Public Law

The Supreme Judicial Court has held that a McLean Hospital program focused on developing the emotional and social skills of adolescents who exhibit extreme emotional dysregulation may, under the Dover…

If a proposed activity is more therapeutic than educational, it not protected by the Dover Amendment and therefore may not be conducted in a zoning district where it is not…

In Hickey v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Dennis, a divided panel of the Massachusetts Appeals Court weakened and confused the requirement that a zoning appellant notify the Town Clerk…

General Laws Chapter 40B was enacted nearly 50 years ago to overcome local obstacles to affordable housing.  A powerful tool against parochial requirements and regulations, it authorizes the municipal zoning…

The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently held that the addition of a fire escape under a building permit did not start the 6-year limitations period for enforcement regarding the use of…

In the latest battle in the ongoing dispute over a proposed asphalt plant in Westford abutting the Chelmsford town line, the Superior Court recently held that Chelmsford has no standing…

Fast-food coffee shops may look virtually the same from town to town, but as a recent Appeals Court decision reminds planners and local land use boards, what a town’s zoning…

Soon after the FCC issued its Order implementing Section 6409(a) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which preempts traditional local zoning authority over eligible…