Peter A. Chacanias represents commercial real estate developers, property owners, and investors throughout New Jersey. He guides clients through the entire land development process, from concept to ribbon-cutting and everything in-between.
New Jersey Planning and Zoning Board Attorney
Peter represents developers, redevelopers, and individual property owners before planning boards, zoning boards of adjustment, and other municipal governing bodies throughout New Jersey, advocating for a wide range of land use applications. His experience includes securing approvals for site plans, subdivisions, use and bulk variances, conditional use variances, and zoning interpretations at the local level. Leveraging his prior experience as a public defender for nearly two years, Peter also assists clients in defending zoning and code enforcement violations.
Tidelands, CAFRA, and Waterfront Development
Peter has significant experience representing clients in coastal and waterfront communities. His work in these areas frequently involves securing approvals from federal and State agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Tidelands Management and Division of Land Resource Protection. Throughout his career, Peter has filed and overseen applications for countless projects involving tidelands claims and requiring waterfront development and/or CAFRA permits due to their location on the water or within the CAFRA zone, which extends through eight New Jersey counties, from the coastline of Middlesex County south to Cape May County, then west following the Delaware River to Salem County.
New Jersey Pinelands
Peter regularly handles development matters within New Jersey’s Pinelands, a 1.1-million-acre region which covers approximately 22% of the State's entire land area across seven southern counties, helping clients obtain Certificates of Filing and other approvals from New Jersey’s Pinelands Commission so that they may develop their projects within this ecologically beautiful and diverse area in accordance with the State’s Comprehensive Management Plan.
New Jersey Environmental Law Attorney
Unique among New Jersey land use and zoning attorneys, Peter also has significant experience dealing with environmental issues at the State and federal level, representing clients facing potential (superfund) liability pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and New Jersey’s Spill Act, including indemnification and contribution actions. Peter’s environmental experience also includes guiding clients through a host of complex regulatory processes, including Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) applicability and compliance, the environmental permitting components of land use, including wetlands, solid waste permitting and compliance, and administrative agency and appeal litigation from the Office of Administrative Law to the Appellate Division, the second highest court in the State.
Historic Preservation Attorney
Peter advises developers and property owners on historic preservation matters throughout New Jersey, helping clients navigate the local, state, and even federal historic preservation approval process while advancing clients’ development and redevelopment goals. He regularly secures Certificates of Appropriateness and other required approvals from Historic Preservation Commissions across New Jersey.
Speaking Engagements, Memberships, & Other Experience
A frequent speaker, Peter presents programs on land use, zoning, tidelands, and other waterfront development topics at professional forums, including the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), the National Business Institute, the NEXUS Association of Realtors, Surety Title, and Fidelity National Title.
Peter is an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the NJSBA’s Land Use Section.
Prior to representing developers, Peter served as board solicitor for several municipal bodies throughout New Jersey, including the Point Pleasant Beach Planning Board, and the Zoning Boards of Adjustment for the municipalities of Little Egg Harbor, Toms River and Summit.
New Jersey Real Estate, Land Use, & Environmental Representative Matters
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NJ Counties served:
Land Development & Zoning Experience- Advises developers and property owners on all aspects of the land development process.
- Secured approvals for hundreds of thousands of square feet of warehousing, manufacturing, and retail space, along with approvals for thousands of residential units, both affordable and market rate, throughout southern New Jersey.
- Obtained approvals for the development of a new state-of-the-art 250,000 sq. ft. mortar production plant in southern New Jersey, to serve as the northeast anchor for the world leader in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and automotive industry.
Waterfront Development, CAFRA, and Tidelands
- Appeared before the Tidelands Resource Council to present applications for riparian grants.
- Applied to and consulted with various state agencies in connection with applications for Waterfront Development Permits and CAFRA Permits.
- Assisted residential and commercial property owners through the closing process for premium waterfront properties up-and-down the New Jersey coastline, helping buyers and sellers (and title companies) successfully address tidelands and waterfront development issues that arise during title searches so the parties may proceed to closing.
New Jersey Pinelands
- Nearly doubled the population of a local municipality within New Jersey's Pinelands by securing approvals for over 400 residential units, thousands of square feet of retail space, and a hotel, all while assisting the local school with the redevelopment of its athletic facilities and fields.
Historic Preservation
- Guided a client through the demolition and redevelopment of a century-old historic structure with the cooperation of the local municipality.
Environmental Experience
- Assisted in the defense against potential CERCLA liability in connection with Operable Unit 3 of the Lower Hackensack River Superfund Site.
- Represented a client charged with violating New Jersey’s Solid Waste Regulations, including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and filing an action through the Office of Administrative Law (OAL).
Other Experience
- Advises clients on complex title disputes of all types, including boundary line disputes, quiet title actions, foreclosures, and tidelands matters.
- Testified before the New Jersey Senate’s Judiciary Committee and the Community & Urban Affairs Committee regarding the legal and practical effects of proposed legislation on title practice in New Jersey.
Professional Affiliations
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Land Use Section
- New Jersey Builders Association,
- Member, Legislative Affairs and Environmental Affairs Committees
- Shore Builders Association of Central NJ, Inc.
- Member
- Point Pleasant Beach Planning Board
- Former Board Solicitor
- Little Egg Harbor, Toms River, and Summit Zoning Boards of Adjustment
News
Events
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- NJICLE Tidelands Concerns for Real Estate AttorneysNJCLE()
- NJICLE Land Use Update()
- NJICLE Tidelands Concerns for Real Estate AttorneysNJCLE()
- New Jersey Land Use and Zoning from Start to FinishNational Business Institute()
- NJICLE Land Use InstituteNJICLE()
- Tidelands Kahoot - 98th Annual New Jersey Land Title Association Convention()
- Advanced Land Use and Zoning Issues 2022National Business Institute()
- Tidelands and Other Water RightsSurety Title & Fidelity National Title()
- Introduction to Land Use and ZoningNational Business Institute()
- Buyer Beware – The Hidden Cost of a Home Near the WaterNEXUS Association of Realtors()
Articles & Alerts
- Regulatory Outlook for Warehouse Development in Southern New Jersey in 2024SNJDC’s The Chronicle Magazine()
- Beware of the Riparian Claim on NJ Waterfront PropertiesWCRE()
- New Jersey Land Title Ass’n v. Rone, 241 N.J. 113, 226 A.3d 54()
- The Hidden Cost of a Dream Home on the WaterJersey Sporting News()
Industry Groups
Admissions
- New Jersey
- United States District Court, District of New Jersey
Education
- Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., Riccio Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship
- Seton Hall University, B.A., magna cum laude, Dean’s List, Presidential Scholarship Award
