Daum v. Meade

65 Misc. 2d 572, 318 N.Y.S.2d 199, 1971 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1859
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 10, 1971
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 65 Misc. 2d 572 (Daum v. Meade) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Daum v. Meade, 65 Misc. 2d 572, 318 N.Y.S.2d 199, 1971 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1859 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1971).

Opinion

Daniel Gr. Albert, J.

Plaintiff is the owner of a residentially improved parcel of real property, a portion of which lies within the unincorporated area of the defendant Town of North Hempstead and abuts property, lying completely within that unincorporated area, owned by the defendant Malman.

The latter property, approximately 163 acres, constitutes the most southerly portion of a larger tract commonly known as the Port Washington sand pits

In this action, plaintiff seeks a judgment declaring the invalidity of certain amendments to the building zone ordinance and map of the defendant town which purported, respectively, [573]*573to create a “Planned Industrial Park” district (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “ P.I.P. ” district) and to rezone the property owned by the defendant Malman so as to include it within such district. Ancillary injunctive relief is also sought.

Plaintiff’s challenge to the validity of these legislative acts is predicated upon contentions that the amendments to the ordinance were not made ‘ ‘ in accordance with a comprehensive plan ”, as mandated by section 263 of the Town Law; that their adoption, although preceded by public hearings held pursuant to notice, was not preceded by public hearings 11 at which parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard” (Town Law, § 264), and that the rezoning of defendant Malman’s property constituted “spot zoning”.

For reasons to be stated hereinafter, the court finds no merit in any of these contentions. The contentions are presented with both imagination and vigor by plaintiff’s attorneys (plaintiff, it may be noted, parenthetically, is a senior partner in the law firm which appears herein on his behalf), who have virtually inundated the court with lengthy memoranda of law and volumes of exhibits. The issues, however, do not appear to be as complex or their resolution as difficult as the flood of evidence and legal argument advanced by plaintiff’s counsel seem to indicate.

As already indicated, the subject property is the most southerly 163 acres of the Port Washington sand-pit area, a tract originally comprising 1,250 or 1,300 acres located on the westerly side of West Shore Road, north of Northern Boulevard, in the unincorporated area of the Town, of North Hempstead. The tract originally extended north to the point where the Port Washington peninsula or “neck” meets Hempstead Harbor and Manhasset Bay.

Prior to 1959, the entire area was zoned “Residence 0” which, in substance, limited use to one- or two-family detached dwellings on plots no smaller than 5,000 square feet. In 1959, it was rezoned to ‘ Residence AAA ’ ’, the principal use of which would be for single family dwellings on minimum plots of 20,000 square feet. The property was never developed for residential purposes but was the site of sand excavation mines which operated, apparently, as vested nonconforming uses.

In 1961, the County of Nassau, pursuant to its power of condemnation, acquired title to the most northerly 650 acres for park purposes. In the subsequent proceeding to fix the value of the condemned property, the court (Hogan, J.) addressed itself to the propriety of the large-plot residential zoning of [574]*574that portion of the sand-pit tract and held, for reasons which plaintiff concedes would apply to the zoning of the entire sandpit area, that any zoning more restrictive than the limitation on surrounding property to residential uses on 6,000 square foot plots would be “ improper ” and a “ de facto confiscation ” (Matter of County of Nassau, 47 Misc 2d 593, 605).

In reaching that conclusion, Mr. Justice Hogan noted, among other things, a study of available industrial sites within the county made under the auspices of the Nassau County Planning Commission and quoted (p. 603) the following portion of that report:

11 c rpb.ere are certain non-conforming uses along Manhasset Bay that should be included in the industrial zone.

“ ‘ The greatest amount of non-conforming uses are the 800 acres of sand mining operations adjacent to Hempstead Harbor. When the sand supply is depleted, this area could provide an ideal setting for a large industrial complex. The sand bank has created a natural buffer from the residences to the west and there will be a county park on the north boundary.

“ ‘ Water access would be available for waterfront plots on either side of the town beach. There is no rail service.

“ ‘ The main route leading through this area is 'Shore Road which is being relocated and improved. ’ ”

(Parenthetically, in connection with the last statement quoted supra, it should be noted that Shore Road is the westerly boundary of the subject property, and that plaintiff’s property, as well as the residential community of which it is a part, lies entirely to the east of the subject property. Therefore, it seems patently clear that plaintiff’s concern over increased traffic in his vicinity created by the changed zoning of the subject property is without any factual foundation.)

In 1966, the defendant Town Board revised, amended and re-enacted the text of the town’s building zone ordinance and map. No change was made in the zoning of the sand-pit area at that time, however, apparently because a separate study of its problems and potential development had been undertaken by a planning consultant retained by the Town Board.

In August, 1967, following a public hearing held pursuant to notice, the Town Board further amended the ordinance by adopting, a new section, article XVI-A, which created ‘ Planned Industrial Park Districts ” and provided standards, such as building height, minimum lot area, and setback requirements for developing property within such districts. The ordinance set forth a limited number of permitted uses, all of which were [575]*575“ conditional ” and required authorization by the Town Board.

At the time this ordinance was adopted, no change was made in the building zone map and, therefore, no property within the town was placed in the newly created 11 P.I.P. ’ ’ district.

In October .and December of 1967, the Town Board conducted public hearings on its proposal to rezone all of the remaining sand-pit area not taken by the county as “ P.I.P.”, except for 23 acres at the southwest corner (part of the defendant Malman’s property) which it was then contemplated would be developed as a shopping center. In April, 1968, the Town Board amended the zoning map and designated only the southerly portion of the sand-pit area (i.e., 140 acres of the defendant Malman’s property) as “ P.I.P.” In May of that year, following notice and a public hearing, the remaining 23 acres of the Malman property were also rezoned ‘1 P.I.P. ’ ’

Finally, in April, 1969, the defendant Town Board amended article XVI-A of the ordinance by incorporating therein one additional “conditional use ” and by setting forth detailed standards limiting the emission of vibrations, noise, odors, air pollutants, and radioactive, electromagnetic and other waste materials.

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Bluebook (online)
65 Misc. 2d 572, 318 N.Y.S.2d 199, 1971 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1859, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/daum-v-meade-nysupct-1971.