Canyon Area Residents for the Environment v. Board of County Commissioners

172 P.3d 905, 2006 Colo. App. LEXIS 631, 2006 WL 1171863
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 4, 2006
DocketNo. 04CA0810
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 172 P.3d 905 (Canyon Area Residents for the Environment v. Board of County Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Canyon Area Residents for the Environment v. Board of County Commissioners, 172 P.3d 905, 2006 Colo. App. LEXIS 631, 2006 WL 1171863 (Colo. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

ROTHENBERG, J.

In this C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4) action, Canyon Area Residents for the Environment (CARE) appeals the district court's judgment affirming the decision of the Board of County Commissioners of Jefferson County (Board), to approve an application to rezone land and permit construction of a telecommunications tower. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

Bear Creek Development Corporation and Public Interest Communications, LLC (Applicants) applied to rezone a section of land on Mount Morrison located above Red Rocks Amphitheater to replace an existing telecom[907]*907munications tower with a new tower. The application contained two alternative tower designs and a maintenance building design.

The Applicants appeared before the Jefferson County Staff Planning Commission (Commission), which held several public hearings on the application. The hearings were attended by many citizens and interested parties, most of whom opposed the zoning change. Based on the evidence and testimony presented, the Commission denied the application, concluding the proposal was not in conformance with the Central Mountain Community Plan (CMCP) or the Telecommunications Land Use Plan (TLUP).

The Applicants appealed the Commission's decision to the Board, which also held several meetings and heard testimony regarding alternative tower sites, radiation levels, design of the replacement tower, and compliance with the CMCP and TLUP. During the third meeting, the Board closed public testimony. After the meeting, multiple changes were made to the application, and the Board approved the revised rezoning application.

CARE then filed this action seeking judicial review under C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4). The district court affirmed the Board's decision.

I.

CARE contends the Board abused its discretion by permitting the Applicants to make substantial changes to their proposal after public testimony was closed. We agree.

A.

As an initial matter, we address the standard of review to be applied by appellate courts reviewing a C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4) proceeding.

C.R.GC.P. 106(a)(4) provides for judicial review of a decision of any governmental body or officer or any lower judicial body exercising judicial or quasi-judicial functions for the purpose of determining whether the body or officer exeeeded its jurisdiction or abused its discretion. The rule contemplates that the district court will review the record of the proceedings to make this determination. Widder v. Durango Sch. Dist. No. 9-R, 85 P.3d 518 (Colo.2004). The district court exercises no factfinding authority in such cases, and we engage in the same type of record review as did the district court. Feldewerth v. Joint Sch. Dist. 28-J, 3 P.3d 467, 470 (Colo.App.1999).

Thus, our review here is limited to whether the governmental body abused its discretion or exceeded its jurisdiction in granting the application to rezone the land on Mount Morrison. See Widder v. Durango Sch. Dist. No. 9-R, supra.

An abuse of discretion occurs when a governmental body issues a decision that is not reasonably supported by any competent evidence in the record. Van Sickle v. Boyes, 797 P.2d 1267 (Colo.1990); Carney v. Civil Serv. Comm'n, 30 P.3d 861 (Colo.App.2001). "No competent evidence" means that the governmental body's decision is "so devoid of evidentiary support that it can only be explained as an arbitrary and capricious exercise of authority." Bd. of County Comm'rs v. O'Dell, 920 P.2d 48, 50 (Colo.1996)(quoting Ross v. Fire & Police Pension Ass'n, 713 P.2d 1304, 1309 (Colo.1986)).

Furthermore, "ln a CRCP. 106(a)(d4) proceeding, the reviewing court may consider, in determining the existence of an abuse of discretion, whether the hearing officer misconstrued or misapplied the applicable law." Van. Sickle v. Boyes, 797 P.2d 1267, 1274 (Colo.1990)(citing Elec. Power Research Inst., Inc. v. City & County of Denver, 737 P.2d 822, 825-26 (Colo.1987)).

B.

When, as here, an agency acts in a quasi-judicial capacity, procedural due process requires that the ageney give notice and afford an opportunity for a meaningful hearing to affected individuals. Lobato v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 105 P.3d 220 (Colo.2005); Douglas County Bd. of Comm'rs v. Pub. Utils Comm'n, 829 P.2d 1303 (Colo.1992); Van Sickle v. Boyes, supra.

When a Planned Unit Development (PUD) resolution is. involved, the General Assembly has required that notice of a hearing shall be provided to the general public, § 24-67 [908]*908104(1)(e), C.R.S.2005, and that all interested parties who are present at the public hearing and wish to testify shall be heard. Section 24-67-105.5(8), C.R.98.2005.

Although administrative proceedings need not strictly comply with the rules of procedure and evidence, Monte Viste Prof'l Bldg., Inc. v. City of Monte Vista, 35 Colo.App. 235, 531 P.2d 400 (1975), the principle of fundamental fairness must be observed in zoning proceedings. Nat'l Heritage, Inc. v. Pritza, 728 P.2d 787 (Colo.App.1986); Monte Vista Prof'l Bldg., Inc. v. City of Monte Vista, supra. "[The hearing process must be conducted in an atmosphere evidencing fairness in the adjudication of matters before [a board]." Sclavenitis v. City of Cherry Hills Vill. Bd. of Adjustment & Appeals, 751 P.2d 661, 663 (Colo.App.1988).

County zoning resolution § 1.G.3.1 provides:

The Planning and Zoning Department shall prepare comments and present pertinent facts and recommendations to the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners. To ensure completeness and to allow adequate public review, no substantial revisions or additions, except in response to an agency or staff request or those specifically requested by the Planning Commission or the Board of County Commissioners may be made to any application or supporting documents within 21 days prior to any hearing.

(Emphasis added.)

As we read this zoning resolution, it only permits an applicant to make substantial changes in an application if (1) the changes are made in response to and at the specific request of the agency or staff; and (2) the changes are made within twenty-one days prior to the public hearing. This resolution does not affect minor changes, which may be made at any time.

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172 P.3d 905, 2006 Colo. App. LEXIS 631, 2006 WL 1171863, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canyon-area-residents-for-the-environment-v-board-of-county-commissioners-coloctapp-2006.