town Of Kittery, Heather B. Sanborn

Maine Law Review

Thirty years ago, a developer who wanted to build a shopping center had to do little more than obtain a building permit to go forward with the project. Today, however, the regulation and review of development projects involves a lengthy process of securing a series of permits, often including site plan or subdivision approvals, traffic studies, and environmental impact reviews. Navigating this review process forces developers to negotiate with the community and design their projects to fit the applicable standards adopted by the local, state, and federal regulations, arguably improving the quality of development in our communities. But the lengthy …