Casino Reinvestment Development Authority v. City of Atlantic City

18 N.J. Tax 463
CourtNew Jersey Tax Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1999
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 18 N.J. Tax 463 (Casino Reinvestment Development Authority v. City of Atlantic City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Casino Reinvestment Development Authority v. City of Atlantic City, 18 N.J. Tax 463 (N.J. Super. Ct. 1999).

Opinion

AXELRAD, J.T.C.

In this local property tax matter, the taxpayer, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (“CRDA”), contests the assessments of two single family homes located at 217 Grammercy Place and 219 Grammercy Place, in the City of Atlantic City. The properties are more particularly identified on the Tax Map of the City of Atlantic City as Block 94, Lots 102.10 and 102.11, and are part of a thirty-nine unit residential subdivision known as “Madison Landing.” CRDA submits that the properties are exempt from taxation as “property of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority” under N.J.S.A. 5:12-167.

The land had been previously acquired by CRDA and the subject lots were listed on the municipality’s tax assessment lists as exempt for the 1997 and 1998 tax years. In December, 1997, construction was completed and certificates of occupancy were issued for each lot. The subject properties were thereafter assessed by Atlantic City as omitted added (N.J.S.A. 54:4-63.26) for the 1998 tax year, which assessments were affirmed by the Atlantic County Board of Taxation as follows:

Lot 102.10 Lot 102.11

Land $ 25,200 $ 25,200

Improvements $ 75,800 $ 75,800

Total $101,000 $101,000

Counsel filed cross motions for summary judgment in which CRDA sought a determination that the properties are exempt from local property taxation while the city sought a determination that they are subject to local property taxation. In support of these motions both counsel submitted statements of material facts; R. 4:46-2(a). CRDA submitted an affidavit of its staff counsel with the Developer’s Agreements, addenda, resolutions, and deeds. The city submitted the certification of its assessor with various municipal approvals and permits. The city thereafter withdrew its cross motion on the basis that CRDA raised new allegations in its reply papers and requested that the court deny [468]*468CRDA’s motion as premature to allow the city time to engage in discovery regarding the expectations of CRDA and the developer regarding ownership and transfer of title to the units in order to support the city’s theory of “equitable conversion.”

In 1984, in an attempt to accelerate redevelopment in Atlantic City, the Legislature adopted amendments to the Casino Control Act, N.J.S.A. 5:12-1 to 210 (“the Act”) and revised the prospective investment obligation of casinos. L. 1984, c. 218. Pursuant thereto, the CRDA was established as a public body, funded by casinos through a series of investment alternatives. N.J.S.A. 5:12-144.1. CRDA’s purposes, as set forth in N.J.S.A. 5:12-160, include:

a. ... to directly facilitate the redevelopment of existing blighted areas ...
d. to provide loans and other financial assistance for the planning, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, demolition, rehabilitation, conversion, repair or alteration of buildings or facilities to provide decent, safe and sanitary dwelling units for persons of low, moderate, median range, and middle income in need of housing, ...
i. to cooperate with and assist local government units in financing any eligible project; ... and
m. any combination of the foregoing.

CRDA’s enabling legislation expressly confers upon CRDA broad powers to effectuate its goals. As set forth in N.J.S.A. 5:12-161, the powers include:

c. To acquire, hold, use and dispose of any eligible project in which it is making an investment; ...
g. To enter into any agreements or contracts, execute any instruments, and do and perform any acts or things necessary, convenient, or desirable for the purposes of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, ...
o. To enter into all agreements or contracts with any governmental unit or person, execute any instruments, and do and perform any acts or things necessary, convenient or desirable for the purposes of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to carry out any power expressly given in this act; and
p. To exercise the right of eminent domain in the city of Atlantic City.

On October 9, 1987, the City Council adopted an ordinance which approved a Redevelopment Plan for the Northeast Inlet section of the city. Over the course of several years thereafter, CRDA, pursuant to its enabling legislation, determined that various housing projects within the Redevelopment Plan area were “eligible projects” pursuant to N.J.S.A. 5:12-173. CRDA granted [469]*469project approval and reserved funds to be utilized in furtherance of the development of these projects. On November 8, 1991, CRDA adopted a resolution which preliminarily determined the eligibility of the “Phase III Acquisition Project” involving the acquisition of privately owned parcels in Tax Blocks 93, 94 and G-16, the relocation of the residents from these houses, the demolition of existing structures, and the construction of new housing. Through a series of several other resolutions, CRDA granted project approval for the acquisition of approximately 164 privately owned parcels in these tax blocks, the demolition of the structures thereon, and the funding for the project.

CRDA acquired the subject site in furtherance of the Northeast Inlet Redevelopment Plan. Pursuant to resolution adopted on April 9, 1996, CRDA determined that the Madison Landing Project

is in furtherance of the public purposes of the Authority as set forth in N.J.S.A. 5:12-160 and promotes the most pressing social, health, and economic well being of the people of the State of New Jersey and the residents of the City of Atlantic City and is therefore, an ‘eligible project’ as set forth in N.J.S.A. 5:12-173.

CRDA reserved funds and authorized the retention of Procida Realty & Construction (“PRC”) to develop and complete construction of the project. Thereafter, CRDA and PRC entered into a Stage I of Developer’s Agreement dated September 6, 1996 for preparation of the site, and a Stage II of Developer’s Agreement dated July 21, 1997 for construction of the units and development of the project.

In accordance with its broad statutory powers, CRDA contracted with PRC to develop the project and entered into an arrangement whereby CRDA subsidized the costs of the approval process and construction of housing units to cover the projected gap between the costs and sales proceeds. Under the terms of the Developer’s Agreements, CRDA and the lender were to fund all costs and expenses, CRDA had the authority to terminate PRC’s contract with or without cause, and all engineering reports and drawings would remain the property of CRDA. Pursuant to the agreements, PRC was hired essentially as a general contractor, with additional responsibilities to obtain site plan approval prior to [470]*470construction and to market the units after construction. PRC was to be paid a fee for its services pursuant to requisitions made to CRDA similar to any general contractor. The payment of the fee was not contingent upon or related to the sale of the units (other than a potential developer’s bonus in CRDA’s sole discretion of up to $2000 per unit paid at the close-out of the project to the extent that savings were realized on the cost to develop the project).

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Related

Casino Reinvestment Dev. Auth. v. Birnbaum
203 A.3d 939 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2019)

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Bluebook (online)
18 N.J. Tax 463, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/casino-reinvestment-development-authority-v-city-of-atlantic-city-njtaxct-1999.