Land Use, Zoning, & Planning

Land Use, Zoning & Planning

residential and commercial development

As important as it is for developers to have experienced counsel during the process of property acquisition and financing, it is absolutely essential to seek the same caliber of legal guidance in gaining the regulatory approvals to use that property for its intended purpose.

In New Jersey, no firm is better equipped or positioned to deliver those desired results than Cooper Levenson. Our impressive client roster of national, regional, and local developers is far and away the best evidence of our ability to achieve excellent outcomes in a timely, cost-effective manner.

There are specific, commonsense reasons why we are routinely chosen to guide clients through the intricacies of the land use approval process, whether it’s an individual property owner looking for a variance, a national homebuilder with a major subdivision, or a major casino planning a multi-million-dollar expansion. They include:

Our detailed knowledge of the applicable laws and regulations
Our ability to identify impending changes in land use regulations that could impact development rights, and taking the appropriate steps to protect client interests
Our thorough understanding of the approval process at every governmental level
Our ability to combine meticulous preparation with time-saving techniques to gain approvals as quickly and inexpensively as possible
Our integrated approach to projects which draws on related practice areas to provide a complete range of services on an “as-needed” basis
Our deep roots at the community level, fostered by years of public service and altruistic involvement by individual attorneys and the firm as a whole

recent land use approvals

$180 million hotel/waterpark resort
$6 million, 5,000 sq. ft., convenience store with fueling station
$35.5 million ocean pier and retail entertainment project
86,000 square foot national chain (outdoor hunting, fishing, boating) retail facility
$2.3 billion, 6.3 million square foot oceanfront entertainment resort

redevelopment and tax incentives

Our attorneys negotiate agreements for redevelopment projects with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and local governments for redevelopment agreements and property tax incentive agreements. Some examples of recent approvals:

$38.4 million in Economic Redevelopment and Growth (ERG) incentives for an entertainment complex
$33 million in Grow New Jersey tax credits for a call center
$261 million tax incentives for a resort hotel
$5.2 million tax incentives for restaurant/retail complex
$4.8 million tax incentives for a retail and health club facility

Learn more about these New Jersey programs here: Grow NJ; Economic Redevelopment and Growth (ERG) Grants; Tax Abatements