Zoning and land use laws enacted by the state and federal governments, counties, and municipalities significantly affect the acquisition, sale, development, and use of real property. Government agencies and governing bodies increasingly have enacted more comprehensive zoning and land use rules and regulations governing development, sometimes with the intent to restrict or prohibit development. Because these rules and regulations often are complex and involve technical issues and special procedures, Ward and Smith, P.A. has organized the Zoning and Land Use Planning Practice Group.
Attorneys in the Zoning and Land Use Planning Practice Group appear before planning boards, boards of adjustment, city councils, county commissioners, historic preservation commissions, and other regulatory bodies to represent clients with respect to issues pending before such bodies, including the subdivision of property, zoning and rezoning matters, special use permits, conditional use permits, variances, appeals of the interpretation of zoning ordinances, certificates of appropriateness, development approvals, and development agreements.
To best serve our clients' needs, the attorneys in the Zoning and Land Use Planning Practice Group work closely with attorneys in our other Practice Groups, including Real Estate, Construction, Environmental, Litigation, and Government Relations, thus providing a team approach to client representation. Our attorneys also work with engineers, land planners, and other professionals to assist clients in zoning and land use planning matters.
The attorneys comprising the Zoning and Land Use Planning Practice Group have significant experience in this area of the law. Four are members of the Zoning, Planning and Land Use Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and two also are members of the North Carolina Bar Association's Environmental, Energy & Natural Resources Law Section.
We are your established legal network with offices in Asheville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, and Wilmington, NC.