Benham v. Board of Supervisors

349 A.2d 484, 22 Pa. Commw. 245, 1975 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1314
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 8, 1975
DocketAppeal, No. 272 C.D. 1975
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 349 A.2d 484 (Benham v. Board of Supervisors) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Benham v. Board of Supervisors, 349 A.2d 484, 22 Pa. Commw. 245, 1975 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1314 (Pa. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinions

Opinion by

Judge Wilkinson,

This case is an appeal by Grant J. Benham, Paul Darlington and Richard S. Darlington (appellants) from an order of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas upholding the decision of the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors (Board) in which it refused to adopt a curative amendment proposed by appellant Ben-ham. Appellants also assign as error another order of the same court allowing certain persons to intervene in the appeal proceedings before the lower court. We affirm both orders.

[248]*248Grant J. Benham is the equitable owner and Paul Darlington and Richard S. Darlington are the legal owners of 155 acres of land situated in Middletown Township, Delaware County (Darlington property).

On June 15, 1973, pursuant to Sections 609.1 and 1004(1) (b) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act of July 31,1968, P. L. 805, as amended, 53 P. S. §§10609.1, 11004(1) (b), appellant Benham filed an' application with the Board for a curative amendment. The application substantively challenged the validity of the Township zoning ordinance and map on the grounds that they unconstitutionally prohibited the use of property located within the Township for the development and sale of townhouses. A curative amendment was proposed to remedy this alleged illegality by creating a new R4-B Residence District which authorizes townhouse development.

Benham also submitted a proposed amendment to the zoning map to change the classification of the Darlington property to the new zoning district. The Darling-ton property was, and continues to be, within an Rl-A Residence District which, except for certain non-residential uses, limits the use of property to one single family detached home per 80,000 square feet.

Hearings were held by the Board from August 8, 1973, to May 23, 1974. On June 26, 1974, the Board issued a decision, containing 33 findings of fact, which rejected the application and refused to adopt the proposed curative amendment. An appeal was taken to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in which certain property owners were permitted to intervene. The court, without taking additional evidence, dismissed appellants’ appeal and thereby upheld the decision of the Board. Appellants now appeal to this Court on seven grounds.

Before considering the merits of appellants’ contentions, however, we must emphasize that in appeals of cases arising out of Section 1004 of the MPC, 53 P.S. [249]*249§11004, where the governing body has made its own findings of fact and the court of common pleas on review does not receive additional evidence, this Court is bound by those findings of fact made by the governing body which are supported by substantial evidence. Robin Corporation v. Board of Supervisors of Lower Paxton Township, 17 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 386, 332 A.2d 841 (1975).

As their first two grounds of appeal, appellants allege that the lower court erred in failing to find that the Township zoning ordinance is unconstitutional as being de jure or de facto exclusionary. As their third ground, appellants urge that this exclusion is evidenced by the failure of the Township to provide for its “fair share” of anticipated regional housing requirements, and that the lower court erred in holding otherwise.

A zoning ordinance is presumed valid and constitutional, thus placing a heavy burden on anyone challenging the ordinance to prove the contrary. Ellick v. Board of Supervisors of Worcester Township, 17 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 404, 333 A.2d 239 (1975). In proving de jure exclusion of a particular use, a challenge must demonstrate that the ordinance, on its face, completely bans such use. See id. In proving de facto exclusion, the proponent bears the onus of showing that, even though the ordinance on its face permits a specific use, the ordinance as applied effectively prohibits such use throughout the municipality. Hodge v. Zoning Hearing Board of West Bradford Township, 11 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 311, 312 A.2d 813 (1973). We concur with the court below that appellants did not meet these burdens.

Appellants point to Section 1211 of the Township ordinance which excludes “row dwellings” in any conventional zoning district.1 Since townhouses are no more [250]*250than embellished row houses, this prohibition would invalidate the ordinance. Camp Hill Development Co., Inc. v. Zoning Board of Adjustment, 18 Pa. Commonwealth Ct.. 519, 319 A.2d 197 (1974). However, we agree with the lower court that Section 1211 was repealed on August 10, 1970, when the Township enacted Ordinance No. 136, Section 2 of which added a Planned Residential Development (PRD) article to the Township zoning regulations. Section 953 of the PRD article expressly provides for townhouse development2 while Section 3 of Ordinance No. 136 repealed “[a] 11 ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith. . . .”

Appellants, however, contend that the PRD article does not satisfy the Township’s responsibility to provide a plan for townhouse development under the mandate of Girsh Appeal, 437 Pa. 237, 263 A.2d 395 (1970). Rather, appellants claim that townhouses ought to be authorized as of right by a standard type of districting. We cannot agree. Girsh only requires that a municipality make a reasonable provision for a particular use. The instant PRD article satisfies this requirement by providing a landowner, who qualifies for PRD,3 an option [251]*251to construct townhouses rather than develop his property-in accordance with the normal zoning classification. The fact that the Board has the power to disapprove PRD applications does not deprive the PRD article of “plan” status, particularly since the discretion of the Board in withholding approval is circumscribed by Section 709(b) of the MPC, 53 P.S. §10709 (b). Doran Investments v. Muhlenberg Township Board of Commissioners, 10 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 143, 309 A.2d 450 (1973).4

Furthermore, as a result of the repeal of Section 1211 by Section 3 of Ordinance No. 136, townhouses are permitted in other zoning districts as “multiple dwellings” as that term is defined by the zoning ordinance.5 Apt-1 Apartment District expressly permits multi-family dwellings while R4-A Residence and B Business Districts permit multiple dwellings as special exceptions. Since special exceptions are considered permitted uses, Berlant v. Lower Merion Township Zoning Hearing Board, 2 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 583, 279 A.2d 400 (1971), the Township zoning ordinance consequently authorizes townhouse development in three specific zoning districts as well as under PRD.

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Bluebook (online)
349 A.2d 484, 22 Pa. Commw. 245, 1975 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/benham-v-board-of-supervisors-pacommwct-1975.