Comunidad Balboa, LLC v. City of Nassau Bay

402 S.W.3d 479, 2013 WL 2635676, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 7231
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 13, 2013·No. No. 14-12-00619-CV·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

OPINION

JOHN DONOVAN, Justice.

In a single issue, Comunidad Balboa, LLC (“Comunidad”) contends the trial court erred by granting the plea to the jurisdiction filed by The City of Nassau Bay, Don Matter (Mayor), John Haugen (City Council Position 1), Dr. Sandra Mossman (Council Position 2), Ron Swof-ford (Council Position 8), Brad Bailey (Council Position 4), Mark Denman (Council Position 5), Bob Warters (Council Position 6), and Chris Reed (City Manager).1 We affirm.

I. Background

In December 2003, Comunidad purchased an apartment complex (“the Complex” or, more generally, “the Property”) located within the City’s boundaries and built in 1969. Comunidad is a non-profit corporation and intended to use the Complex to make affordable housing available to low-income persons.

[482] Comunidad alleges the following facts in its first amended petition and first and second supplements to the amended petition (we refer to these pleadings collectively as “petition”). In late 2005 and 2006, Comunidad attended several meetings to which the City invited private developers interested in purchasing the Property. Nevertheless, Comunidad never consummated a sale with a developer. Consequently, the City began a course of action to hinder Comunidad’s use of the Complex.

The City first filed a lawsuit challenging Comunidad’s property tax exemption related to the Complex.2 The City then amended its fire-prevention ordinances to require the installation of sprinkler systems in certain newly-built and existing structures.3 The Complex is the only existing structure in the City subject to compliance with the ordinances. The ordinances also provided that those in noncompliance “shall be punished by a fine not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000.00)” for each day of noncompliance.4 Comunidad alleges it would need to spend over $1 million dollars to retrofit the Complex with the required sprinkler system. The City rejected Comunidad’s architects’ alternative methods for upgrading fire suppression in the Complex. Moreover, Comunidad alleges it was awarded a grant by the State which included funds for the sprinkler system, but the City was instrumental in convincing the State to revoke the grant. At the time Comunidad filed its amended petition, the City had issued Comunidad over 50 citations for noncompliance with the ordinances (although Comunidad asserts the citations were sent to another entity, not Comunidad).

In June 2011, Comunidad sued the City for conspiracy and inverse condemnation and sought injunctive and declaratory relief. Shortly thereafter, the trial court issued a temporary restraining order, restraining the City from enforcing the ordinances. Comunidad later added a nuisance claim against the City. The City filed a plea to the jurisdiction, requesting dismissal of all Comunidad’s claims. The trial court granted the plea, rendering a final judgment.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW: PLEA TO THE JURISDICTION

In a single issue, Comunidad contends the trial court erred by granting the City’s plea to the jurisdiction. Whether a court has subject-matter jurisdiction is a question of law we review de novo. Tex. Dep’t of Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 226, 228 (Tex.2004). When a plea to the jurisdiction challenges the pleadings, we determine if the plaintiff has alleged facts that affirmatively demonstrate the court’s jurisdiction. Id. at 226. We should glean the plaintiffs intent and construe the pleadings liberally in favor of jurisdiction. Id. If the factual allegations of the pleadings neither affirmatively demonstrate that the trial court has jurisdiction nor affirmatively demonstrate incurable jurisdictional defects, the issue is one of pleading sufficiency and the plaintiff should be afforded an opportunity to amend. Id. at 226-27. If the pleadings [483] affirmatively negate jurisdiction, the court should sustain the plea and dismiss the suit without allowing the plaintiff an opportunity to amend. Id. at 227.

III. Inverse Condemnation

Comunidad first argues the trial court erred by dismissing Comunidad’s inverse condemnation claim for want for jurisdiction.

The Texas Constitution provides a clear and unambiguous waiver of immunity from suit for inverse condemnation claims under article I, section 17 (Takings Clause). Tex. Const. art. I, § 17; City of Dallas v. Stewart, 361 S.W.3d 562, 568 (Tex.2012). However, a “trial court lacks jurisdiction and should grant a plea to the jurisdiction where a plaintiff cannot establish a viable takings claim.” Tex. Dep’t of Transp. v. A.P.I. Pipe & Supply, LLC, 397 S.W.3d 162, 167 (Tex.2013) (citation omitted); see also Rusk State Hosp. v. Black, 392 S.W.3d 88, 95 (Tex.2012) (explaining trial court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction if governmental unit has immunity from suit).

The elements of an inverse condemnation claim are (1) the governmental entity intentionally performed an act in the exercise of its lawful authority, (2) that resulted in the taking, damaging, or destruction of the claimant’s property, (3) for public use. City of Houston v. Trail Enters., Inc., 377 S.W.3d 873, 878 (Tex.App.Houston [14th Dist.] 2012, pet. filed). An inverse condemnation claim may be based on a physical or regulatory taking. Mayhew v. Town of Sunnyvale, 964 S.W.2d 922, 933 (Tex.1998); City of Houston v. Maguire Oil Co., 342 S.W.3d 726, 735 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2011, pet. denied). Comunidad’s inverse condemnation claim is based solely on a regulatory-taking theory. There are several types of regulatory taking. See Maguire Oil Co., 342 S.W.3d at 735 (describing theories of regulatory taking). Relevant to this case are (1) a “total regulatory taking” and (2) a “Penn Central taking.” Id. at 735-36.

A. Total Regulatory Taking

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Comunidad Balboa, LLC v. City of Nassau Bay, 402 S.W.3d 479, 2013 WL 2635676, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 7231 (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

402 S.W.3d 479 (Comunidad Balboa, LLC v. City of Nassau Bay) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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