Interested landowners engaged in the appeal of a local ordinance may not continue to press the appeal once the original appellant has withdrawn, the state Supreme Court has ruled.
The high court ruled unanimously Oct. 30 that “parties to a hearing” are distinct from “party appellants,” and do not have the rights to continue an appeal to an ordinance after the appellant has withdrawn. The decision in Stuckley v. Zoning Hearing Board of Newtown Township overturns the Commonwealth Court’s finding that parties to an appeal have the same rights to continue an appeal as the party appellant.
