Appellate Division Complicates the Rules for Municipalities Charging Consultants’ Fees

In a case addressing what consulting fees (in particular attorneys’ fees) can be charged to an applicant before a Zoning Board of Appeals, the Second Department in Landstein v. Town of LaGrange (– N.Y.S.3d –, 2018 WL 4905436, at 1 (Oct. 10, 2018)) found that the Town had overreached its statutory authority. Petitioner, an amateur radio operator, received an FCC license to operate a ham radio station at his single-family home. He sought a special use permit to allow him to construct a 100-foot ham radio antenna structure (that would be 18 inches by 18 inches wide). As the Town limited the height of “towers” to 35-feet, Petitioner also sought an area variance for the height of his proposed antenna.