Land Use Law Commons^™

Rluipa: What's The Use, Jason Z. Pesick

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

After Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), which protects religious land use, many observers feared that the legislation would allow religious organizations to flout land-use regulations. Because RLUIPA defines "religious exercise" broadly, these observers feared the law would protect an array of nonworship uses, including commercial ventures, as long as a religious entity owned the land. More than a decade after RLUIPA's passage, this Note concludes that courts have not interpreted religious exercise as broadly as those observers feared. Courts have not, however, settled on a clear or consistent way of interpreting religious …

Earth, Air, Water And Fire: The Classical Elements Confront Land And Energy, Steven Ferrey

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

For thousands of years, the classical theory, which was considered the best science of the time and was observed my most cultures and religions of the world, held that there were four basic elements from which everything in life was constructed: Earth, Water, Air and Fire. This classical theory anchored Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese and Japanese religions, as well as Greek philosophy. From these classical elements, all matter was derived. From the time of Aristotle to relatively recent times, this theory persisted. These classical elements were thought to be at the core of alchemy in Medieval times.

This article transposes this …

The Future Of Abandoned Big Box Stores : Legal Solutions To The Legacies Of Poor Planning Decisions, Sarah B. Schindler

Faculty Publications

Big box stores, the defining retail shopping location for the majority of American suburbs, are being abandoned at alarming rates, due in part to the economic downturn. These empty stores impose numerous negative externalities on the communities in which they are located, including blight, reduced property values, loss of tax revenue, environmental problems, and a decrease in social capital. While scholars have generated and critiqued prospective solutions to prevent abandonment of big box stores, this Article asserts that local zoning ordinances can alleviate the harms imposed by the thousands of existing, vacant big boxes. Because local governments control land use …

The Key To Unlocking The Power Of Small Scale Renewable Energy: Local Land Use Regulation, Patricia E. Salkin

Scholarly Works

Myriad federal and state programs have been promoted to incentivize the research and development of renewable energy as a means of achieving sustainability and producing more affordable alternative energy systems, and these programs could potentially have a profound impact on the way that electricity is produced and consumed in the United States. Small-scale renewable energy generation from sources such as solar and wind, that can be used at the consumer level as a source of power for homes and small businesses, is an important part of this paradigm shift. However, regardless of the fiscal incentives offered to clean-tech companies to …

Of Backyard Chickens And Front Yard Gardens: The Conflict Between Local Governments And Locavores, Sarah Schindler

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Locavores aim to source their food locally. Many locavores are also concerned more broadly with living sustainably and decreasing reliance on industrial agriculture. As more people have joined the locavore movement, including many who reside in urban and suburban areas, conflict has emerged between the locavores’ desires to use their private property to produce food — for personal use and for sale — and municipal zoning ordinances that seek to separate agriculture from residential uses. In this article, I consider the evolution of this conflict and its implications for our systems of land use, local government, and environmental law. Specifically, …

Cityland – Vol. 9, No. 2, Center For New York City Law

CityLand - 2012

This issue of CityLand covers key land use and zoning developments in New York City as of March 15, 2012. The City Council approved the creation of the Westchester Square BID in the Bronx after resolving procedural notice issues. The City Planning Commission held a hearing on the “Zone Green” zoning text amendment to promote energy-efficient retrofits and green building design. A residential development was authorized in a manufacturing district in Ridgewood, Queens. BSA approved reduced parking requirements for a medical facility in Brooklyn despite community opposition. Landmark approvals included the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s plaza renovation and the restoration …

The Public Use Clause: Constitutional Mandate Or "Hortatory Fluff"?, Gideon Kanner

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Practical Effects Of Delegation: Agencies And The Zoning Of Public Lands And Seas, Josh Eagle

Pepperdine Law Review

Legislative efforts to delegate zoning power to public land and ocean management agencies have generally proven unsuccessful. When given the power to create uniform-use areas such as parks and wilderness areas within their broader jurisdictions, agencies either have opted not to exercise it or have been extremely hesitant to do so. The tepid administrative response to zoning is not surprising. Zoning decisions are politically charged, are likely to offend powerful, concentrated interest groups, and erode the discretion that is the core of agency power. These aspects of zoning decisions explain why, by contrast, all states require that municipal zoning ordinances …

Why Land Tenure Reform Is The Key To Political Stability In Tonga, Kersti Harter Kennedy

Washington International Law Journal

The Kingdom of Tonga, a South Pacific country, erupted in violent pro-democracy riots in late 2006 after decades of political unease. Tonga’s people are divided into two main classes: the nobles and the commoners. These two classes have long differed in political and land rights in a hierarchy that is typical of chiefdoms such as Tonga. Tonga’s government has attempted to deal with the sometimes violent, commoner-led pro-democracy movement by amending its Constitution to allow commoners to vote for more of the members of the Legislative Assembly. The resulting government and the noblemen have not, however, shown a commitment to …

Exactions For The Future, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

New development commonly contributes to projected infrastructural demands caused by multiple parties or amplifies the impacts of anticipated natural hazards. At times, these impacts only can be addressed through coordinated actions over a lengthy period. In theory, the ability of local governments to attach conditions, or “exactions,” to discretionary land use permits can serve as one tool to accomplish this end. Unlike traditional exactions that regularly respond to demonstrably measurable, immediate development harms, these “exactions for the future” — exactions responsive to cumulative anticipated future harms — admittedly can present land assembly concerns and involve inherently uncertain long-range government forecasting. …

Of Justice Sotomayor And The Jicarilla Apache Nation: Slouching Toward Intellectual Honesty And The Canons Of Construction, Jeremy Stevens

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Public Nature Of Indian Reservation Roads, M. Brent Leonard

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Tribal Sovereignty By Protecting Indian Civil Rights: A Win-Win For Indian Tribes And Tribal Members, Rob Roy Smith

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Gas Tax Agreements In Indian Country, Jonathan White

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Justice Rehnquist’S Theory Of Indian Law: The Evolution From Mazurie To Atkinson – Where Did He Leave The Court?, Brenna Willott

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Resolving Conflicts Over Climate Change Solutions: Making The Case For Mediation , Alana Knaster

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article explores the role that mediation can play in resolving the conflicts that are emerging in the climate change arena. Case studies describing mediation of disputes over air quality standards, timber harvesting, species protection, and ecosystems restoration, which resulted in consensus agreements among multiple, diverse stakeholder groups, demonstrate its applicability to the climate change arena. Mediation is not suited to every dispute or set of disputants. However, an analysis of the opportunities and constraints for addressing climate change disputes at the state, regional, and local levels suggests that mediated negotiations is well suited for resolving a number of the …

Getting The Green Light For Senate Bill 375: Public Engagement For Climate-Friendly Land Use In California, Greg Greenway

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Signed into law in September 2008, California's Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) is the first statewide legislation in the nation to link transportation and land use planning to climate change. The law is lengthy and complex, but the central concept is simple: locate homes closer to jobs, services, and transit so that Californians drive less frequently, travel shorter distances, and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article examines the approach to public participation outlined in SB 375, and argues that a critical success factor is the design and execution of strategies by local governments to engage citizens in the …

South Pasadena: A Dialogue On Dialogue, Steve Zikman

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

In the last half century, South Pasadena has fought many land use related battles-from efforts to stop the extension of the 710 freeway (710) through the heart of the city, to the recent ballot measure (Measure SP) that sought to overturn the City Council's approval of the new Downtown Revitalization Plan. The pattern of engagement continues to be one of "us versus them," with locals assuming extremely polarized positions, escalating the level of mistrust and demonization, and further dividing the city's civic and social fabric. Mediators are typically called in to help stakeholders resolve specific land use conflicts. However, there …

Foreword , Steve Zikman

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Taking It Upstream: Collaboration, Consensus Building & Sustainable Development-A Green Leadership (Un)conference was held at Pepperdine University's Graziadio Conference Center on September 25, 2009. In the spirit of collaboration, the symposium marked the first event jointly sponsored by the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship & the Law. The two journals have created special symposium editions comprised of papers authored by a number of the panelists, reflecting important trends in the evolution of conflict management and dispute resolution in the areas of multi-party environmental, land use, and public policy matters.

Cityland – Vol. 9, No. 1, Center For New York City Law

CityLand - 2012

This issue of CityLand covers significant land use and zoning developments in New York City as of February 15, 2012. The City Council approved the designation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District in Downtown Brooklyn, despite opposition from property owners concerned about economic impacts. The Westchester Square BID re-entered its objection period due to notice delivery issues, and six BIDs across the city received budget increases. The City Planning Commission approved Rudin Management’s redevelopment plan for the former St. Vincent’s Hospital site and certified NYU’s long-term campus expansion proposal in Greenwich Village. A public alternative fueling station was approved …