Cedar Creek Properties, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners

815 P.2d 492, 249 Kan. 149, 1991 Kan. LEXIS 139
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJuly 12, 1991
Docket65,729
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 815 P.2d 492 (Cedar Creek Properties, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cedar Creek Properties, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners, 815 P.2d 492, 249 Kan. 149, 1991 Kan. LEXIS 139 (kan 1991).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

[150]*150Abbott, J.:

This is an appeal by neighboring landowners of the decision of the Board of County Commissioners of Johnson County (BOCC) approving Resolution No. 86-88, a request by the City of Lenexa, Kansas, for island annexation of land pursuant to K.S.A. 12-520c.

This case was previously considered by this court in Cedar Creek Properties, Inc. v. Board of Johnson County Commissioners, 246 Kan. 412, 789 P.2d 1170 (1990). In that appeal, this court determined that the landowners involved in this case had standing to participate in the decision-making process and appeal. On remand, the trial court determined that the use to be made of the land could not be challenged in the annexation proceeding and affirmed the BOCC decision to allow annexation.

By way of background, Holland Corporation (Holland) is the owner of a tract of land approximately 328 acres in size located west of Highway K-7 and immediately north of Highway K-10 in Johnson County, Kansas.

Prior to the annexation proceedings, the BOCC passed a resolution, pursuant to K.S.A. 12-715b, granting extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction to Lenexa on a portion of land in the county near Lenexa, including the Holland tract. Holland filed an application with the Lenexa planning commission for a special use permit for the tract, seeking to operate a limestone quarry. Protest petitions to the special use permit were filed by substantially all of the property owners within 200 feet of the boundaries and by some 260 other property owners. Lenexa granted a permit and that decision was appealed. That case is pending in the trial court and is apparently stayed pending the outcome of this proceeding.

Holland then petitioned Lenexa for island annexation pursuant to K.S.A. 12-520c. Lenexa approved Holland’s request by resolution and the matter was submitted to the BOCC. The BOCC held a public hearing, at which the chairman, Murray Nolte, requested that those making presentations at the hearing not get into a discussion of the zoning of the tract as this was a question of annexation only and that the zoning or use was a matter for the City of Lenexa. The BOCC unanimously adopted the resolution approving annexation.

[151]*151Plaintiffs are property owners (landowners) with borders in common with the Holland tract. After the BOCC’s vote, they filed separate appeals from the decision. The cases were consolidated by the trial court. Landowners alleged that under K.S.A. 12-520c, the BOCC was required to consider the proposed use of the property and erred in failing to do so.

The trial court dismissed the petition, holding that the landowners had no standing to appeal. The Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal. 13 Kan. App. 2d 734, 779 P.2d 463 (1989). We reversed. 246 Kan. at 418.

The case went back to the trial court and motions for summary judgment were filed by both sides. The trial court found for Holland and this appeal followed.

K.S.A. 12-520c provides, in part:

“(a) The governing body of any city may by ordinance annex land not adjoining the city if the following conditions exist:
“(1) The land is located within the same county as such city;
“(2) The owner or owners of the land petition for or consent in writing to the annexation of such land; and
“(3) The board of county commissioners of the county find and determine that the annexation of such land will not hinder or prevent the proper growth and development of the area or that of any other incorporated city located within such county.
“(c) . . . Any owner or city aggrieved by the decision of the board of county commissioners may appeal from the decision of such board to the district court of the same county in the manner and method set forth in K.S.A. 19-223. Any city so appealing shall not be required to execute the bond prescribed therein.”

Landowners argue that implicit in the requirement that the BOCC “find and determine that the annexation of such land will not hinder or prevent the proper growth and development of the area or that of any other incorporated city located within such county” under subsection (a)(3) is that the board must consider the proposed use to which the land will be put.

The trial court found in its memorandum decision:

“All parties having moved the Court for summary judgment this case can be resolved as a matter of law if no material and controlling fact is left to be determined.
“The construction of 12-520c, which deals with ‘island annexation’ proscribes the issues. Interpretation of this section is a matter of first impression [152]*152save for the question of ‘standing.’ Section 12-520c casts a burden on the Board of County Commissioners far different from that of K.S.A. 12-521.
‘‘Advisability of annexation of land to a municipality is a legislative rather than a judicial question. Courts may not substitute their judgment for that of a governing body.
“If K.S.A. 12-520c is thought to be more than an objective standard to be met in the exercise of delegated legislative power it is evident that in this instance the Board of County Commissioners did in fact receive evidence and hear arguments with reference to prospective land use and, at the urging of defendants, rightly considered the question to be speculative and under the jurisdiction of the defendant, City of Lenexa, by virtue of an extra territorial zoning authority grant by the Board of County Commissioners in March of 1987, which plaintiff did not appeal.
“It is presumed that government acts in good faith and without deceit. The objecting land owners have a clear remedy to the zoning actions of the City of Lenexa that aggrieve them. In fact, such a zoning appeal is now pending in another division of this court.
“It is further presumed that all relevant evidence and arguments submitted to the Board of County Commissioners was considered. The matter of land use of the subject tract was extensively brought to the attention of the board, which thereafter made all necessary findings to comply with the statute.

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Cedar Creek Properties, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners
815 P.2d 492 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
815 P.2d 492, 249 Kan. 149, 1991 Kan. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cedar-creek-properties-inc-v-board-of-county-commissioners-kan-1991.