Foltz, Van Camp Hdw., Etc. v. City of Indpls.

130 N.E.2d 650, 234 Ind. 656, 1955 Ind. LEXIS 187
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 16, 1955
Docket29,293
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 130 N.E.2d 650 (Foltz, Van Camp Hdw., Etc. v. City of Indpls.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foltz, Van Camp Hdw., Etc. v. City of Indpls., 130 N.E.2d 650, 234 Ind. 656, 1955 Ind. LEXIS 187 (Ind. 1955).

Opinions

Arterburn, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment in two suits consolidated in the lower court for trial. One suit was brought by appellant, Foltz, against the above named appellees, City of Indianapolis et al., and the other action was brought by Van Camp Hardware & Iron Co. against the same appellees. This litigation arises out of proceedings under the First-Class Cities Off-Street Parking Act, being Acts 1949, eh. 261, pp. 941, 962, (§§48-8421—48-8443) , as amended, (§48-8430 Burns’ 1950 Replacement [1955 Supp.]) (hereinafter referred to as the “Off-Street Parking Act).”

The Off-Street Parking Act, in brief, empowers the city through the Commission, to acquire real estate by condemnation proceedings and otherwise, and develop the property; lease, or sell it for off-street parking lots and buildings, and to issue bonds for the development of such off-street parking facilities. The object of the act states its purpose to be the reduction and relief of traffic congestion on the public streets.

[662]*662The appellants in their complaints ask for a declaratory judgment that the acts of the City of Indianapolis, (hereinafter referred to as “City”), and the Indianapolis Off-Street Parking Commission and the Indianapolis Department of Off-Street Parking, (hereinafter referred to as “Commission” and “Department” respectively), in connection with the condemnation of certain property, the proceedings thereunder, the leasing, bidding, and the proposed bond issue under the Off-Street Parking Act, be declared illegal and unlawful. Before trial in the lower court, the other appellants herein intervened, and filed complaints similar to those of the original plaintiffs, and also asking for equitable relief by way of injunction, challenging the constitutionality of the Off-Street Parking Act.

This suit is brought by the individual appellants in various capacities, namely: As the owner of real estate in downtown Indianapolis, furnishing parking facilities to the public generally; as the owner of the real estate referred to as “Site 1” subjected to the condemnation proceedings herein and now leased for use as parking for the public generally; as the owners of real estate referred to in this litigation as “Site 2” which is the subject of condemnation proceedings herein and which is now leased as a parking lot for public use by such appellants; as taxpayers of the City of Indianapolis; as one who parks and pays parking meter charges on the city streets of Indianapolis, and as one who operates other parking lots and garages for public use in the City of Indianapolis; and on behalf of groups similarly situated.

Upon request, the trial court entered a special finding of facts and conclusions of law. The finding, conclusions of law and judgment of the lower court declared the act constitutional, and the proceedings thereunder by [663]*663the appellees proper and in accordance with the law in all respects.

The propriety and technical correctness of the assignment of errors is not challenged here. It included the overruling of the motion for a new trial, that the decision was not sustained by sufficient evidence and was contrary to law and the additional specifications that the court erred in its conclusions of law.

The briefs of the appellants fail to give a condensed recital of the evidence except that which pertains to the meetings of the commission at which the declaratory resolution for condemnation was considered and the legality of which is challenged by certain appellants. Hence, we have no issue of the insufficiency of the evidence to sustain the findings except as to that particular question. We are otherwise limited to the special finding of facts and conclusions of law based thereon in the consideration of the various questions raised in this appeal.

The briefs of the parties have resolved the questions here presented into four principal categories as follows:

1. The constitutionality of the Off-Street Parking Act, which gives the Commission the power to condemn and take property to be leased or sold to private operators for off-street parking, but deprives the Commission of any power to control the rates and charges to the public for such parking privileges.

2. The legality of the Commission’s acts in leasing the real estate for parking purposes without adopting specifications with reference to the type of building, manner of operation and various other terms; and calling upon bidders for offers in which the bidders specified a large part of the terms for consideration of the Commission; the legality of the Commission’s acts in connection therewith, for the hiring of an architect to procure plans and specifications under the terms of [664]*664one of the offers accepted for the construction of a building on one of the sites.

3. The validity of the meeting of the Commission at which the declaratory resolution was adopted for condemnation of the real estate.

4. The legality of the bond issue proposed by the City and Commission.

We shall take these questions up in the order enumerated.

I.

It is settled law in Indiana that the use of municipally owned property for off-street parking is a public use if the municipality operates the property. This was decided in Phillips et al. v. Officials of Valparaiso, etc., et al. (1954), 233 Ind. 414, 120 N. E. 2d 398, in an opinion written by Chief Justice Bobbitt. That case, however, did not involve the condemnation or leasing of any facilities by the city for operation by others.

Off-street parking facilities relieve traffic congestion on the streets, resulting from the increased number of motor vehicles and from the fact that streets were not originally laid out to carry present day traffic, create a situation which is the subject matter of valid legislation. This is stated to be the objective and purpose of the legislation in question. §48-8422 Burns’ 1950 Replacement. The court decisions, through the centuries, recognize that changing economic conditions, create new uses and businesses that were not in existence or contemplated in earlier times, and that certain kinds of businesses are affected with a public interest to the extent that they may be regulated.

In Munn v. Illinois (1876), 94 U. S. 113, 24 L. Ed. 77, the court said on page 125:

“In their exercise it has been customary in England from time immemorial, and in this country [665]*665from its first colonization, to regulate ferries, common carriers, hackman, bakers, millers, wharfin-gers, innkeepers, etc., and in so doing to fix a maximum of charge to be made for services rendered, accommodations furnished, and articles sold. To this day, statutes are to be found in many of the States upon some or all these subjects; and we think it has never yet been successfully contended that such legislation came within any of the constitutional prohibitions against interference with private property.”

Means and methods of transportation have changed from the time of canals and horse-drawn vehicles. In the earlier days mills, inns, ferries, warehouses, livery stables and other like businesses were classified as a public calling or as “affected with a public interest,” by reason of economic necessity. The newer fine-spun creations of this age are interwoven with the dead fabric of the past, yet the same basic principles apply.

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Bluebook (online)
130 N.E.2d 650, 234 Ind. 656, 1955 Ind. LEXIS 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foltz-van-camp-hdw-etc-v-city-of-indpls-ind-1955.