The Second Department determined the local procedural laws for the zoning board of appeals (ZBA) were not preempted by the state-wide Village Law and the village’s failure to comply with time limits imposed by the local laws did not require the annulment of the board’s ruling (approving a variance). The decision includes a good discussion of the interplay between local zoning laws and the state-wide Village Law:
“Although local laws that are inconsistent with state laws are generally invalid, the Municipal Home Rule Law allows incorporated villages to amend or supersede provisions of the Village Law as they relate to zoning matters” … . Nevertheless, “[l]ocal lawmaking power under the supersession authority is of course in all instances subject to the State’s transcendent interest where the Legislature has manifested such interest by expressly prohibiting a local law, or where a local law is otherwise preempted by State law” … .
Here, contrary to the petitioner’s contention, Village Law § 7-712-a does not preempt the Village from regulating the issues of whether its ZBA renders short-form or long-form decisions, or the time periods within which those decisions must be issued. The Legislature has not evinced an intent to preempt the field, and the legislative history of that section indicates that the Legislature envisioned no comprehensive and detailed regulatory scheme with respect to the form or timing of decisions of a zoning board of appeals … . Matter of Wenz v Brogan, 2017 NY Slip Op 03009, 2nd Dept 4-19-17
ZONING (LOCAL LAWS CONCERNING PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE VILLAGE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS WERE NOT PREEMPTED BY THE STATE-WIDE VILLAGE LAW)/PREEMPTION (ZONING, LOCAL LAWS CONCERNING PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE VILLAGE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS WERE NOT PREEMPTED BY THE STATE-WIDE VILLAGE LAW)