You are here: / / THE DENIAL OF AN AREA VARIANCE FOR A GARAGE WHICH WAS BELOW THE MAXIMUM...
, ,

THE DENIAL OF AN AREA VARIANCE FOR A GARAGE WHICH WAS BELOW THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT BUT WAS FOUR FEET HIGHER THAN THE RESIDENCE WAS NOT “IRRATIONAL;” THIRD DEPARTMENT REVERSED BY THE COURT OF APPEALS (CT APP).

The Third Department, reversing Supreme Court, over a two-justice dissent, determined the denial of petitioner’s request for an area variance for a garage which was four feet higher than the residence was irrational. The Court of Appeals reversed:

From the Third Department decision:

The relevant question presented by petitioner’s application was whether a four-foot area variance would be out of character with the surrounding neighborhood in an instance, as here, where both structures are under the maximum height limit for an accessory structure and the residence is far below the height limit for a dwelling. … Respondent did not explain why this height differential, in context, would prove detrimental to the neighboring community. * * *

As to “feasible” alternatives, the difficulty here is that the garage had already been constructed before petitioner consolidated the lots and applied for the variance. While this situation may fairly be characterized as self-created, * * * neither respondent nor Supreme Court accounted for the statutory qualifier that a self-created problem, while relevant, “shall not necessarily preclude the granting of the area variance” (Town Law § 267-b [3] [b] [5]). Nor did respondent or Supreme Court address the clear benefit to petitioner of maintaining her garage, as compared to the prospect of having to remove the structure and the attendant financial loss … . Matter of Williams v Town of Lake Luzerne Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 2025 NY Slip Op 04509, Third Dept 7-31-25

Reversed by the Court of Appeals: Matter of Williams v Town of Lake Luzerne Zoning Bd. of Appeals
2026 NY Slip Op 00639, CtApp 2-11-26

 

You might also like
DEFENDANT, PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE, TOOK DELIVERY OF TIRES AND FALSELY SIGNED THE INVOICE; THE DEFENDANT WAS PROPERLY SENTENCED TO CONSECUTIVE TERMS OF INCARCERATION FOR LARCENY AND FORGERY; THE CRITERIA FOR CONSECUTIVE AND CONCURRENT SENTENCES EXPLAINED (CT APP). ​
EVIDENCE OF A SIMILAR UNCHARGED CRIME AGAINST THE SAME VICTIM PROPERLY ADMITTED.
JUROR WHO ASKED TO BE EXCUSED AFTER FOUR DAYS OF DELIBERATIONS BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT SEPARATE HER EMOTIONS FROM HER ANALYSIS OF THE FACTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXCUSED AS GROSSLY UNQUALIFIED.
RELEASE SIGNED BY PLAINTIFF’S DECEDENT IN 1997 DID NOT ENTITLE CHEVRON TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS ASBESTOS-MESOTHELIOMA CASE (CT APP).
Defendant’s Conviction Properly Reversed Because the Verdict Was Inconsistent/Repugnant—Charge Which Was the Subject of Conviction in the Inconsistent/Repugnant Verdict Can Be Presented to a New Grand Jury
“No Action” Clause In a Trust Indenture Interpreted Narrowly Under Established Principles of Contract Interpretation—The Clause Did Not Preclude Suit By Securityholders Based Upon Their Common Law and Statutory Rights In an Action Stemming from the “Credit Default Swap” Crisis
IN THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE, DEFENSE COUNSEL EFFECTIVELY CONCEDED GUILT AND URGED JURY NULLIFICATION ON THE BURGLARY CHARGE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO BREAK-IN AND THE STOLEN ITEMS WERE NOT WORTH MUCH, THE COURT OF APPEALS HELD THAT DEFENDANT RECEIVED EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (CT APP).
EVIDENCE OF AN ALLEGED PRIOR IDENTICAL SEXUAL ASSAULT NOT ADMISSIBLE TO SHOW INTENT, MOTIVE, OR AS BACKGROUND EVIDENCE, CONVICTION REVERSED.

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

THE FIRST DEPARTMENT RULED THAT PLAINTIFF-TENANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE, AS A... IN A SMALL CLAIMS ASSESSMENT REVIEW (SCAR) CHALLENGING A REAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENT...