Grossinger Realty Corp. v. State

34 Misc. 2d 214, 228 N.Y.S.2d 414, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3272
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedMay 21, 1962
DocketClaims No. 35266 and No. 36438
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 34 Misc. 2d 214 (Grossinger Realty Corp. v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grossinger Realty Corp. v. State, 34 Misc. 2d 214, 228 N.Y.S.2d 414, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3272 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1962).

Opinion

Ronald E. Coleman, J.

At the time of the appropriation herein, claimant owned 433.3± acres of land located in the Town of Liberty, Sullivan County, New York. The property was located both on the easterly and westerly sides of old Route 17. On the property there was constructed a hotel with all the [216]*216facilities necessary for the operation of resort hotel business. While the property was owned by the claimant, the resort business was operated by the S. and H. Bealty, Inc., under a lease from the claimant. The S. and H. Bealty, Inc., executed a release and thereby assigned any claim it had to the claimant and it was agreed that the award herein was to be made to the claimant for any and all damages sustained as a result of the appropriation.

The claims were tried together and the court adopts the description of the appropriated property shown and set forth on the maps filed in the Sullivan County Clerk’s office and reference is hereby made thereto for such descriptions without repetition thereof.

The State by the. appropriation took for the construction of ■ new Boute 17 and access roads thereto, 22.122± acres of claimant’s land in fee, in fee. without the right of access and in permanent easements, leaving 411.178± acres remaining to the claimant. In doing so, the State took in fee without the right of access 890± feet of claimant’s frontage on the easterly side of old Boute 17. It also appropriated one house known as the Cold House ” and no other buildings were taken. Prior to the appropriation, the claimant had caused to have prepared subdivision maps covering two parcels of its property adjacent to the Neversink Boad and the easterly side of old Boute 17 and the State appropriated a number of lots as so shown thereon. Prior to the appropriation, the claimant had available a route by which the guests could walk to Liberty and as a result of the appropriation this was taken.

By Map No. 48, Parcel No. 160, the State appropriated claimant’s property shown thereon in fee without the right of access, reserving, however, to the claimant, the right to construct and maintain thereon a sewer line and the cost of constructing the new sewer line has been used as a guide in determining the before and after value of claimant’s property and the consequential damages to the remainder. (New York State Elec. & Gas Corp. v. Belard Props., 2 A D 2d 791.)

By Map No. 227, Parcels Nos. 434 and 440 and Map No. 228, Parcels Nos. 439, 441 and 442, the State appropriated a permanent easement in claimant’s property as shown thereon for constructing, reconstructing and maintaining a stream channel and appurtenances to the Middle Monga up Biver with the following reservation: “ Beserving, however, to the owner of the property, the right and privilege of using this property providing the exercise of such right and privilege does not, in the opinion of the Superintendent of Public Works, or other author[217]*217ized representative acting for the People of the State of New York, or its assigns, interfere with or prevent the user and exercise of the rights hereinbefore described.” The purpose of said appropriation as stated on the-maps, was the constructing, reconstructing and maintaining said stream channel and the rights of the State in these lands are limited to that use. Taking into consideration the use as so limited and the right reserved to the claimant to use the land taken by the permanent easements, we find that the claimant has the right thereunder after the appropriation to use the waters of the Middle Mongaup River for the operation of its snow-making equipment in connection with its ski operation and for any other purpose. (Cf. Spinner v. State of New York, 4 A D 2d 987.) However, we did consider the fact that the manner in which the claimant may use these waters is subject to the rights of the State under the appropriation, but reject the claim made that claimant may be barred entirely from making use of the same.

Claimant had remaining after the appropriation a suitable access to its hotel property by means of its old entrance. (Holmes v. State of New York, 279 App. Div. 489.) Claimant elected to and did construct a new entrance to take advantage of the now intersection of Route 52 and the access road to new Route 17 and here sought to charge the State with the cost of the same, together with claimed damages resulting from a reduction in parking area occasioned by its construction. Claimant was motivated in doing so by the fact that it considered that the old entrance would be inconvenient for its guests to use and apparently for aesthetic reasons as the new entrance as so located and the hotel itself can be seen for some considerable distance by those approaching it especially from the south and New York City. Mere inconvenience occasioned by the circuity of traffic and such aesthetic considerations are not compensable and we reject the claim made for the same. (McHale v. State of New York, 278 App. Div. 886, affd. 304 N. Y. 674; Holmes v. State of New York, supra.)

Claimant had commenced the construction of a swimming pool at the old entrance which when completed was to have cost $400,000. While claimant claimed the costs to date of the appropriation herein for the construction of this pool, we find that the same was discontinued by the claimant for reasons of change in the entrance to its property and the desirability of attaching the same to the main hotel building, and is not a compensable item.

By Map No. 46, Parcels Nos. 158 and 168, the State appropriated in fee land owned by the claimant on the easterly side [218]*218of old Route 17 and Route 52 and claimant’s remaining’ land adjacent thereto is elevated above the highways. The land was taken for the purpose-of making improvements to-the highways which--have been completed and there still remains, as before the appropriation, a slope from the highways to the claimant’s remaining land. Claimant contended that in the event the State excavated to the limits of the right of way as it would have a right to do on the land appropriated, claimant would have to construct a retaining wall so that its adjoining land would not fall onto the highway and herein claimed the cost of such a wall, apparently basing such claim on the theory of some future removal of lateral support to its remaining land. There was no proof that the State ever intended to excavate to the limits of its right of way, and in the absence of any proof that this already has been done, the State cannot be held liable for damages in this claim. Any such claim will accrue when the lateral support is removed by the State. On all the evidence, we cannot speculate on what the State may do in the future and assess damages on the basis of our imagining. In this claim, the test is the use to which these parcels have been put and we reject the claim made for damages based on the construction of a retaining wall. Indeed, it was testified that as a practical matter should the State excavate to the limits of the highway right of way, the State would have to construct such a wall to protect its own improvement. (Comstock Foods v. State of New York, 18 Misc 2d 519, affd. 11 A D 2d 753.)

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Bluebook (online)
34 Misc. 2d 214, 228 N.Y.S.2d 414, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grossinger-realty-corp-v-state-nyclaimsct-1962.