“One important tool to assist government officials and the public in making informed decisions regarding a proposed project or a change in zoning laws is SEQRA. Its goal is to motivate government decisionmakers to give meaningful consideration to environmental factors when undertaking or approving projects, activities, or new policies. With a few exceptions, SEQRA’s information-gathering and assessment process is triggered each time a city, village or town receives an application requesting a zoning approval – or when the local municipality seeks on its own initiative to change its zoning or planning rules, or undertake a project.
But, all too often, developers and government agencies see SEQRA as a nuisance to avoid, rather than a mechanism to improve zoning decisions. When advocating for meaningful environmental review under SEQRA, keep the following ten principles in mind:”
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Giacalone, Arthur. Partnership for the Public Good December 2018.