Dundee Development Corp. v. Milford

7 Ohio App. Unrep. 523
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 9, 1990
DocketCase No. CA90-02-014
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Ohio App. Unrep. 523 (Dundee Development Corp. v. Milford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dundee Development Corp. v. Milford, 7 Ohio App. Unrep. 523 (Ohio Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

Plaintiff-appellee, Dundee Development Corporation ("Dundee"), is the developer of Tree Ridge Subdivision located within the municipal boundaries of defendant-appellant, city of Milford ("city"). Defendant-appellant, Gatch Farms Development Company ("Gatch"), owns adjoining property to the east of Tree Ridge.

On September 6, 1988, Dundee submitted a plat for Tree Ridge to the city. On that same date, the city adopted ordinance No. 88-1193 which approved the plat and authorized its recording in the county recorder's office. In authorizing the plat, the ordinance stated that:

"*** it is the intent of the City of Milford to accept the public streets, sanitary sewers, storm sewers, water lines, and detention basins shown on the plat of the Tree Ridge Subdivision presented to Council on September 6, 1988 and; whereas, the City of Milford reserves acceptance of the facilities until such time as the facilities have been constructed in accordance with the City of Milford specifications and have been approved by the City engineer ***."

The plat was recorded in the Clermont County Recorder's office on September 21, 1988. Among other things, the plat dedicates streets "for public use" including a certain street designated as Lakefield Drive. Dundee owns property on the west side of Lakefield Drive while Gatch owns land on the eastern side of the street. The plat contained language similar to that used in ordinance 88-1193 expressing the city's intent to accept the "public streets, sanitary sewers, storm sewers, water lines, and detention basins shown on said plans." The plat also specified that the city specifically reserved acceptance of the "facilities" until they had been constructed in accordance with the city's specification^ had been certified as complete by the city engineer, and an ordinance stating such had been adopted and placed on record by the city.

On March 20, 1989, Gatch filed a petition with the city seeking to vacate a portion of the eastern side of the Lakefield Drive right-of-way which Dundee intended to serve as a greenbelt for the residents on the western side of Lakefield Drive, thereby narrowing the width of the street and passing title of the vacated property to Gatch. Gatch sought the vacation of Lakefield Drive after its unsuccessful attempt to obtain a variance to minimum set-back requirements for home construction. On June 6, 1989, the city adopted ordinance No. 89-1241 which vacated a .708 acre portion of Lakefield Drive.

On July 5, 1989, Dundee filed a complaint for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief against the city and Gatch, asking the court to declare ordinance No. 89-1241 an unlawful taking of Dundee's property. The matter was submitted to the trial court on the parties' briefs and oral arguments.

In a decision dated December 8, 1989, the trial court found that title to Lakefield Drive had not vested in the city since there was no evidence that the city had certified completion and acceptance of the streets and facilities as required in ordinance No. 88-1193. Therefore, the city could not vacate any part of Lakefield Drive and pass title of the vacated section to Gatch. The court concluded, however, that there was no need to consider the equities in the matter nor the question of whether the city had good cause to narrow the street or whether such was in the general interest as required by R.C. 723.05.1 In a subsequent judgment entry, the court permanently enjoined the city from narrowing or vacating Lakefield Drive and further [525]*525found that Dundee was entitled to submit a new plat reflecting the area which the city attempted to narrow and vacate as a public space to be maintained by a homeowner's association.

The city and Gatch filed a timely notice of appeal and submit the following three assignments of error:

"Assignment of Error No. 1.

"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT THE FEE TITLE TO LAKEFIELD DRIVE DID NOT VEST IN THE CITY OF MILFORD ON RECORDING OF THE RECORD PLAT.

"Assignment of Error No. 2.

"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN PERMANENTLY ENJOINING THE CITY OF MILFORD FROM NARROWING OR VACATING ANY PORTION OF LAKEFIELD DRIVE.

"Assignment of Error No. 3.

"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN ORDERING THAT DUNDEE IS ENTITLED TO SUBMIT A NEW PLAT WHICH REVISES THE RECORD PLAT."

Appellants' first assignment of error challenges the trial court's finding that title to Lakefield Drive did not vest in the city upon Dundee's recording of the plat. In support of their position, appellants rely upon R.C. 711.07 which provides that:

"Upon recording, as required by section 711.06 of the Revised Code, the plat shall thereupon be a sufficient conveyance to vest in the municipal corporation the fee of the parcel of land designated or intended for streets, alleys, ways, commons, or other public uses, to be held in the corporate name in trust to and for the uses and purposes set forth in the instrument."

According to Dundee, the city's acceptance was conditioned upon completion of the streets, sewers and other improvements, and fee title did not transfer to the city until such time as the facilities were constructed according to the city's specifications and approved by the city engineer. Dundee also asserts that title cannot pass to the city since the plat did not contain the approval of the city's planning commission in compliance with R.C. 711.09 which provides, in part, that:

"Whenever a city planning commission adopts a plan for the major streets or thoroughfares *** and other open public grounds of a city or any part thereof *** then no plat of a subdivision of land within such city *** shall be recorded until it has been approved by the city planning commission and such approval indorsed in writing on the plat."

R.C. 711.07 governs the conditions upon which the fee to land intended for streets and other public uses vests in the municipal corporation. The statute clearly provides that the fee vests upon recording of a plat in accordance with the provisions of R.C. 711.06. R.C. 711.06 requires that a proprietor of lots and grounds in a municipal corporation, who subdivides them out for sale, must make an accurate plat of the subdivision, describing all grounds laid out or granted for streets and other public uses while also numbering lots sold or intended for sale. The plat must be subscribed by the proprietor or his agent, and acknowledged before an officer authorized to take the acknowledgement of deeds, who shall certify the acknowledgement of the instrument. Upon proper subscription and acknowledgement, the plat shall be recorded in the office of the county recorder.

It is readily apparent that the plat was signed and acknowledged by Dundee's president and secretary in accordance with R.C. 711.06 and that its recording vested in the city fee title to the land designated or intended for streets and other public uses. Bayer v. North College Hill (1986), 31 Ohio App. 3d 208. Although the plat may not have complied with the provisions of R.C. 711.09, the lack of compliance did not prevent Dundee from filing the plat. The city's reservation of acceptance of the facilities is designed to ensure that construction of the facilities complies with the city's specifications and requirements. It does not, however, condition the transfer of fee title to the land which is accomplished upon the recording of the plat in compliance with R.C. 711.07.

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Related

Bayer v. City of North College Hill
510 N.E.2d 400 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1986)
Eastland Woods v. City of Tallmadge
443 N.E.2d 972 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1983)
Garono v. State
524 N.E.2d 496 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
7 Ohio App. Unrep. 523, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dundee-development-corp-v-milford-ohioctapp-1990.