Horizon Adirondack Corp. v. State

88 Misc. 2d 619, 388 N.Y.S.2d 235, 7 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20122, 1976 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2714
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedOctober 21, 1976
DocketClaim No. 58949
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 88 Misc. 2d 619 (Horizon Adirondack 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
Horizon Adirondack Corp. v. State, 88 Misc. 2d 619, 388 N.Y.S.2d 235, 7 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20122, 1976 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2714 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1976).

Opinion

Henry W. Lengyel, J.

Claimant is a subsidiary of Horizon Corporation, a large-scale land developer, and is the owner in fee of a tract of land comprising approximately 24,000 acres in the Town of Colton, St. Lawrence County, New York. The [620]*620parcel is situated within the "blue line” of the Adirondack Park. It was purchased by Horizon Adirondack Corporation for the purpose of constructing thereon an extensive housing and recreational development. This property, together with all other land situated within the Adirondack Park, is subject to the Adirondack Park Agency Act (Executive Law, § 800, et seq., hereinafter the "act”), and to the jurisdiction of the Adirondack Park Agency (hereinafter "APA”) created thereby. In 1973 the act was amended to provide for a comprehensive and extensive system of land use controls applicable to privately-owned land within the park. (L 1973, ch 348, § 1.) Alleging that chapter 348 constitutes a "taking” of its property, the claimant filed the present claim on December 11, 1974. The State has moved to dismiss on the grounds that the court lacks jurisdiction of the subject matter and the claim fails to state a cause of action.

Beginning in 1968 with the Temporary Study Commission on the Future of the Adirondacks, the State and various of its agencies and commissions have undertaken, with some degree of local input, the task of developing a program of regional land use control within the Adirondack Park. The APA was formed in 1971, and was given the responsibility for formulation of a land use and development plan and recommendations for implementation. (L 1971, ch 706, § 1.) This process culminated in 1973 with the adoption of chapter 348, referred to above. By this chapter the act was substantially amended, and the system of regional land use controls which are the subject of this litigation was enacted.

The restrictions imposed by the amendment may be summarized as follows. First, the Legislature formally adopted the "Adirondack park land use and development plan” prepared by the APA, as a guide to development of private lands within the park. (Executive Law, § 805, subd 1, par a.) An official land use map attached to the plan delineates the boundaries of land use areas throughout such private lands. Within 20 days after the enactment of chapter 348, the APA was required to file the official map at its headquarters, file a certified copy thereof with the Secretary of State, and file reasonable facsimiles thereof with the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board and with the clerk of each county and local government within the park. (Executive Law, § 805, subd 2b.)

Chapter 348 provides that "The official Adirondack park land use and development plán map shall have the land use [621]*621planning and regulatory effect authorized under this article.” (Executive Law, § 805, subd 2, par a.) The plan map classifies land within the park into six types of land use area: hamlet, moderate intensity use, low intensity use, rural use, resource management, and industrial use areas. With respect to each land use classification, chapter 348 sets forth a "character description”, a statement of the purposes, policies, and objectives to be achieved in the area, intensity guidelines, and a classification of compatible uses including lists of "primary” and "secondary” uses. (Executive Law, § 805.) In this manner, land use and density are regulated. It should be noted, however, that the drafters intended to provide a greater degree of flexibility of control and administration than is present in more traditional zoning ordinances. As stated in the memorandum of the State Executive Department: "No uses would be prohibited by the Plan per se: where no approved local land use program exists, those not included as compatible uses for any land use area may be approved by the Agency upon a specific showing of compatibility. Where approved local land use programs exist, such programs would determine which uses were allowable or prohibited.” (1973 McKinney’s Session Laws of NY, pp 2201, 2203.) The former counsel of the APA has written "In fact, the land area concepts employed in the plan are less designed to segregate uses than they are designed to control density of development, and no uses are flatly outlawed anywhere. The Plan speaks in terms only of 'compatible uses’.” (Davis, Land Use Control and Environmental Protection in the Adirondacks, 47 NYS Bar J 189, 220.) The intensity requirements are approximations and are not absolute. For example, the "guideline” for intensity of development of land located in any rural use area provides that development "should not exceed approximately seventy-five principal buildings per square mile”. (Executive Law, § 805 subd 3f(3) [emphasis added].) In resource management areas, the guideline is 15 principal buildings per square mile. (Executive Law, § 805, subd 3, par g, cl [3].) Rather than mandating minimum single-family lot sizes, these provisions would seem tó permit clustering of structures, particularly in the case of large-scale developments.

In addition to adoption of the plan and map, chapter 348 imposes restrictions on use, development, and subdivision of lands along shorelines. These restrictions include controls on lot width, setback, clearing of vegetation, and shoreline front[622]*622age. Clustering of structures is encouraged. (Executive Law, § 806.)

Finally, of significance to the claim herein, chapter 348 provides for an application, review" and approval process for certain types of land development, designated as "class A or class B regional projects”. Class A and B regional projects are defined separately for each land use classification. In general, regional projects are designated as such on the basis of (1) location within a "critical environmental area” (such as a wetland), (2) type of use (a factor apparently related to the nature or character of the use and its impact on the area), and (3) size (also related to impact). (Executive Law, §§ 808-810; Davis, 47 NYS Bar J, 189, 221-222.) As the land use classifications become more restrictive, more types of development and developments of lesser intensity are brought within the ambit of the regional project approval process. For example, in rural use areas a subdivision involving 20 or more residential lots is designated as a class A regional project; whereas, in the more restrictive resource management areas all subdivisions of land involving two or more lots are designated as class A regional projects. The lists of uses constituting class A and B regional projects are lengthy and detailed. (Executive Law, § 810.)

In addition to the agency’s review powers over regional projects, the provisions of the act and certain rules and regulations or orders adopted pursuant thereto were enforceable by fine or imprisonment. The Attorney-General was granted powers to institute any appropriate action or proceeding to enforce such provisions, regulations or orders, or to prevent, restrain, enjoin, correct or abate any violation thereof. (L 1973, ch 348, § 1; Executive Law, § 813.) A recent amendment substituted civil penalties for the criminal sanctions, but the equitable enforcement powers of the Attorney-General were retained. (L 1976, ch 898, § 1.)

The land owned by the claimant is located within APA designated rural use and resource management areas, and is subject to the strict intensity "guidelines” and use classifications applicable to such areas. The primary effect of these restrictions is to limit the development originally proposed by the claimant for 6,955 dwelling units to a maximum of 1,608 dwelling units.

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Bluebook (online)
88 Misc. 2d 619, 388 N.Y.S.2d 235, 7 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20122, 1976 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2714, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/horizon-adirondack-corp-v-state-nyclaimsct-1976.