THE ADIRONDACK PARK AGENCY (“APA”) CAN CONTROL YOUR LAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS

James L. Maswick • May 4, 2021
Sunlight streaming through woods at dusk.

Our firm represents many purchasers of vacant real property from out of the area. The pace of folks purchasing unimproved real property—often from the Boston, New York City/New Jersey or Philadelphia Metro areas—has only been increased since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in full force in March of 2020. Plans for purchasers of vacant real property have varied greatly. Some purchasers have sought to build modest, single-family homes or their own “cabin in the woods.” Others have purchased property to start a business venture. Still others have purchased lots seeking subdivision approval for a development of single-family homes. Some have sought mixed use of their new properties.


Regardless of their plan for the purchased property, many out-of-area purchasers are surprised to learn that the APA can dictate what they do on the property that they purchase. This can be especially a surprise for many when they have done some research and recognized that there might be no zoning laws in the municipality in which the real property they are purchasing is located. The APA, established in 1971, has a mandate to protect the Adirondack Park and regulate its development. For many clients that we represent when purchasing property in the Adirondack Park who have plans for new projects, our advice is to file an APA Jurisdictional Inquiry Form, otherwise known as a “JIF,” to get some information about the property and any mandates, prohibitions or, in effect, hurdles that the property owner will need to jump through to accomplish their project. In some instances, the project as envisioned by the client is simply not feasible based on what the APA tells us after the response to a JIF. It is important for attorneys to build this into any contract as a contingency so that the very purpose that you are seeking to accomplish by purchasing the property is not frustrated.


Even when the APA weighs in, that may not be the end of the story. There are mechanisms to ultimately either challenge or ask for reconsideration of initial APA determinations. Just because your project meets hurdles in the beginning does not mean that it is completely dead in the water.


If you are purchasing vacant real property in the Adirondacks and seeking attorneys who are experienced in navigating APA mandates, please contact our firm.

