Howard – a licensed Professional Planner in New Jersey, member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and a former consultant to municipal planning boards – relies on his focused industry training and experience to inform his comprehensive regional real estate development practice. Helping clients to expand their markets and establish significant presence throughout the region, he secures permits and approvals for expansions and new construction on behalf of, among many other clients, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, other retail chains, self-storage facilities, warehouses, and industrial and light industrial facilities, as well as financial institutions and real estate developers. He also handles liquor license issues for a variety of clients. Howard focuses on development, redevelopment, zoning, land use planning, and related permitting issues, as well as liquor licensing and alcoholic beverage control issues, in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. He served on the Board of Directors of the Land Use Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association (holding the position of Director for five years, after which he held the position of Secretary for the 2014-15 year, Vice Chair for the 2015-16 year, and Chair for the 2016-17 year) and has mediated various disputes as a court-appointed mediator.
Applications for Development
Represented owners and developers of traditional warehouses and last-mile delivery warehouses in obtaining approvals for new facilities and modifications to existing facilities
Represented a property owner in securing approvals for a change of use of an existing office building to medical office use
Represented a house of worship in securing approval for a facility renovation and expansion, and defended the appeal of the approval in the trial court and subsequently in an appellate court
Represented a regional supermarket chain in applications for zoning and development approvals at multiple locations in New Jersey and New York
Represented anchor tenant in shopping center opposing development of a pad site which would have an adverse impact on parking throughout the center
Represented a chain of food stores, with fuel sales and car washes, in applications for zoning and development approvals at multiple locations in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York
Represented various national restaurant chains and retailers in performing zoning reviews and prosecuting numerous applications for zoning and development approvals at numerous locations in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut
Represented developer in application for zoning and development approvals for national pharmacy
Represented hospital in obtaining zoning and development approvals for cardiac catheterization facility and parking facilities
Represented national lawn care company in applications for approval of regional warehouse facilities
Redevelopment
For a municipality, negotiated redevelopment agreements for the following redevelopment projects:
For private developers, provided counseling and representation in connection with the following projects:
For objectors, represented a national restaurant chain in objecting to a proposed “area in need of redevelopment” designation
Litigation
Represented property owners and other aggrieved parties in challenging “area in need of rehabilitation” and “area in need of redevelopment” designations, as well as the adoption of redevelopment plans and the designation of redevelopers, by several municipalities in New Jersey
Represented a municipality in New York in an appeal of a zoning amendment by a neighboring municipality in New Jersey
Represented the owner of a retail property in New Jersey in appealing a zone change which would have allowed a substantial retail project nearby
Represented successful applicant to Planning Board in an appeal to rescind certain conditions of approval
Represented property owner in an Article 78 proceeding concerning a zoning amendment, which was enacted after the client’s subdivision had been pending for several years, that would have substantially reduced the number of lots the client could develop
Represented property owner in an Article 78 proceeding challenging Planning Board’s refusal to endorse site plan following the grant of site plan approval following prior litigation and settlement
Represented retail and restaurant tenants in trial and appellate court and in arbitration proceedings concerning lease disputes involving signage, consent rights, and use covenants
Represented country club in successfully defending an appeal of development approvals by objectors
Represented a national restaurant chain in appealing the denial of a use variance, and in the appeal of development approvals by a business competitor
Represented niche retailer in obtaining reversal of site plan denial
Represented national restaurant franchisee in obtaining reversal of approval granted to a business competitor
Represented shareholder in dispute with homeowner’s association concerning development that would result in loss of view
Represented grocery retailer in various weights and measures matters in municipal courts in New Jersey
Due Diligence Investigations
Represented a national REIT in performing zoning due diligence preceding the acquisition of a portfolio consisting of several million square feet of office space in two municipalities in central New Jersey
