Mr. Tarnoff's practice focuses primarily on zoning, land use, and landmarks and New York City administrative law.

Mr. Tarnoff has over 15 years of experience as a land use attorney representing developers, corporations, REITs, banks, medical institutions, universities, nursing homes, schools, museums and religious organizations in New York City land use matters.  Mr. Tarnoff appears before the City’s land use agencies including the City Council, the City Planning Commission, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Board of Standards and Appeals, the Department of Buildings and local Community Boards.  He applies for and obtains discretionary land use approvals, including rezonings, special permits, variances, City map changes and large scale development authorizations.  He also advises clients on site acquisition and assembly, development feasibility and transfer of development rights.  He performs land use due diligence for lenders and transactional real estate counsel.

He began his legal career at the New York City Corporation Counsel’s office where, as Deputy Chief of the Administrative Law Division, he supervised over 40 attorneys and advised the Mayor’s Office and the City’s administrative agencies on land use, zoning and other regulatory matters.

Mr. Tarnoff was listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America for 2008 in Land Use and Zoning Law. The New York Times recognized Mr. Tarnoff as one of the “Lawyers Who Mold the Shape of the City” in an article about New York City’s leading land use attorneys (1996).  He presented “Representing Developers—New York City Land Use Issues” at a New York State Bar Association program in December 2001 and “New York City Land Use—Current Developments” at an American Corporate Counsel Association program in June 2002.

J.D., cum laude, Brooklyn Law School, 1974
B.S., Brooklyn College, 1969

New York, 1975

U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

New York State Bar Association