Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Kingston Urban Renewal Agency

31 A.D.2d 708, 296 N.Y.S.2d 113, 1968 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 2558
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York·Decided December 27, 1968·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Per Curiam.

This is an action on submitted facts commenced pursuant to CPLR 3222 to determine whether the defendant may require the plaintiff to place its electric lines and facilities underground within an urban renewal area located in the -.City of Kingston. Shortly after an urban renewal plan was adopted by the City of Kingston, the defendant and the city entered into a co-operation agreement pertaining to a project for redevelopment, concerning which the defendant has directed that plaintiff’s utility lines and facilities be placed underground at the redevelopment site. Plaintiff disputes defendant’s right to order its utility lines be placed underground, urging defendant’s lack of authority to so do. In order to facilitate the completion of the project, the parties additionally stipulated that the utilities be placed underground “and the Defendant has agreed that the Plaintiff is entitled to recover $84,872 * * * if the Court determines that the Defendant [709] is responsible for the payment therefor.” We are unable to agree with defendant’s contention that it has authority to direct the installation to be so made. We find no legislative authority granted to the defendant and no power delegated to it in the urban renewal plan as adopted, from whence it must find its jurisdiction to so do. Neither is there any implied authority envisioned or contained within the provisions of articles 15 and XV-A of the General Municipal Law. The placement and location of utility lines is clearly a problem of legislative concern. The clear expression of legislative involvement is expressed in the authority granted to the City of Kingston to require underground installation through its Charter (tit. XIII, § 145, subd. 24, added by L. 1915, ch. 611). While the city may 'delegate its powers under the Urban Renewal Law (General Municipal Law, § 503-a), we can no where find that such was done and no agency of the municipality has any such power, save the city itself, without express authority. Neither can this defendant be deemed to have derived any independent power to order the underground installation, which it could have been granted, had the city seen fit to so grant when it was called upon to approve or modify the urban renewal plan submitted to it. The powers of the defendant are necessarily subject to the urban renewal plan, in which no provision was made for underground facilities or utilities; and hence the requirement for underground location was not ratified and mandated by exercise of the city’s legislative power in approving the plan. In concluding that plaintiff is entitled to judgment, we observe that the holdings in New York Tel. Co. v. City of Binghamton (18 N Y 2d 152) and New York City Tunnel Auth. v. Consolidated Edison Co. (295 N. Y. 467, mot. for rearg. den. 296 N. Y. 745) do not call for any different result for in the first case the city obviously had specific authority and in the latter case, there was specific power granted by the Legislature. Both parties rely upon and quote from the Urban Renewal Manual, promulgated under .the authority of the Federal Housing & Home Agency, which must be followed by all renewal agencies and which requires that urban renewal plans must have included therein provision for “any proposed underground placement of utility lines” (Urban Renewal Manual, § 10-3-2). We further observe that it contemplates a situation where a utility company may not legally be required to pay for underground placement, in which case Federal funds may be provided for such placement. There being no power within this defendant’s authority to direct the underground placement and in view of the stipulation of the parties regarding the installation of the utilities and the agreed-upon cost of relocation, plaintiff is entitled to judgment therefor. Judgment granted for plaintiff in the sum of $84,872, with costs.

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Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Kingston Urban Renewal Agency, 31 A.D.2d 708, 296 N.Y.S.2d 113, 1968 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 2558 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1968).

31 A.D.2d 708 (Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Kingston Urban Renewal Agency) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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