Gustafson v. State

76 Misc. 2d 260, 350 N.Y.S.2d 321, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1460
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedDecember 4, 1973
DocketClaim No. 53960
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 76 Misc. 2d 260 (Gustafson 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
Gustafson v. State, 76 Misc. 2d 260, 350 N.Y.S.2d 321, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1460 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

Milton Albert, J.

This is a claim for the appropriation, of claimants’ land pursuant to section 30 of the Highway Law, as made applicable by title 1 of article 5 of the Public Authorities Law, which proceeding is described as Power Authority of the State of New York, Gilboa-New Scotland Transmission Line, Albany County, Map No. ANS-227, Parcels Nos. 234(1) and 234(2).

The aforesaid map and description were filed in the office of the County Clerk of Albany County on July 20, 1970.

The claim was filed with the Clerk of the Court of Claims and the Attorney-General on June 18, 1971, and has not been assigned or submitted to any other court or tribunal for audit or determination.

The court adopts the description of the appropriated property as shown on the map and description filed in the Albany County Clerk’s office, a copy of which is attached to the claim and same is incorporated herein by reference.

Claimants were the owners of the property by reason of a deed dated July 2, 1965 from George A. Teeling, grantor, to Bichard H. Gustafson and Patricia S. Gustafson, his wife, grantees, recorded in the Albany County Clerk’s office on July 2,1965 in Liber 1835 of Deeds, at pag’e 460.

Prior to the appropriation, claimants owned an irregularly-shaped parcel of land containing 96± acres of land located in the hamlet of Clarksville in the Town of New Scotland in Albany County. The parcel, which may best be visualized on State’s exhibit B in evidence, claimants’ exhibit 5 in evidence, and the sketch on page 23 of the State’s appraisal, essentially bordered on the east side of North Boad and a corridor-like parcel extended southward to New York State Boute No. 43 (Delaware Turnpike). Access to the principal bulk of the parcel was also available on the south over Graceland Avenue and Olive Street, which streets extended north and south from Boute No. 43 to claimants’ lands. Topographically, the latter accesses were better than from North Boad, from which the land sloped up rather sharply.

The parcel was essentially vacant land and wooded, with the exception of the corridor-like portion, which had the Boute No. 43 frontage and on which were located a frame residence, a barn, a garage and other small structures.

For powerline transmission purposes, the Power Authority of the State of New York appropriated a 400-foot wide permanent easement, extending 2,810± feet in an east-west direction across the center of the bulk of the parcel. The easement, taken [262]*262by two parcels, contained 26.16± acres. None of the improvements was located in the takings.

Having the basic view that the corridor-like portion and an area to the east of G-raceland Avenue were separable and not involved in the northern bulk of the claimants’ property through which the easement was taken, the claimants’ appraiser valued only 77± acres to the north at $450 an acre or $34,650 and added $38,000 for the two parcels to the south for a total value before the takings of $72,650. After the takings, he valued the two southerly parcels at the same $38,000 as before, valued 20.84± acres to the north of the takings at $450 an acre as in the before situation or $9,378 and 30± acres to the south of the takings at $270 an acre or $8,100. His total after value was $55,500 rounded. His damages, therefore, were $17,150 — direct damages he computed to be $11,772 and indirect damages $5,378.

The State’s appraiser valued the 96± acres at $314 an acre or $30,200. To this he added $1,500 for the ground improvements and $18,300 for the buildings to arrive at a total before value of $50,000. After the takings, he valued the buildings and the improvements at the same $19,800. He valued the remaining 69.84± acres not encumbered by the easement at the same $314 an acre or $21,929; the 26.16± acres encumbered by the easement he valued at $30 an acre or $785 to arrive at a total after value of $42,500, rounded. His damages were $7,500, rounded, all of which were direct.

The -court viewed the property after the transmission towers and lines were constructed and installed.

After careful consideration of the testimony at the trial, the appraisals and exhibits in evidence, the demeanor of the witnesses, and the court’s view of the subject property, the court finds as follows: 1. The highest and best use of claimants’ property before the takings was residential and recreational. After the State’s takings, the highest and best use of claimants’ remaining property not subject to the permanent easement, was the same. 2. The appraisers had the same basic view that the buildings and improvements were not adversely affected by the State’s takings. With this the court agrees. However, for purposes of completeness, the court adopts the State’s appraiser’s before and after total values of $19,800 for such buildings and improvements. 3. The principal issues in this claim relate to land values before and after the State’s takings. The -claimants’ appraiser valued the northern bulk of 77± acres at $450 per acre in the before situation whereas the State’s appraiser’s valuation was $314 per acre for the entire 96± acres.

[263]*263After carefully reviewing the three land sales advanced by claimants’ appraiser and the four land sales advanced by the State’s appraiser and the testimony and evidence relating thereto, the court finds that claimants’ appraiser’s sale 1 and State’s appraiser’s sales 2 and 4 should be relied upon here for the finding of the before fair market value of the land.

With respect to claimants’ appraiser’s sale 1, the court finds such sale requires further minus adjustments for size (because of comparison with 96 acres instead of 77) and for location, which the court totals at minus $75 per acre. This produces an indicated value for the subject land of $376 per acre.

As to State’s appraiser’s sale 2, the time adjustment should be reduced to minus $70 instead of minus $100 and the adjustment for type should be minus $45 instead of minus $75. This produces an indicated value for the subject land of $372 per acre.

Finally, as to State’s appraiser’s sale 4, the time adjustment should be minus $50 per acre instead of minus $65 per acre and there should be a plus adjustment of $10 per acre for size. This produces an indicated value for the subject land of $339 per acre.

Adopting the State’s appraiser’s approach of basically taking the highest indicated value for the subject land, the court finds that the before fair market value of claimants’ land was $375 per acre. For 96± acres this computes out to a before fair market value of $36,000.

With respect to after fair market values, the court notes the following: a. Claimants’ appraiser gave no value to the 26.16± acres subject to the permanent easement (direct damage $11,772), whereas the State’s appraiser gave a $30 per acre after value to such land. b. With respect to the remaining 20 ± acres north of the permanent easement area, each appraiser found the same after value per acre as he found for the before value. Accordingly, neither found a consequential damage for such area. c. The same type of comment may be made with respect to the corridor-like strip. Neither appraiser found a consequential damage to the land here. d. With respect to the bulk area south of the permanent easement area, claimants’ appraiser found a 40% consequential damage, whereas the State’s appraiser found the same after value per acre for land in this area as he found in the before situation.

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Related

In re the Acquisition of Real Property by Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
118 A.D.2d 891 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1986)
Virginia Electric & Power Co. v. Lado
266 S.E.2d 431 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1980)
Lorig v. State
58 A.D.2d 734 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1977)
Gustafson v. State
56 A.D.2d 695 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1977)
Nyczepir v. State
76 Misc. 2d 804 (New York State Court of Claims, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
76 Misc. 2d 260, 350 N.Y.S.2d 321, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1460, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gustafson-v-state-nyclaimsct-1973.