Genheimer v. Crystal Spring Land Co.

154 S.E. 489, 155 Va. 134, 1930 Va. LEXIS 151
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedSeptember 12, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 154 S.E. 489 (Genheimer v. Crystal Spring Land Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Genheimer v. Crystal Spring Land Co., 154 S.E. 489, 155 Va. 134, 1930 Va. LEXIS 151 (Va. 1930).

Opinion

Browning, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is' a suit in chancery instituted by the appellant against the appellee to restrain the appellee from obstructing or interfering with a portion of a street known as Third street if such portion extended east of what was known as the Yellow Mountain road.

The appellee prior to 1890 acquired a large tract of land in Roanoke county, Virginia, near the city of Roanoke; thereafter it subdivided a portion of this land into lots, streets and alleys, but no map anterior to 1905 showed any subdivision of the land east of Yellow Mountain road. In 1905 a map was made showing a subdivision which included a small part of the land east of said road. This map was recorded in the clerk’s office of Roanoke county in 1906. On this map, as recorded, the appellee reserved the right to modify this plan by changing size and shape of blocks and lots, width, direction and location of streets, avenues and alleys, and by abolishing alleys, “provided no change shall be made in such portions of streets, avenues and alleys as may be bounded by or pass through blocks in which one or more lots may have been previously sold, without the consent in writing of the owners of such lots.”

The recordation of this map was in accordance with the provisions of the statute which is now section 5219 of the Virginia Code, 1919.'

The street which is in contention is shown on the map as extending east of Yellow Mountain road 312 feet through the lands of the appellee. The land on the south and east of said Third street was owned by the appellee and the land on the north was owned by J. J. Quinn to whom the [137]*137appellee conveyed it in the year 1903. This Quinn land which extended north of said street to an alley contained 2.86 acres and the deed thereto to Quinn was by metes and bounds with an independent plat or map attached thereto, the said land not being included or shown on any previous plat or map of the appellee. The above mentioned recorded map was not then in existence.

The plat or map with the J. J. Quinn deed showed no street to south of the land conveyed to him and no street east of Yellow Mountain road. The recorded map, with the aforesaid reservation thereon, showed no subdivision of the appellee’s land east of Yellow Mountain road except six lots fronting on the east side of said road, none of which lots were ever sold by the appellee, and the J. J. Quinn land, previously sold to him, to the north of Third street, and another piece of land of irregular shape north of the J. J. Quinn land containing .72 of an acre and separated therefrom by an alley. One of the calls in the description contained in the deed from the appellee to J. J. Quinn was: “Beginning at the east line of the Mountain road and the north line of Third street, as laid off on the map of the Crystal Spring Land Company’s property,” if such street were extended. (Italics ours.) The said street was never opened or used and it has never been accepted by the county or city of Roanoke. The tract of land of irregular shape containing .72 of an acre was conveyed in the year 1907 to Annie Quinn, trustee, etc., and the conveyance refers to the appellee’s recorded map but it is the only conveyance by the appellee of any land east of Yellow Mountain road which does refer to said map. The land at its nearest point is 400 feet from the street in contention, the J. J. Quinn land and the said alley lying between.

The appellant acquired the two Quinn properties in 1922 from W. N. Doak and wife, and the Doak deed to appellee thus refers to Third street: “If such street were extended.”

[138]*138The appellant subdivided his property in 1924 and in such subdivision he closed the aforesaid alley and his map thereof shows the street in contention as “street not opened.” His map shows three lots on Yellow Mountain road on the east, all of which he sold and one of these, lot No. 1, which borders on the street in controversy was conveyed by the appellant to Ashby Scott who in turn conveyed it to the appellee, which conveyance to Scott by metes and bounds contained no reference to the controverted street, although such street would have been the southern boundary line of the lot.

Behind or east of the three lots mentioned the appellant still owns a lot which would front on Third street, if it were extended east of Yellow Mountain road. This lot is a portion of the J. J. Quinn land which, it will be noted, was conveyed by appellee before its map was recorded. It is the only land owned by appellant touching the controverted street if extended.

In 1927 the appellee subdivided a part of its lands east of Yellow Mountain road and caused to be made an extensive development costing some $100,000.00. The engineer, who planned the new development, advised appellee to acquire the Scott lot in order to control the entrance to this subdivision which, as heretofore said, was done.

This subdivision was called Sherwood Forest and was admirably adapted to meet the exclusive residential demands of' a fast growing city. The map of Sherwood Forest shows that Third street, if it were extended, would cross and cut through lots 2, 3, and a part of 4 in section B of this subdivision.

Mr. Goodwin, president of the Crystal Land Company, testified as follows, page 67 of record:

“Q. What would be the effect on the property of the company of now opening Third street along the southernly line of Mr. Genheimer’s original tract for a distance of 312 feet east of the Yellow Mountain road?

[139]*139“A. It would be very damaging to the rest of our property, would ruin the whole outlay of our investment— make the purchase of the Ashby Scott lot absolutely useless to us.

“Q. Referring to the map of Sherwood Forest which you have filed with your deposition, please state what lots would be damaged and to what extent, by opening that street.

“A. It would practically ruin lots 2 and 3, and materially damage lot 4.

“Q. State what those three lots are worth in your opinion.

“A. Our price on lot number 2 is- $7,500.00, lot number 3, $7,500.00, and the price of lot number 4 is $5,000.00.

“Q. Please state, Mr. Goodwin, what the improvements the company made in the Sherwood Forest development in the way of streets, sewers, water, etc., cost the company.

“A. My recollection is that the development in Sherwood Forest cost about $100,000.00.”

The appellee on August 23, 1927, in accordance with section 5221 of the Code of Virginia, 1919, executed and recorded a written instrument vacating that part of its recorded map lying east of Yellow Mountain road which included the street in controversy. The statutory condition is “if such vacating does not abridge or destroy any' of the rights or privileges of other proprietors in said plat.”

The appellee by the plan of Sherwood Forest changed the location of Third street east of Yellow Mountain road and vacated that portion of it, if extended, as it appeared on the recorded map. Appellant claimed that this act constituted an invasion of his vested right of easement over the said street and that the closing of the street would make his aforesaid lot practically valueless, and in his bill asked that the appellee be enjoined and restrained from vacating, changing or obstructing Third street.

[140]

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Bluebook (online)
154 S.E. 489, 155 Va. 134, 1930 Va. LEXIS 151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/genheimer-v-crystal-spring-land-co-va-1930.