The Lake Placid Office will remain open during regular business hours.  The Tupper Lake office will
By Flink Maswick Law April 3, 2026
The Lake Placid Office will remain open during regular business hours. The Tupper Lake office will be closed on Monday, April 6, and will reopen on Tuesday, April 7 at 8:30 a.m.
By Flink Maswick Law April 3, 2026
We are excited to announce that Flink Maswick Law PLLC and some of its attorneys have been nominated again this year in multiple categories for the annual Best of the Mountains contest, which is hosted by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise . In addition to being nominated for Best Law Firm, which Flink Maswick Law PLLC has won the past three years in a row, Attorneys Molly S. Hann and James L. Maswick have both been nominated for the Best Attorney category for the third year in a row. Molly S. Hann won in this category in 2024 and 2025, and James L. Maswick won in 2023. Additionally, Flink Maswick Law PLLC has been nominated for the category known as Best Customer Service. It is an honor to be recognized, especially by the community we are proud to serve daily. If you would like to support us, voting is now open and we truly appreciate the trust of our community. You can vote via the Adirondack Daily Enterprise website until May 5, 2026. No matter the outcome, Flink Maswick Law PLLC is grateful to be part of such an incredible community and to continue doing the work we care about. Please follow this link for voting - dailygazette.secondstreetapp.com/Best-of-The-Mountains/
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We have had clients report to us on Monday, March 23, 2026, and Tuesday, March 24, 2026, that they had trouble calling our offices. We have been working with our phone carrier to fix those issues, with some calls connecting and others not. We are advised that this issue is fixed by our phone carrier. However, if you still experience this issue, please report this to our business manager Kasey L. Donahue via email at kdonahue@flinkmaswicklaw.com so that we may continue to have our phone carrier work on this issue.  We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Thank you for your ongoing trust and support.
Homeowner faces proposed property tax increase
By James L. Maswick, Esq. March 18, 2026
Our office frequently handles tax assessment work for clients. As many people know, reductions in real property taxable assessed value season starts in March and goes through most of May in full force. Not unlike our Adirondack end of winter weather! Our office has been inundated with calls from Harrietstown town residents and property owners regarding significant increases in assessed value of the property. Please feel free to reach out to us if you think that your assessed value is artificially high or is unfair, but please keep some things in mind. Based on our review of matters, the Town of Harrietstown has been operating at an equalization rate of under 100%. For example, in 2025, the equalization rate was 70.21%. This meant that people were being assessed below what was considered fair market value by the Town of Harrietstown’s assessor’s value placed on the property. The Town of Harrietstown has sought to reassess properties at what they believe to be fair market value and use a 100% equalization rate. Thus, numerous property owners, if not all, have seen their assessed values rise significantly. However, the Town of Harrietstown included a hypothetical estimate table on its 2026 assessment notifications for folks who own property in Harrietstown. The bottom right-hand corner of this table shows property owner’s estimated increase in taxes vis a vis the increased assessed values. As it is anticipated that every property owner’s assessed values are basically increasing, some folks will see tax increases; some will see their taxes remain relatively flat, and some will actually see their estimated taxes decrease. Thus, please note that, your real property fair market value doubling in assessed value does not mean that you are going to pay twice as much in taxes next year.  You have the right to contest this proposed increase in assessed value if you choose. If you are interested in discussing your potential tax assessment challenge, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (518) 523-2441. Please provide us with a copy of your 2026 assessment notification to aid our review. Thank you.
Two  women in formal dresses stand side-by-side on a dock overlooking  lake with a large lodge in the background.
By Flink Maswick Law March 17, 2026
Flink Maswick Law PLLC’s Tupper Lake office is back up and running as of Tuesday, March 17, 2026! As you may have noticed and as we have previously announced, renovation work had closed the office down for a number of weeks. Molly and Rachael are settling back into the office. The office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30am to 5pm. Stay tuned for more information about our new space! Please feel free to call the Tupper Lake Office at (518) 359-5175 to speak with Attorney Molly S. Hann or her assistant, Rachael Kmack.
Attorney Molly S Hann at the Fllnk Maswick Tupper Lake Office
By Flink Maswick Law March 10, 2026
Our Tupper Lake office remains temporarily closed for renovations as of Tuesday, March 10, 2026. We anticipate it will be closed for the majority of this week, if not the entirety of this week. We are getting close to reopening but still cleaning up. All Tupper Lake attorneys and staff who regularly work out of that office remain available and working out of our Lake Placid office and mail is checked every business day.  Thank you so much for your ongoing support and understanding!
By Flink Maswick Law February 27, 2026
The ongoing renovations of Flink Maswick Law PLLC’s Tupper Lake office (and subsequent final touches and cleaning) will cause the office to remain closed for at least another week, through Friday, March 6, 2026. We hope to have the Tupper Lake office back up and running on March 9, 2026. However, this is a fluid situation based on the progress of the renovation work and cleaning. All Tupper Lake personnel are working out of the Lake Placid office during this time. Please direct all calls to our Lake Placid office.  Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We cannot wait to show you the finished space!
Attorney Molly Hann reviewing documents in the Tupper Lake NY Office.
By Flink Maswick Law February 25, 2026
Attorney Molly S. Hann joined a senior seminar class discussion at Keene Central School on February 13, 2026. The class was led by teacher Tonya Lackey and counselor Jatha Johnson. Local Attorney and colleague Amy L. Smith joined Flink Maswick Law PLLC’s Molly S. Hann to share and discuss advice the students might need to know as they turn 18 and enter the world as adults. The students read this article https://nysba.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NowThatYouveTurned18Booklet.pdf in preparation for the classroom visit. Contact Flink Maswick Law PLLC if you are interested in having one of our attorneys join your class or speak to your group.
Mount Rushmore image with Happy Presidents Day in textg
By Flink Maswick Law February 16, 2026
In observance of Presidents’ Day, our Lake Placid office will be closed on Monday, February 16, 2026. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 8:30am. As a reminder, our Tupper Lake office remains temporarily closed for renovations.
Attorney Molly Hann of Flink Maswick Law  and Rachael.
By Flink Maswick Law February 9, 2026
Flink Maswick Law PLLC’s office located at 56 Lake Street in Tupper Lake is temporarily closed for renovations. We anticipate the office will be closed for the next 3 weeks. During this time, all Tupper Lake attorneys and staff will be working from our Lake Placid office. Mail received to the Tupper Lake office will continue to be checked regularly, and all phone calls will be forwarded to our Lake Placid location.  Thank you for your understanding and continued trust. We cannot wait to show the completed refinished space to the community!
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