Represented an affiliate of a major insurance company in performing zoning due diligence preceding the acquisition of an ownership interest in a regional shopping mall in northern New Jersey, one of the largest in the United States
Represented regional supermarket chain in performing zoning and permitting due diligence investigations in New Jersey and New York precedent to the acquisition of multiple existing supermarkets from another operator
Represented an international energy conglomerate in performing zoning due diligence relating to the acquisition of multiple electric generating facilities and substations in a dozen municipalities
Represented a major trucking company in performing zoning due diligence precedent to the acquisition of a warehouse in Queens, New York
Represented a major international logistics company in performing due diligence precedent to the acquisition of a distribution center in western New Jersey
Represented a major hotel chain in performing due diligence precedent to acquisition of an ownership interest in an existing hotel in northern New Jersey
Represented a regional property management company in performing due diligence precedent to acquisition of a theater and strip center in northern New Jersey
Liquor Licensing and Alcoholic Beverage Control
Represented retail licensees in New Jersey in annual license renewals, place-to-place and person-to-person transfers, obtaining off-premises records storage permits and minor employment permits, and seeking waivers from certain disclosure requirements
Performed due diligence for a client in the acquisition by assignment of leases of several supermarkets in New York which currently hold beer and wine product licenses, and assisted the client in obtaining its own licenses for use in those stores
Represented a prospective licensee in securing amendment of a local ordinance prohibiting the issuance of any plenary retail distribution licenses in a New Jersey municipality, which was contested by the local holders of plenary retail consumption licenses, so as to allow the issuance at auction of two distribution licenses
Represented a prospective licensee in obtaining an on-premises full liquor license for a restaurant in New York City, including assisting the client with determining the ownership and management structure in accordance with requirements of the alcoholic beverage laws, defining the parameters of the licensed premises, and drafting applications to and making appearances appearances before the State Liquor Authority and the applicable Community Board
Advised a client in New York concerning local hours of operation limitations and their enforceability on a licensed establishment
Represented a client in Connecticut in obtaining a restaurant permit for operation of a café within a retail store which will serve wine and beer
Represented a client in challenging the person-to-person and place-to-place transfer of a plenary retail consumption license to a neighboring business, initially in the Superior Court of New Jersey and subsequently at the Office of Administrative Law, involving a number of alleged notice and other procedural defects
Represented a retail licensee in New Jersey in responding to a Notice to Produce from the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and in negotiating a monetary compromise in lieu of license suspension to resolve the resulting enforcement proceedings relative to alleged recordkeeping violations and alleged improper wine tastings
Represented a retail client in drafting state legislation to permit supermarkets in New Jersey to purchase additional plenary retail consumption licenses
Columbia Law School|Washington University in St. Louis|Rutgers University
J.D.|B.A., cum laude|M.C.R.P.
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State of New Jersey|State of New York|State of Connecticut|Commonwealth of Pennsylvania|United States District Court for the District of New Jersey|United States District Court for the District of Connecticut|United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania|United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit|Licensed Professional Planner, New Jersey|American Institute of Certified Planners|Supreme Court of the United States
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Listed in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use
Recognized by Best Lawyers®, 2026 Edition: Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation – Land Use and Zoning; Real Estate Law
Recognized by Best Lawyers®: “Lawyer of the Year,” Real Estate Law; and Litigation – Land Use and Zoning in Newark, NJ (2020, 2022 and 2025 Editions)
Included on the New Jersey Super Lawyers list, Land Use/Zoning
Included on the Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated list
New Jersey State Bar Association
Director, Land Use Section, 2009-2014
Secretary, Land Use Section, 2014-2015
Vice Chair, Land Use Section, 2015-2016
Chair, Land Use Section, 2016-2017
Supreme Court of New Jersey District Ethics Committee for Essex County V-B
Investigator, 2008-2011
American Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association
American Planning Association
New Jersey Planning Officials
Rockland Municipal Planning Federation
New York Planning Federation
International Council of Shopping Centers
New Jersey Brewers Association
National Association of Licensing & Compliance Professionals (NALCP)