RLUIPA | religious land use

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This fall, we’ll be back at the William and Mary Law School (hopefully in-person, depending on the circumstances and the yet-to-be-announced approach to be taken by the College of William and Mary), teaching two of our favorite subjects.

Not only will this be the third time leading Eminent Domain and Property Rights (Law 608), but we’ll also be undertaking another subject, Land Use Control (Law 425). This semester, we’re stepping into the (big, figuratively speaking) shoes of Professor Lynda Butler who recently retired after a stellar and trailblazing career. Thankfully, Lynda is continuing to lead the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Project and is underway with planning October’s Brigham-Kanner Conference, honoring Harvard lawprof Henry Smith.

Land Use is, of course, related to Eminent Domain and Property Rights, but the law school understands that they are each worthy of separate study, and they should not be folded into a single course (or…

Continue Reading Land Use Also On The Fall Semester Agenda At William And Mary Law

LUI 2020 slider

Join us starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 12, 2020 for the 34th Land Use Institute. Originally scheduled for April in Tampa, we obviously couldn’t do tha, so we did the next best thing — moved this venerable course online. The Planning Chairs (Frank Schnidman and Dean Patricia Salkin) have assembled the usual hot topics session and a lineup of expert faculty (we’re speaking at the 2:45 ET session on Federal Laws (in our case, NEPA, Water, and Wetlands (including the Maui case from SCOTUS)). 

The program takes place over three days Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and you can either register for the sessions or all three days, with various discounts if you are a member of the American Bar Association, and even more if you are a member of the Section of State and Local Government Law. 

Here’s the three-day agenda. There is a lot here to like, and we…

Continue Reading Join Us This Week: May 12-14, 2020 For (Virtual) Land Use Institute Webinar Series

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Picture 1: how normal people see pie.

Picture 2: how you see pie if you’re coming to the
ALI-CLE Eminent Domain Conference. 

If you get the above, you probably are already set to join us next week for the 37th Annual ALI-CLE Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation Conference in Nashville. (If not, shame on you!).

And having just reviewed the latest registration list, I can report that we have an all-time record attendance.  But there’s still room for those of you still not committed. Register here. Don’t miss out. There will be pie. Continue Reading Record Attendance (But There’s Still Time For You Last-Minute Filers) At Nashville ALI-CLE Eminent Domain Conference

Check out Marianist Province of the United States v. City of Kirkwood, No. 18-3076 (Dec. 13, 2019), for the U.S. Court of Appeals’ handling of RLUIPA and (state law) takings claims stemming from the city not allowing a religious school to light up its baseball field. 

Today’s a busy day, so we won’t delve in detail into the opinion. But nicely, the Eighth Circuit’s website has a summary:

In school’s challenge to city’s zoning regulations in connection with the school’s lighting of its outdoor baseball diamond, the district court did not err in determining that the regulations concerning lighting and sound systems did not substantially burden the school’s religious exercise in violation of RLUIPA; the school’s inability to use its baseball field at night is a mere inconvenience and not a substantial burden because there are alternative times and locations available to it; school’s “as-applied” claim that the school…

Continue Reading If You Build It, It Might Be A Zoning Violation: No Taking, No RLUIPA Violation When Zoning Limited Lights On Religious School’s Baseball Field

Merriamscorner

Land users and dirt lawyers know Dwight Merriam. (And if you don’t, you are not really a land user, are you?)

He’s won landmark cases (has even beaten Yours Truly in one of those cases way back in the day). Written tons of articles and books. Edits Rathkopf. Contributes to Nichols. Mentored multiple generations of land use lawyers (me included). All while serving his country in the U.S. Navy. 

Here’s your chance to tap directly into the source. Dwight has (finally) started a blog, Merriam’s Corner, about the topics we all love. 

So sign up and follow. Listen in as Dwight thinks out loud for our benefit.

Welcome to the blog world, Mr. Merriam.  Continue Reading New Land Use Law Blog To Follow: Merriam’s Corner (“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Land Use”)

Header image LUI 2019

Come join us at the 33rd Annual Land Use Institute, in Baltimore, Maryland, April 11-12, 2019.

As the brochure notes:

This Annual Land Use Institute program is designed for attorneys, professional planners, and government officials involved in land use planning, zoning, permitting, property development, conservation and environmental protection, and related litigation. It not only addresses and analyzes the state-of-the-art efforts by government to manage land use and development, but also presents the key issues faced by property owners and developers in obtaining necessary governmental approvals. In addition, the entire approach of the program is to provide practice pointers that give immediate “take home value” by focusing on topics relevant to the average practice of the attendee.

The keynote will be delivered by Dennis Archer, former mayor of Detroit (and former Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and former President of the ABA), speaking about “Detroit’s New GM Plant from…

Continue Reading 33rd Annual Land Use Institute: Baltimore April 11-12, 2019

A quick check of the Supreme Court’s docket in the Knick v. Township of Scott case shows that no less than 18 amici briefs have been filed top side. Not all of them in support of the Petitioner mind you (two, the briefs of the United States and of the American Planning Association, are in support of neither party, or ask the Court to impose a specific remedy), but whoa, that’s still a lot. 

Shows us how much a case about a very technical aspect of takings law can generate huge participation, reflecting how important the issue of whether a property owner can file a federal takings claim in federal court truly is. 

So you don’t have to read each one (although we encourage you to do so), here’s our quick summary of each: 

…
Continue Reading Takings Ripeness Of Apparent Interest: Eighteen—18!—Amicus Briefs In Knick. Here’s Your Rundown.

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We’re in Detroit the rest of the week at the Mercy Law School for the venerable Land Use Institute, now in its 32nd iteration.

Planning Chair Frank Schnidman has assembled a great faculty including out Detroit colleague Alan Ackerman (above, talking about takings liability for flooding), and we’ll be spending the time talking inverse condemnation, public trust, planning law, homelessness, autonomous vehicles, affordable housing, RULIPA, and similar topics. We’ll be presenting on “Eminent Domain, Vested Rights, and Regulatory Takings,” “Client Representation: Developer, Government, and Citizens Groups,” and “Federal Laws Affecting Local Land Use Decision Making.” 

If you are here with us in Detroit, stop by and say hello. If you aren’t here, shame on you! This is one of the best and most affordable tuition deals in CLE.

But all kidding aside, if you are not in Detroit now, be sure to calendar these…

Continue Reading Land Use Institute – Detroit

Space is filling up, but there’s still time to join us later this month in Detroit for the 32nd Annual Land Use Institute (April-19-20). 

We’ll let program Planning Chair Frank Schnidman explain all the reasons why, and we’ll add only these points: (1) it’s a very good program that won’t take much of your time (fly in for the Thursday afternoon program, stay a night, fly home on Friday evening); (2) Detroit is the place to be these days; and (3) it’s one of the best deals in CLE credits, with tuition as low as $400.

2018 Land Use Institute Brochure Detroit 5 2018

Continue Reading There’s Still Time To Join Us In Detroit: 32d Annual Land Use Institute

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Here’s the printable brochure with the details on the 32nd Annual Land Use Institute in Detroit, April 19-20, 2018. We’ve plugged the program before so we won’t do so again, except to say that you really should attend because (1) it’s a very good program that won’t take much of your time (fly in for the Thursday afternoon program, stay a night, fly home on Friday evening); (2) Detroit is the place to be these days; and (3) it’s one of the best deals in CLE credits, with tuition as low as $400.

2018 Land Use Institute Brochure Detroit 5 2018

Continue Reading April 19-20, 2018: Land Use Institute, Detroit (Printable Brochure)