Cowan v. Gulf City Fisheries, Inc.

379 So. 2d 524, 1980 Miss. LEXIS 1843
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 16, 1980
DocketNo. 51477
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 379 So. 2d 524 (Cowan v. Gulf City Fisheries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cowan v. Gulf City Fisheries, Inc., 379 So. 2d 524, 1980 Miss. LEXIS 1843 (Mich. 1980).

Opinion

COFER, Justice, for the Court:

Appellees Gulf City Fisheries, Inc. (Gulf City) applied to the city council of Pasca-goula (council) for an order “directing the City Clerk to change or cause to be changed the official zoning map of the City of Pas-cagoula ... to show” Gulf City’s properties “as industrial.” This appeal is from an order granting Gulf City the relief it sought. Previously Gulf City had petitioned the council for an order rezoning a certain strip of land abutting the West side of Cedar Street as industrially zoned. The particular description of the land (the property) is not important to this decision. The petition of Gulf City was resisted by appellants George B. Cowan and wife, and by Mrs. Denise H. Wiesenburg, interested parties. Gulf City obtained a favorable decision before the Council and appellants appealed by bill of exceptions to the Circuit Court of Jackson County where the council’s decision was affirmed. Appellants Cowans have appealed here, assigning as errors of the lower court the following:

1. The circuit court erred in not reversing and vacating the city’s order of August 22, 1977, the City Clerk having correctly performed her duties under Ordinance No. 25-1973, the property of the appellee Gulf City Fisheries, Inc. not having been rezoned as industrial by such ordinance.
2. The circuit court erred in not reversing and vacating the city’s order of August 22, 1977, the circuit court’s appellate judgments of August 8, 1969, and December 11, 1972, being res judicata as to the zoning of the property of the ap-pellee Gulf City Fisheries, Inc. under the provisions of § 1601 of Ordinance No. 25-1973.
3.The circuit court erred in not reversing and vacating the city’s order of August 22, 1977, as ultra vires, null and void, the order being arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and having been adopted in violation of the city’s ordinance, § 17-1-15 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, and Article 3 § 14 of the Mississippi Constitution.

The issue of zoning of this property has been in and out of court for almost a score of years, and we share the interested parties’ desire to put the issue at rest. We are of the conviction that such a final resolution must be arrived at, on due and proper notice to the people having a right to protest, and following a hearing or hearings at which all interested parties have an opportunity to be heard, which decision must be in accordance with the law governing such hearings and decisions and the facts adduced in such hearings or hearing. Unfortunately, we cannot say that such a conclusion has been arrived at and we are reluctantly constrained to reverse and render.

The issue here lends itself smoothly to a detailing of chronological happenings, which, in turn, will make the issue clearer of understanding.

Prior to October 3,1968, the property was zoned as residential.

On October 3, 1968, a comprehensive zoning ordinance was adopted by the council, wherein the property was zoned industrial.

An appeal was prosecuted to the circuit court from this classification. On August 8, 1969, a judgment was entered on that appeal finding that residential was the correct classification therefor and ordering that it have that classification. There was no appeal from that judgment.

On October 11, 1972, the council again zoned the property as industrial.

An appeal was again taken to the circuit court where, on December 11, 1972, judgment was entered reversing the council’s order finding that the 1969 circuit court judgment was res judicata, and returning the classification to residential.

[526]*526On December 14, 1972, Gulf City filed a motion in the circuit court to correct the December 11, 1972, judgment next above noticed, and, on December 20, 1972, Gulf City filed suggestion of error and petition for rehearing in the cause. (As to be hereinafter set out, these motions remained in a pending status until May 23, 1974.)

Acting upon instructions of the council, the Pascagoula Planning Commission entered upon a project of bringing to date and revising Pascagoula’s zoning ordinance and map. Having prepared therefor, timely notice of hearings before the planning commission was given, and hearings were had by the planning commission-on October 15 and October 22, 1973. A zoning map had been prepared by some unidentified person, which was published as a part of the notice of the hearing. This map, in pertinent part, reflects a heavy line along the west boundary of Cedar Street, placing the property in an industrial zone, but with parallel diagonal hatch marks on the property, and showing in the legend that it was “in litigation.”

On both October 15 and October 22, 1973, the planning commission was given an opportunity to take a stand on whether the property was thereon zoned residential or industrial, and, at each invitation to do so, it took the position that the property was in litigation and that no action would be taken thereon until the litigation was ended. There appears on the minutes of the planning commission’s October 15, 1973, meeting a recognition that the industrial-residential border line ran to the west of the property. At the October 15, 1973, meeting Attorney Charles Ford appeared before the planning commission representing Gulf City and sought a change of the status of the property from “in litigation” to “industrial.” His appearance gave rise to this minute of the commission appearing in the record:

Thereafter Mr. Charles Ford, a local attorney, appeared representing Gulf City Fisheries and stated that on the proposed zoning map such property owned by Gulf City Fisheries on Cedar Street was shown as in litigation and requested that same be zoned industrial. Mr. Boardman (acting chairman) stated that since the area was presently in a court controversy, that the commission would not take any action on the same until the matter was settled by the courts. A written statement was submitted by Mr. Ford on behalf of Gulf City Fisheries, which statement is attached to these minutes. (Emphasis added).

Thereafter in the October 15, 1973, meeting the commission adopted a recommendation to the council that all applications for zoning and rezoning be denied without prejudice to such applicants’ appearance before the commission or other proper body, at the November regular meeting thereof, to apply upon proper public hearing, for such requested changes “based on change in circumstances in the makeup of the various areas involved from the original zoning of such areas.”

In the planning commission’s October 22, 1973, meeting an interested party protested that the zoning line here being considered should run along Cedar Street, and suggested that the council minutes for 1969 should be examined, which objection was noted.

Between the meeting of the commission on October 22, 1973, and the council’s meeting on October 23, 1973, the proposed ordinance and its zoning map were transmitted from the commission to the council and they were considered in the council’s meeting on October 23, 1973.

The council adopted an order, on the commission’s recommendation above noticed, in part as follows:

Now, therefore, it is ordered as follows:

1.

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379 So. 2d 524, 1980 Miss. LEXIS 1843, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cowan-v-gulf-city-fisheries-inc-miss-1980.