Matter of Friends of Stanford Home v Town of Niskayuna

Article 78 appeal from a judgment which granted petitioner’s application to annul a determination of respondent Town Board of the Town of Niskayuna issuing a special use permit to respondent Highbridge Development BR, LLC.

Petitioners filed this Article 78 proceeding to annul the negative declaration and the special use permit for Standford Crossings, and to gain injunctive relief prohibiting approval or further development of the State Street site. Supreme Court granted the petition which led to Highbridge and respondent LJC Properties, LLC’s appeal.

Petitioners’ argument is that contingencies in the contract of sale for the State Street property establish a nexus between the two projects. Respondents contend that the State Street and Consaul Road projects are unrelated actions with independent utility and that the Town Board did not impermissibly segment review of the two projects.

The Court sides with respondents and feels that the contractual contingencies, standing alone, do not create a geographic or environmental interrelationship between the two projects and that the contractual link between the otherwise independent actions is not sufficient to establish that they are part of an overall plan of development requiring cumulative review.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court ordered that the judgment is reversed, without costs, and petition dismissed.