Robert S. Baranowski, Jr.

Robert S. Baranowski, Jr.

Partner

Robert (Bob) Baranowski, Jr. has 25+ years’ experience as a veritable trail guide, navigating local and national developers, property owners, and businesses through the legal landscape of land use and environmental law in New Jersey. As a familiar figure at local planning boards known for handling challenging applications with composure, he understands the nuances of New Jersey law and consistently seeks a path to optimize the timing, cost, and outcome of the process for his clients.

“In everything we do, the mantra is to take all appropriate action to protect and advance the interests of the client.”

Areas of Practice

Education

  • Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., 2000
  • Rutgers University, B.A., 1993

Admissions

  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

Bob Baranowski helps clients with transforming development plans into brick and mortar. For more than two decades, he has guided developers, property owners, and businesses through the full spectrum of land use, zoning, and environmental processes across New Jersey. His clients range from single-member LLCs and special-purpose entities to national and global companies building and expanding their footprint in the Garden State.

Bob’s work encompasses every phase of the land use process — site selection, permitting, redevelopment planning, and environmental compliance — for diverse projects, including self-storage, warehouse, and distribution facilities; healthcare facilities; food production operations; resource extraction; renewable energy and grid resiliency projects; residential subdivisions; shopping centers; retail cannabis and growth businesses; manufacturing and entertainment facilities; day care centers; and religious institutions and facilities. Much of his work involves navigating the layered regulatory framework that governs New Jersey development, including CAFRA, Waterfront Development and Pinelands Commission review. In eminent domain and inverse condemnation cases, he has secured multimillion-dollar recoveries for property owners and helped clients realize the full value of their land. When disputes arise, Bob draws on his extensive experience and the firm’s litigation capabilities, when necessary, to resolve matters efficiently, whether through negotiation, mediation, litigation or appeal.

Bob is often called on for complex or high-stakes projects that demand careful navigation of legal, technical, and regulatory challenges. He’s widely regarded as an authority in New Jersey land use and environmental law and has spent decades working with local and state regulators across the Garden State. Before entering private practice, Bob also served as a Deputy Attorney General with the New Jersey Division of Law, representing the Department of Environmental Protection, gaining perspective on how regulatory agencies operate — from the practical realities of administrative decision-making to the nuances of policy implementation. As a result, clients benefit from strategic advice grounded in a deep familiarity with New Jersey laws and processes.

Away from work, Bob’s time centers on family, community, and the profession he’s helped shape. He and his wife volunteer at their parish, St. Joan of Arc Church in Marlton, including a fun week each summer helping with the parish carnival. He also enjoys connecting with peers through regional bar and industry groups and sharing practical insights in programs for NJICLE, NBI, and the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association.

Read More

Representative Matters

Obtained a jury verdict of $3,000,000 in favor of the property owner in a Camden County matter where the initial offer from the condemnor was $180,000

Negotiated a settlement of $12,650,000 in compensation for the property owner in a Mercer County matter where the initial offer from the condemnor was $5,700,000

Approval for development of a use variance for a 300 MW battery energy storage system

Approval for development of a 15 MW floating solar array

Approval for development of a 507,353 square foot warehouse

Approval for development of a Buddhist temple and prayer garden

Approval for development of an electric go-kart racetrack and accessory axe throwing venue

Approval of various retail cannabis locations

Community Involvement

Active parishioner and volunteer, St. Joan of Arc Church, Marlton

Southern New Jersey Development Council

Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey

Burlington County Bar Association

New Jersey State Bar Association, Land Use Section, past Chair

Honors & Recognitions

New Jersey Super Lawyers,  Environmental Law, 2020-2025

New Jersey Rising Stars, 2011-2012

Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent®

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Publications

“New Jersey’s Flood Disclosure Requirements Go into Effect,” Co-author, Hyland Levin Shapiro News Alert, March 2024

“New Jersey Imposes New Flood Disclosure to Buyers and Renters,” Co-author, Hyland Levin Shapiro News Alert, March 2024

New Jersey Legalizes, Decriminalizes Recreational Cannabis,” Co-author, Hyland Levin Shapiro News Alert, February 2021

“Real Estate and Zoning Hurdles Facing Legalized Recreational Marijuana Retailers,” Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal, April 13, 2018

Additional publications in New Jersey Law Journal and The Chronicle on land use and environmental regulation

See all publications

Speaking Engagements

“Navigating Land Use Laws and Regulations,” New Jersey Site Remediation Conference, April 2024

“The Basics Of New Jersey Land Use Practice,” NJICLE, June 2022

“Land Use Update,” NJICLE (multiple years 2011–2022)

“Prerogative Writ Actions: Challenging And Defending Local Government Actions,” Burlington County Bar Association, May 2022

“Spotting Hidden Dangers In Appraisal Reports, Environmental Reports, Title Commitment And More,” NBI, April 2021

See all speaking engagements

Site by LISI