Gulf, C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. White

281 S.W.2d 441, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 1996
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 24, 1955
Docket14970
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 281 S.W.2d 441 (Gulf, C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. White) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gulf, C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. White, 281 S.W.2d 441, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 1996 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

YOUNG, Justice.

Articles 1011a-1011g, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.' St., is here involved; appellee White and numerous other property owners challenging by certiorari to the District Court the Dallas Board of Adjustment grant of permit to appellant Railway Company for extension of a switch track northwardly on its right of way from within a municipal C-l commercial district to a point within a R-7.5 residential zone. On trial to the court, the Board of Adjustment order approving the extension of sidetrack was reversed, set aside, and annulled; Judge Long making findings of fact and conclusions of law at instance of appellees to effect that said order was an abuse of discretion on part of the named City Body. The Board of Adjustment, City of Dallas, and Railroad Company have duly excepted to and perfected an appeal from such findings and adverse judgment.

The present suit relates to a tract of land to the northeast of Dallas proper (before annexation of the site and surrounding area in 1945) owned by defendant Railway Company and known as the Reinhardt Station and grounds. Antecedent to this litigation but material thereto, the following facts appear without dispute: That the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company is a Texas Corporation, organized prior to 1866 for the purpose of owning and operating a system of railroad, having been actively and continuously engaged in such business before 1886 and since, down to the present time; that on April 19, 1886 Joseph Jones conveyed to said railroad in fee simple a tract of land; the Reinhardt Station grounds being located on a part of the land described in this deed; that the Company thereafter constructed a line of railroad from Dallas to Paris (its Paris branch), including the “main line” track •hereinafter referred to. At time of such construction Dallas was a much smaller City with Reinhardt Station several miles away, where a depot, loading platforms, stock yards, sidetracks, and other facilities ■had been maintained as early as 1904; defendant Company operating the Station for many years forward as part of its railroad line. 1 Later on, but before 1946, the Reinhardt depot, stock pens and loading platforms were torn down and removed; the switch tracks on each side of the main line remaining as originally located, upon annexation of the station grounds and surrounding area to the City .of Dallas by ordinance of May 16, 1945.

The same locality as it appeared at inception of this controversy is shown by the following composite of Exhibits 5 and 24 (see map); which plat is to be given a north-south view. Here it should be noted that the City of Dallas by 1951 comprehensive zoning ordinance placed the area north of Fuller (Fourth) Street in a Residential 7.5 zone, with the section south of Fuller to Peavy Road, inclusive of all lands or lots adjoining the right of way, zoned as C-l or Commercial; the whole of this map vicinity appearing as resi-dentially zoned except that designated as C-l.

*443 At the south end of this picture is Peavy Road, an east-west thoroughfare. Going north from there are further east-west streets which, if extended, would cross defendant’s right of way, named consecutively Naylor (old First Street), Stevens (Second), Drake (Third), Fuller (Fourth), then Gus Thomasson Road (old Easton). Beginning near Peavy Road are the following sidings on Company right of way located to the west and east of defendant’s main line: On the west is track No. 1, running alongside and coming back into the main line near Gus Thomasson Road. There is testimony that siding No. 1 was constructed as a passing track, and in 1905 converted into a team track — for access by teams or trucks. North of Fuller Street is spur track No. 4 leading off from switch track No. 1 and serving Southland Lumber Company, constructed in 1953; and near Peavy Road is spur track No. 3, similarly branching off of switch track No. 1 to Glenn Farris Lumber Company. Coming off the main line to the east is switch track No. 2, now ending south of Fuller ¡but which defendant Railway seeks to ¡extend some 850 feet, placing its terminus north of Fuller and well within the R-7.5 area zoned as residential; and it was for this extension of switch track that the permit in question was granted by defendant Board of Adjustment. Also on Company right of way to the east (established by long public user) is East Zacha Road— a well traveled hard surfaced street, running north and south from Peavy to and crossing Gus Thomasson Road; the rear end of all residential lots in the R-7.5 section are either adjacent to defendant’s right of way on the west or Zacha Road on the east; and along the right of way, west side, runs a continuous drainage ditch. The residential lots just mentioned front either on Hermosa Drive on the west or Wood Dale on the east, both streets paralleling this north-south right of way.

In early part of 1954 the Railroad commenced the construction of its 850-foot extension of No. 2 switch track, but was halted by the City Building Inspector for lack of permit. Application by Railroad Superintendent Crill was then made to the named City official and by him denied on the following grounds, as appears on reverse side of the instrument: “The right of way is zoned for R-7.5 single family use and a team track requires a C-l commercial use. Applicant requests permission to extend this track 850' because on the opposite side of the main line there is an existing nonconforming siding track.” On the Railroad appeal to the Dallas Board of Adjustment, and hearing by that Body with witnesses for both applicant and property owners, the Adjustment Board on July 14, 1954 entered an order granting the permit, subject to conditions as here quoted: “It was moved by Mr. Anderson that the requested permit be granted for the reason that from all of the evidence submitted it has been determined that there exists a nonconforming use, which use existed for many years before the property was annexed to the City of Dallas and that the requested application is necessary in view of the public need for such an extension of the said railroad track and that this permit is granted specifically upon the following conditions: That (1) unloading and loading by the railroad or the customers can only be done during the hours from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m. and (2) also that the railroad build proper toilets of masonry construction and sanitary facilities for the use of its employees and use of the customers ; (3) that the railroad use reasonable diligence in keeping its premises free and clean of debris and that it will not annoy and 'blow upon the adjoining property owners. Seconded by Mrs. Kelman and unanimously carried. Approved: /s/ Carl M. Brown, Vice-Chairman.”

This is the order which the District Court, after review of the Board of Adjustment proceedings and hearing of further evidence, has determined to be an abuse of discretion on part of that municipal agency; holding explicitly that there was no evidence either before the Board or the court to satisfy some of the requirements necessary to its validity. Such judgment and annulment of permit is attacked by both the Railroad Company and the City of Dallas

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Bluebook (online)
281 S.W.2d 441, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 1996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gulf-c-s-f-ry-co-v-white-texapp-1955.