C.A.N.D.L.E. v. Board of Commissioners

502 A.2d 742, 93 Pa. Commw. 547
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 18, 1985
DocketAppeals, Nos. 2489 C.D. 1984 and 1679 C.D. 1985
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 502 A.2d 742 (C.A.N.D.L.E. v. Board of Commissioners) 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
C.A.N.D.L.E. v. Board of Commissioners, 502 A.2d 742, 93 Pa. Commw. 547 (Pa. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge ¡Colins,

On April 5, 1984, the Board of Commissioners of Fayette County (Commissioners) passed an ordinance rezoning a -total of approximately two hundred and fifty acres in order to permit' Commercial .Stone Co., Inc. (appellee) to conduct mineral extraction -and quarrying on the site. C.A.N.D.L.E! (appellant), an unincorporated association, opposed the ordinance before ¡the Commissioners. Failing in its attempt-to prevent rezoning, appellant appealed the rezoning ordinance to the Court of Common Pleas of Fayette County, which had jurisdiction under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC).1 2 On August 16, 1984, the Court of Common Pleas dismissed -the appeal and affirmed the action of the Commissioners. An appeal to this Court followed.

During the pendency of the instant appeal, .the appellee petitioned the Court of Common Pleas to order the appellants to post bond in order to protect appellee’s interests.3 A hearing wias held by the Court of [550]*550Common Pleas, ¡and on May 28, 1985, the ¡petition was granted and bond ordered posted. The appellant appealed the order to post bond to this jGourt, and further requested ia stay ¡of the bond order until the ¡appeal ¡on the ease in chief (was decided. ¡On July 25,1985, this Court denied the application to stay the bond ¡order; therefore, the original bond order is in effect ¡and an appeal from ¡such is before this Court ¡as well as the appeal from passage of ¡the rezoning ordinance.

¡Appellant did not post a bond following the denial of the stay, and appellee filed a Motion to Quash based on ¡appellant’¡s failure to post bond. On August 30, 1985, ¡this Court ordered appellant’s two ¡appeals consolidated, and the Motion to Quash was deferred. Thus, the Court presently has before it ¡three separate issues to address: (1) what should be the result ¡of appellant’s failure to post bond; .(¡2) whether the bond order was properly issued; and .(3) whether the trial court wias correct in affirming ¡the rezoning ordinance of the Board.

An appellant’s failure to post bond may make a merits ¡appeal ¡subject to ¡summary dismissal. See Langmaid Lane Homeowners Association Appeal, 77 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 53, 465 A.2d 72 (1983). However, if ¡the merits appeal is dismissed, summarily or otherwise, a bond order appeal paired with it could be dismissed as moot. Printzas v. Borough of Norristown, 10 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 487, 313 A.2d 784 (1973). This ¡result is quite possible (and indeed proper) even if the bond order is invalid; however, it is certainly more equitable to review the bond order. [551]*551.Such review would give the landowner the benefit of the bond order, if valid, with respect to any further proceedings which could ensue, and, if invalid, wonld permit a review of the merits appeal on behalf of the appellant. "We 'shall adopt the latter approach, therefore reviewing the bond appeal first, the Motion to Quash second, and tertiarily the merits appeal.

The right to request a bond is :a statutory one, provided by the MP;C, which states:

If the appellants are persons who are seeking to prevent a use or development of the land of 'another . . . the landowner whose use or development is 'in question may petition the court to order the appellants to post bond as a condition to proceeding with the appeal. After the petition is presented, the court shall hold a hearing to determine if the filing of the appeal is frivolous and is for the purpose of delay. At the hearing evidence may he presented on the merits of the case. After consideration of 'ah evidence presented, if the court determines that the appeal is frivolous and is for the purpose of delay it should grant the petition. The right to petition the court to order the appellants to post bond may be waived by the appellee but such waiver may be revoked by 'him if an appeal is •taken from a final decision of the court. The question of the amount of the bond shall be within the sound 'discretion of the court.4

The appellee petitioned the iCommon Pleas Court for the .bond order, ¡although the appellant’s appeal was already before this Court. ¡The Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure provide for a divestiture of trial court jurisdiction by an appeal. “Except as [552]*552otherwise .prescribed by these rules, 'after an appeal is taken . . . the trial court . . . may no longer proceed further in the matter. ”5 However, Section 1008(4) of the MPC, quoted above, is an exception to this rule, in that it clearly indicates that the trial court retains sufficient jurisdiction to enter a bond order, even after an appeal has been filed, once a waiver of the right to petition for a bond .order has been revoked. Collis v. Zoning Hearing Board of the City of Wilkes-Barre, 77 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 4, 465 A.2d 53 (1983). In response to appellant’s argument that there was never a waiver, and that no revocation could therefore occur, this Court notes that ,our Supreme Court has held that .one may be deemed to have waived statutorily guaranteed rights by inaction. Cheltenham Township Appeal, 413 Pa. 379, 387, 196 A.2d 363, 367 (1964). The inaction of appellee in pursuing its bond rights constituted a waiver, ¡and its.later pursuit of a bond was, therefore, a revocation of such wiaiver as .provided by Section 1008(4) of the MPC.

Jurisdiction haying been determined to be properly in the trial court, the trial court had to determine whether the merits appeal was frivolous .and for the purpose.of delay. The trial court found that it was. Cur review of this action by the Court of Common Pleas is limited to a determination of whether the Court abused its discretion. Leonard v. Zoning Hearing Board of Cheltenham Township, 72 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 237, 457 A.2d 132 (1983).

. ...The appellant contends that ¡the trial court abused its discretion by not holding a hearing on the issues of whether the appellant’s merit appeal was frivolous and was for .the .purpose of delay. To be sure, Section 1008(4) of the MPC does in fact state that the Court shall hold a hearing on the aforementioned issues. The [553]*553■ordinary usage of the word “shall” is as a command or a compulsion with the force of “must”, and while not always rendering a statute mandatory, is generally regarded as imperative. Appeal of Connors, 71 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 213, 454 A.2d 233 (1983). However, when construing the intent of statutes, or sections thereof, construction should give effect to all of the provisions. Crossley Appeal, 60 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 351, 432 A.2d 263 (1981); (Statutory Construction Act of 1972, 1 Pa. C. S. §1921 (a).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
502 A.2d 742, 93 Pa. Commw. 547, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/candle-v-board-of-commissioners-pacommwct-1985.