Several years after the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) was enacted in 1975, Rye’s town board granted a permit to a property owner to construct an office building on close to 18 acres of town land. The board acted despite the fact that the town had not prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) as described in SEQRA. On several occasions when considering the property owner’s application, however, the town had carefully examined environmental factors such as traffic volume, parking capacity, drainage, soil, vegetation, noise, and aesthetics.

A number of community members challenged the town board’s decision, seeking to have the construction permit set aside. They argued that the town had failed to adhere to the mandates of SEQRA.