98 years old, and still going (for better or worse)
On this day in 1926, the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark opinion in Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (Nov. 22, 1926).
You know this one (and can you call yourself a dirt lawyer if you don’t?
Lake Worth: the “lago” in Mar-a-Lago
You know his name. He’s taken on the City of Riviera Beach twice at the U.S. Supreme Court. And won both times. The houseboat that isn’t a boat. The government can’t shut you out from speaking your mind simply because you irritate them.
That’s right, it’s Fane
Here are the cases and other materials we discussed in today’s Section of State & Local Government Law Land Use group meeting on takings:
Justice Sutherland asks:
whadda mean, you don’t like apartments?
Check out this uncharacteristically-lengthy opinion from New York’s Appellate Division (and entire 6 pages!).
In Bennett v. Troy City Council, No. CV023-0709 (Oct. 24, 2024), the court invalidated a municipal upzoning (from single-family residential to Planned Development — which would permit apartments) because the city’s
Here’s the latest takings cert petition, in a case involving a California county’s refusal to rezone property back to its former zoning to allow residential development. The only uses permitted on the property presently are “scientific research facilities uses” and hiking trails. Or, at the petition puts it, “only public, park-like uses.” Pet. at
Our outfit (Pacific Legal Foundation) has put out a call for papers. on the topic of land use exactions and housing law. Honorarium included for accepted papers, and there will be a workshop to follow.
Here’s the description:
This workshop seeks to build on the result of Sheetz v. County of El Dorado and
A new student-authored journal article worth reading, Christine Dong, “Vacancy Taxes: A Possible Taking?,” 91 U. Chi. L. Rev. 1725 (2024).
Here’s the Abstract:
Vacancy taxes are an increasingly popular solution to the paradoxical problem of high housing demand coupled with high vacancy. Cities across the country facing housing shortages have either implemented
Lawprof Ilya Somin (GMU Law), Mercatus Center’s Charles Gardner,
and lawyer Emily Cruikshank Bayonne (Tubman Realty, LLC)
speaking on “How Policy Changes Can Address Incursions on
Property Rights Where Courts Have Failed to do So.”
Jim Burling (PLF) moderating.
Recently, we attended a wonderful symposium co-sponsored by George Mason Law School’s Journal of
Hawaii lawyers (and those barred in the 808), take note: On October 21, 2024, the Hawaii State Bar Association will hold its annual Convention, and as always there’s a full lineup of CLE programs so you can meet your MCLE requirements.
Thanks to the Real Property & Financial Services Section, there’s a significant dirt law
Congratulations to our Pacific Legal Foundation colleague Brian Hodges for his article “Build-to-Rent Homes: A Promising Solution to Chronic Housing Shortages” being awarded the 2024 Jared Shales Prize by the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE).
From the Introduction:
When homeownership is increasingly out of reach for many, build-to-rent (BTR) housing offers a
