Nathan Farris

Zoning and Land Use

• Won declaratory judgment action to stop an objector from interfering with the development of a multibillion-dollar data center development.
• Defeated appeal brought by City Councilmember from variances granted by the Philadelphia Zoning Board for an affordable housing development in Strawberry Mansion.
• Convinced a historical commission that demolition of a historic building was necessary in the public interest to make room for development of a City health center, then defended the approval through three layers of appeal.

Tax Appeals

• Negotiated reduction of taxes for the owner of the highest assessed office building in Philadelphia.
• Won an appeal to the Delaware County Board of Assessment Appeals on behalf of owner of a medical office building next to a closed hospital.
• Negotiated favorable settlements for owners of distressed malls across the country.

• Won exemption appeal for Philadelphia Youth Basketball's neighborhood transforming youth sports center.
• With the ACLU, negotiated pre-trial settlement on behalf of restaurant owner in challenging citation for violating sign ordinance. The City of Scranton, Pennsylvania, reversed the citation and amended its sign ordinance to remove provision banning signs that “that an average reasonable person would find highly offensive to public decency."
• Won an en banc appeal in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court for a home for cancer patients challenging its accommodation.
• Negotiated settlement of tax exemption appeal for Irish Cultural Center in Philadelphia.
• Advised food re-distribution organization through incorporation and tax-exemption applications.