City of New York v. Delafield 246 Corp.

236 A.D.2d 11, 662 N.Y.S.2d 286, 1997 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7823
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJuly 24, 1997
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 236 A.D.2d 11 (City of New York v. Delafield 246 Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of New York v. Delafield 246 Corp., 236 A.D.2d 11, 662 N.Y.S.2d 286, 1997 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7823 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Mazzarelli, J.

The City of New York (City) commenced this action to compel the owner of real property known as the Delafield Estate, in Riverdale, New York, to comply with certain covenants agreed to by the original grantor, Columbia University, and the initial grantee-developer Delafield Estates Limited (Delafield Limited). The primary issue on this appeal is whether these covenants are binding on defendant Delafield 246 Corporation (Delafield 246), a successor owner of the property.

Edward Delafield gave the 10.5-acre estate, including the Delafield Mansion, to Columbia University in 1966. In 1980, the Trustees of Columbia University entered into a contract to sell the property to Delafield Limited, and the parties executed and recorded a Declaration (Declaration) governing the development of the property. The Declaration was executed in consideration of the City Planning Commission’s (CPC) and the Board of Estimate’s approval of permits authorizing Delafield Limited to construct a 33-unit residential development on the estate property.

The Declaration required that Delafield Limited develop the property in accordance with the Site and Construction Management Plans. It also included specific covenants requiring Delafield Limited to preserve and protect the Delafield Mansion, retain the existing trees on the property and restore any trees damaged by construction, and regrade and landscape the surface terrain disturbed by the construction of an underground garage. The Declaration further required completion of individual components of the construction by certain dates. In the event these components were not completed within the deadlines, the Declaration authorized CPC to either direct completion within 30 days, or to direct removal of the incomplete component and restoration of the disturbed land within 180 days.

A resolution adopted by CPC and approved by the Board of Estimate in September 1980 provided that the construction [16]*16permits were expressly conditioned on compliance with the covenants in the Declaration. The City was specifically given standing, as a third-party beneficiary, to enforce the Declaration, but it had no right of action unless the Department of Buildings first issued a violation for noncompliance with the conditions or obligations of the Declaration. The Declaration also stated that the covenants and restrictions listed therein "shall run with such real property” and be binding on any party having an interest in the property, and their successors and assigns.

In October 1981, the City and Delafield Limited entered into an agreement (Agreement), in which the City demapped a portion of the area and accepted a sewer easement, while Delafield Limited agreed to improve certain streets, install sewers, hydrants, sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems. Like the Declaration, the Agreement was approved by CPC and the Board of Estimate, was recorded and recited that it would run with the land and bind all successors and assigns. Both the Agreement and the Declaration required the posting of performance bonds pertaining to specific covenants or obligations. Delafield Limited purchased these bonds from defendant sureties American Home Assurance Company and National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.

In 1986, after building only five units, Delafield Limited encountered financial difficulties and sold the property to Delafield Estates Associates (Delafield Associates). Delafield Associates built only six more units, and sold 9 of the existing 11 units. It also became financially troubled and a court-appointed receiver took control of the property in 1989. Because the property was heavily encumbered with a $9 million mortgage and other debt, the receiver recommended a public auction. At or about the same time, the mortgagees commenced a foreclosure action.

Meanwhile, according to the City, the condition of the property deteriorated because of the unfinished construction. There were several open foundation pits, an open excavation pit for the never-completed underground garage and numerous destroyed trees. Moreover, the mansion was left in poor condition. On November 3, 1988, the City Environmental Control Board issued notices of violation for failure to build fences around open foundations and excavations. In February 1989, the City notified the receiver of its obligation to cure.

In July 1989, the City commenced this action in Supreme Court, New York County, to enforce Delafield Associates’ and [17]*17the sureties’ obligations under the Declaration and Agreement. In its verified complaint, the City demanded that Delafield Associates, as successor to Delafield Limited, replace the destroyed trees and protect the existing ones, restore the landscape around the unbuilt garage, restore the mansion, complete the unbuilt units and install the fire alarm system. The complaint included separate causes of action against the sureties relating to each of these covenants, demanding compliance or recovery on the bonds.

After issue was joined, the City moved for partial summary judgment against the sureties, seeking specific performance of the restoration work. By order entered June 7, 1991, the Supreme Court ruled that Delafield Limited had not fulfilled its obligations under the Declaration and the Agreement, thereby triggering liability of the performance bonds. It held the specific performance request in abeyance pending a hearing before a Referee on the cost of the work required to comply with the Declaration and the Agreement. This hearing was not pursued by the City.

In August 1991, the property was sold at foreclosure to Abraham Zion (Zion) for $1 million. According to the City, because of the recording of the Declaration and Agreement with the County Clerk, Zion had constructive notice of the covenants. The City further claims Zion was given actual notice of the covenants at the auction. Immediately after the foreclosure sale, Zion conveyed the property to his own corporation, defendant Delafield 246 Corporation (Delafield 246), which was then substituted as a defendant in this action in place of Delafield Associates. Delafield 246 served its answer in January 1992, including the affirmative defense that it was not bound by the Declaration or the Agreement because the affirmative covenants in them did not touch and concern the land, and because Delafield 246 was not in privity with the original signatories to those documents.

Between January 1992 and November 1993, the City and Delafield 246 attempted to negotiate a resolution of the dispute. In July 1992, Delafield 246’s attorney sent letters to the Land Use Committee of Community Board 8 and the City’s attorney, stating that Delafield 246 intended to complete the development of the property in compliance with the Declaration and the Agreement, with only minor modifications. He further stated that Delafield 246 would cure any existing violations on the property, and stated its approval of a $150,000 settlement being negotiated with the sureties. Zion hired an architect to [18]*18draw up restoration plans, and said plans were submitted to the City Planning Department. The plans were rejected, however, because they did not adequately address the topographical work, uncompleted buildings and open foundation pits.

The negotiations between the parties broke down, and in November 1993 the City moved for summary judgment1

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Bluebook (online)
236 A.D.2d 11, 662 N.Y.S.2d 286, 1997 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7823, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-new-york-v-delafield-246-corp-nyappdiv-1997.