Homeward Bound, Inc. v. Anchorage School District

791 P.2d 610, 1990 Alas. LEXIS 56
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 27, 1990
DocketS-2880
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 791 P.2d 610 (Homeward Bound, Inc. v. Anchorage School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Homeward Bound, Inc. v. Anchorage School District, 791 P.2d 610, 1990 Alas. LEXIS 56 (Ala. 1990).

Opinion

*611 OPINION

MOORE, Justice.

This appeal presents two questions. The first is whether the owner of land designated a school site by the Anchorage Municipal Assembly may compel the Anchorage School District to consummate the purchase. If not, the’ second question is whether the property owner may recover from the Municipality of Anchorage damages equal to the property’s diminution in value resulting from the temporary designation.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Homeward Bound owned a twenty-five acre parcel of land in east central Anchorage. Homeward Bound initially sought to rezone the property to permit a wider variety of land uses. When neighboring landowners objected, Homeward Bound decided to target the School Board and the Municipal Parks Department as potential purchasers. The Parks Department purchased 10 acres of land. In August 1985, Homeward Bound through its agent DOWL Engineers requested in writing that the Anchorage School District consider the remainder of its land as a possible elementary school site. Neighboring landowners agreed to support the school site acquisition campaign in exchange for Homeward Bound’s agreement to postpone efforts to rezone the remaining property or to sell individual lots. Since that time, Homeward Bound has not actively pursued other development or sales opportunities.

In May 1986, the School District and the Municipal Planning Department issued a joint study of three proposed school sites, including that owned by Homeward Bound. The joint study recommended that the Anchorage Municipal Assembly designate one of the other two sites.

Following a public hearing in September, however, the Municipal Assembly passed a resolution selecting Homeward Bound’s property for an elementary school site. Assembly Res. 86-192(S). The School Board did not purchase the property. A year later, the Municipal Assembly passed a second resolution authorizing the purchase. Assembly Res. 87-224(S). The School District again did not purchase the property, maintaining that it had no immediate need for a new school in east central Anchorage.

Homeward Bound sued the Municipality and the School District seeking either to force the School District to purchase its property or to recover damages equal to the diminution in value of its property since the September 1986 school site designation.

Homeward Bound moved for summary judgment against both defendants. The School District cross-moved for summary judgment, and the superior court entered judgment for the District. The Municipality moved to dismiss Homeward Bound’s claims against it for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. See Alaska R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). The superior court granted the motion and entered judgment for the Municipality. Homeward Bound appeals.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Because the first amended complaint asserts identical claims for relief against the School District and the Municipality, the superior court effectively ruled that the claims against both entities could be disposed of under either Civil Rule 12(b)(6) or Civil Rule 56.

The superior court may enter summary judgment if the evidence in the record fails to present a genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Alaska R.Civ.P. 56(c). The court must draw all reasonable inferences of fact against the moving party and in favor of the non-moving party. Zeman v. Lufthansa German Airlines, 699 P.2d 1274, 1280 (Alaska 1985). In contrast, the superior court may grant a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim only if the complaint sets forth no factual allegations supporting any enforceable cause of action. Knight v. American Guard & Alert, 714 P.2d 788, 791 (Alaska 1986).

If the parties present materials outside the pleadings, the court must state *612 affirmatively whether or not it considered the materials presented. Reed v. Municipality of Anchorage, 741 P.2d 1181, 1184 (Alaska 1987). If the court considers matters outside the pleadings, it must treat the motion to dismiss as a motion for summary judgment pursuant to Civil Rule 56. Id.; Alaska R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). When the superi- or court does not state whether or not it excluded the evidence outside the pleadings, we may remand for proper consideration, review the decision as if the Rule 12(b)(6) motion was granted after exclusion of the outside materials, or review the decision as if the court granted a motion for summary judgment. Reed, 741 P.2d at 1184.

In this case, the superior court did not indicate whether or not it was considering evidence outside the pleadings. We elect to review the entire decision as if the court entered summary judgment for each defendant pursuant to Civil Rule 56.

III. HOMEWARD BOUND CANNOT COMPEL THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO CONSUMMATE THE SALE BECAUSE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DISCRETION WHETHER TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY SELECTED BY THE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY AS A POTENTIAL SCHOOL SITE

Homeward Bound argues that once the Municipal Assembly designates a school site, the School District must consummate the purchase within a reasonable period of time. The Municipality and the School District contend that the District has discretion whether or not to acquire Assembly-selected sites.

The scope of the School Board’s authority is a question of statutory interpretation upon which we must exercise our independent judgment. Tesoro Alaska Petroleum Co. v. Kenai Pipe Line Co., 746 P.2d 896, 904 (Alaska 1987). We look first at the language of the state and local statutes construed in light of the purposes for which they were enacted. Id.; Concerned Citizens v. Kenai Peninsula Borough, 527 P.2d 447, 454 (Alaska 1974).

The relationship between the School District and the Municipal Assembly consists of a number of checks and balances. The School Board has primary management authority over the municipal school system. 1 Although the Assembly determines the total amount of the School District budget, it cannot make appropriations for specific items. 2 While the Assembly determines the location of school buildings and provides for construction and major rehabilitation and repair, AS 14.14.060(d), (f), the School Board, establishes design criteria and is responsible for routine maintenance and custodial services, AS 14.14.060(e), (f).

In contrast, the Municipal Assembly has a much more direct interest in the acquisi *613 tion of real property.

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Bluebook (online)
791 P.2d 610, 1990 Alas. LEXIS 56, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/homeward-bound-inc-v-anchorage-school-district-alaska-1990.