Anthony S. Guardino

Anthony S. Guardino is a trusted and experienced land use and municipal attorney who advises some of the region’s largest developers and real estate owners to obtain the land use approvals needed to develop or redevelop their properties with commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-family residential uses. His clients include several national retailers and fast-casual restaurateurs who seek new locations on Long Island. For many matters, Anthony must guide the client through the complexities of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”), state and local wetlands regulations, and other environmental regulations that impact the development process. He also represents developers and owners to obtain the ancillary approvals that are required from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (“SCDHS”), Suffolk County Sewer Agency and Pine Barrens Commission, including the transfer of Pine Barrens Credits and other sanitary credits, when necessary.

Anthony regularly appears before city, town and village boards throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties on a broad range of land use and zoning matters, such as applications for zoning changes, variances, special permits, subdivision, and site plan approval. His work is well-known by many city, town and village officials, and respected by the boards that he appears before.  Local governments have drawn upon his expertise to assist them in drafting their own land use regulations.

In matters where litigation becomes necessary, Anthony’s counsel is sought to represent clients in connection with Article 78 proceedings that challenge land use determinations made by local governments. He has successfully litigated a number of land-use related cases at both trial and appellate levels. Many of those cases involved challenges to decisions by municipal bodies, as well as claims under SEQRA, adverse possession, easement rights and other title issues.

Anthony’s governmental experience includes counseling several towns and villages in Nassau and Suffolk counties, two fire districts, and a library district. He is currently the Village Attorney in the villages of Huntington Bay and Old Field, where he provides advice to their boards of trustees, planning boards and zoning boards.

With a great depth of experience and knowledge, Anthony writes a well-read land use column for the New York Law Journal covering a wide range of zoning and land use planning matters. He also regularly contributes to the firm’s land use blog. As an invited speaker at seminars on land use, zoning law, and SEQRA, he has spoken at events hosted by the New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association, Suffolk County Bar Association, Suffolk County Village Officials Association, Cornell University, St. John’s School of Law, Touro College Law Center, and Hofstra University. He has also participated in programs sponsored by private providers of continuing education for attorneys, architects, engineers, and other development professionals.

In his practice, Anthony draws upon his formal training as a land use planner and prior experience as a planner with a New York City-based development consulting firm.

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Experience

• Advised developer and professional sports team to obtain land use and SEQRA approvals on the redevelopment of a portion of Belmont Racetrack for a new 19,000-seat sports and entertainment arena, 415,000-square foot retail village and hotel.
• Advised regional developer in connection with the redevelopment of a 56-acre Planned Unit Development containing 1,100 residential units, a marina, craft brewery and other retail space, and recreational amenities.
• Advised a multinational food service and hospitality company to obtain approvals for the first casino hotel on Long Island.
• Advised a local vineyard to place its property in a State-certified agricultural district and obtain approvals to operate a winery and tasting room.
• Advised several national and regional developers to obtain approvals for the development of several million square feet of industrial warehouse space.
• Advised several multi-family residential developers to obtain changes of zone and secure other land use approvals for the development of new transit-oriented rental communities.
• Advised several national and regional retail developers to obtain land use and zoning approvals for major expansion of a regional shopping mall and shopping centers.
• Advised several national and local operators of senior living communities to obtain approvals for new assisted living and independent living communities.
• Advised national retailers and fast-casual restaurant operators in secure approvals to construct and expand new stores and restaurants, and including the addition of drive-through facilities.
• Advised several Long Island health systems to obtain approvals needed for multimillion-dollar expansions of hospital facilities in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
• Advised several national membership warehouse clubs to acquire land use entitlements needed to construct and expand their facilities, including approvals for new fuel facilities.
• Advised several developers of self-storage facilities to acquire approvals to construct new facilities.
• Advised a fire district and worked with town officials to construct a new headquarters and firehouse.

Community Work

• Sustainable Long Island, Former Board Member
• Italian-Americans in Government Service, Inc., Former Board Member
• Smithtown Performing Arts Council, Inc., Former Board Member

Recognition

• Super Lawyers, New York Metro, Land Use & Zoning, 2020-present