Christ Redeemer Church v. Town of Hanover; Jeff Acker & a. v. Town of Hanover

CourtSupreme Court of New Hampshire
DecidedApril 14, 2023
Docket2021-0349, 2021-0356
StatusUnpublished

This text of Christ Redeemer Church v. Town of Hanover; Jeff Acker & a. v. Town of Hanover (Christ Redeemer Church v. Town of Hanover; Jeff Acker & a. v. Town of Hanover) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Christ Redeemer Church v. Town of Hanover; Jeff Acker & a. v. Town of Hanover, (N.H. 2023).

Opinion

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

SUPREME COURT

In Case Nos. 2021-0349 and 2021-0356, Christ Redeemer Church v. Town of Hanover; Jeff Acker & a. v. Town of Hanover, the court on April 14, 2023, issued the following order:

The court has reviewed the written arguments and the record submitted on appeal, has considered the oral arguments of the parties, and has determined to resolve these consolidated cases by way of this order. See Sup. Ct. R. 20(2). Plaintiff Christ Redeemer Church (CRC) and plaintiffs Jeff and Lara Acker (the Ackers) each appeal an order of the Superior Court (Bornstein, J.) upholding the decision of Town of Hanover’s (Town) Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) granting CRC a use special exception, subject to certain conditions, and a wetlands special exception to construct a church. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

I. Background

The following facts are supported by the record. CRC has operated within the Town for nearly twenty years, renting space at Hanover High School to conduct religious services. After more than ten years of searching for property to purchase in Hanover, CRC acquired a series of lots on Greensboro Road. Greensboro Road is a two-lane road with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour, which sees “approximately 3,100 traveling vehicles per day.”

In 2018, CRC applied to the ZBA for special exceptions to build a 21,250 square foot church on two merged lots, along with a driveway and parking lot. CRC proposed constructing a church capable of holding up to 415 people, a parking lot for 120 vehicles, and related infrastructure. One-third of the proposed project, including the entire footprint of the church building and approximately 40 parking spaces, was to be located in the Town’s Single Residence (SR) district. The remaining two-thirds, including the additional parking spaces and related infrastructure, were to be located in the Town’s Rural Residence (RR) district. CRC’s proposal required a use special exception, as churches are permitted in the SR and RR districts only by special exception. Hanover, N.H., Zoning Ordinance (hereinafter, Ordinance) §§ 405.8, 405.9. CRC’s proposal also required a wetlands special exception for the wetland buffer zone along the northwest portion of the property. See Ordinance § 1103.7.

In support of its application, CRC submitted a traffic study, a sound level assessment, and a property value assessment. In addition, both CRC and the Ackers hired experts and submitted engineering reports. The ZBA also hired an independent expert “for a third party technical review of the presentations submitted in support of and opposition to the application relating to water resource impacts.”

Between June and October 2018, the ZBA held five public hearings on CRC’s application. The Ackers, who own property on the opposite side of Greensboro Road from the proposed church, participated throughout the proceedings, submitting letters and public comment. After holding deliberations in November and December 2018, the ZBA granted CRC’s wetlands special exception and denied the use special exception application. The Ackers moved for rehearing, which the ZBA denied. CRC also moved for rehearing on the use special exception, which the ZBA granted.

Upon rehearing in March 2019, the ZBA granted CRC a use special exception, subject to a number of conditions. The conditions included: (1) a maximum occupancy on the premises of 300 persons and seating for no more than 300 persons in the sanctuary; (2) a limit on the hours of operation and occupancy from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends; (3) a limit of 113 parking spaces and a requirement that CRC utilize a traffic coordinator; (4) a requirement that the sanctuary windows “remain closed during all activities except in case of emergency or failure of the HVAC system”; and (5) the installation of a noise mitigation screen around the mechanical equipment. CRC and the Ackers each filed motions for rehearing, which the ZBA denied.

Both CRC and the Ackers brought suit against the Town in superior court. The Ackers filed two separate appeals pursuant to RSA 677:4 (2016) — one regarding the use special exception and the other the wetlands special exception. CRC filed a nine-count complaint. Counts I through VIII raised challenges to the Town’s ordinance under the “First Amendment,” “Equal Protection,” and “Substantive Due Process,” and challenged the special use conditions under the Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). See 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc (2000). Count IX challenged, pursuant to 677:4, the ZBA’s imposition of the occupancy, hours of operation, and window closure conditions on the use special exception.

CRC moved for summary judgment on Counts I through VI of its complaint and the Town moved for summary judgment on Counts I through VIII of CRC’s complaint. Following a hearing, the trial court issued an order on the summary judgment motions and on the merits of the ZBA appeals. The court granted the Town’s motion for summary judgment on CRC’s constitutional claims. With respect to CRC’s RLUIPA claim, the trial court denied CRC’s motion for summary judgment except as to the window closure condition and otherwise granted the Town’s motion. With respect to the ZBA appeals under RSA 677:4, the court affirmed the ZBA’s decision to grant the

2 use special exception except with respect to the window closure condition and affirmed the ZBA’s decision to grant the wetlands special exception. Following a separate hearing on CRC’s claims for damages, costs, and attorney’s fees, the trial court awarded CRC nominal damages in the amount of one dollar and court costs in the amount of $280.00, but denied its request for attorney’s fees. The trial court subsequently denied CRC’s motion for reconsideration of its order addressing the summary judgment motions and the merits of the ZBA appeals. This appeal followed.

II. Analysis

On appeal, CRC argues that the trial court erred by: (1) not ruling that the ordinance is unconstitutional “under the First Amendment and Part I, Article 5 of the New Hampshire Constitution”; (2) not ruling that the special exception requirement in the ordinance is an “unconstitutional prior restraint”; (3) not ruling that the ordinance violates “constitutional equal protection”; (4) not ruling that the Town violated RLUIPA; (5) not vacating the occupancy and hours conditions under RSA chapter 677; and (6) not granting a builder’s remedy and attorney’s fees, and awarding only one dollar in damages.

The Ackers argue that the trial court erred by determining that: (1) the ZBA’s decision to grant a use special exception on rehearing was not unlawful or unreasonable; (2) the record contained sufficient evidence to support the adequacy of the conditions imposed by the ZBA; (3) the ordinance only requires review of the runoff from portions of the project that are in a wetland or wetland buffer; (4) the record contained sufficient evidence to support the ZBA’s grant of the wetland special exception; and (5) the record supported the ZBA’s “creation of a de minimis exception to the prohibition against any increased stormwater runoff” in the ordinance.

Although CRC raises several constitutional claims, because we generally decide constitutional questions only when necessary, we first address the parties’ arguments under RSA chapter 677. See State v. Fogg, 170 N.H. 234, 236 (2017). Our review in zoning cases is limited. Dietz v. Town of Tuftonboro, 171 N.H. 614, 618 (2019). “The party seeking to set aside the ZBA’s decision bears the burden of proof on appeal to the trial court.” Id. (quotation omitted).

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Bluebook (online)
Christ Redeemer Church v. Town of Hanover; Jeff Acker & a. v. Town of Hanover, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christ-redeemer-church-v-town-of-hanover-jeff-acker-a-v-town-of-nh-2023.