Jennifer L. Van Tuyl

Land Use & Zoning , Environment & Sustainability

Jennifer is a Partner at the firm and one of the firm's three LEED ® AP attorneys. Jennifer has practiced land use law in the Mid-Hudson Valley for more than 25 years and co-manages the firm's Hudson Valley office. She works with professional project teams on projects targeting high-performance energy and sustainability goals. Her clients include a broad range of applicants for land use and environmental permits, including residential, commercial, and industrial developers, utilities, and non-profits, on whose behalf she regularly appears before Planning Boards, Town/City/Village Boards, Zoning Boards and other permitting boards and agencies. She has worked on a number of complex projects including Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) and other mixed-use and transportation-oriented projects, which often include zoning amendments, comprehensive plan amendments, and Coastal Zone and LWRP consistency determinations, as well as extensive SEQRA compliance issues including those relating to habitat and biodiversity, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and other sustainability issues. She also represents private clients in matters of zoning and municipal law enforcement and contracts.
Her practice also includes representation of a variety of municipal, public and school district/library agencies undertaking SEQRA environmental reviews as direct actions. Jennifer has a background in municipal law and has served as a Town and Village Attorney and as special counsel for numerous municipal corporations and Planning and Zoning Boards.
She has also handled land use, SEQRA, and municipal litigation, and has argued cases in the Appellate Division and Court of Appeals. She served on the New York State Advisory Committee on Land Use Statutes during the major revision of those statutes in the state. She also served on the Governor's Commission on Coastal Resources as Chair of the Committee on Growth Management.
She lectures widely on land development and environmental issues and frequently participates as an instructor in training programs for local legislative, zoning, and planning board members.

Awards/Recognitions

AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional; 2009

Admissions/Courts

New York State Bar Association
United States District Courts for Eastern District and Southern District of New York
United States Supreme Court

Professional Associations

New York State Bar Association, Municipal and Environmental Sections
US Green Building Council, New York Upstate Chapter
Green Building Council, Fairchester
Dutchess County Bar Association, Judiciary Committee Chair, 1991-1992; President, 1987-1988
Mid-Hudson Women's Bar Association

Selected Publications/Presentations

NYS Association of Professional Land Surveyors Annual Conference, "Avoiding Surprises During the Planning Process," January 14, 2010
New York State Association of Towns Annual Meeting presentation "Beyond the Stimulus Package--Funding Public Improvements in Hard Times," February 17, 2009
Orange County Planning Federation Training Program for Planning and Zoning Board members; Lecturer, 2006 to present
Affordable Housing and Smart Growth, Dutchess County Bar Association Training Program; Lecturer, September 2007
Comprehensive Planning and Smart Growth: Comprehensive Plan Compliance, Incentive Zoning, Transfer of Development Rights, Lecturer, October 2006
The Local Law Deadlines under the Phase II Stormwater Requirements, Dutchess County Bar Association; Lecturer, January 2006
Zoning and Site Plan Law: Recent Developments - Yearly education seminar Westchester Municipal Land Use Center, White Plains, New York; Lecturer, March 2005
Transfer of Development Rights, Dutchess County Planning Federation, Vassar College; Lecturer, October 2004.

Community Service

American Heart Association, Dutchess Ulster "Go Red for Women" Executive Leadership Team, 2009-2010
Leadership Dutchess, Speaker, 2006-present
Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation, Board of Directors; 2004-2010

Education

University of Virginia Law School, J.D.; 1971
Vassar College, A.B.; 1968

Extracurricular

Jennifer and her husband John reside in the foothills of the Catskills. They enjoy good restaurants, good music and good youth ice hockey.

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