In re The Appeal of the Estate of Achey

484 A.2d 874, 86 Pa. Commw. 385, 1984 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 2086
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 11, 1984
DocketAppeals, Nos. 3407 C.D. 1983 and 3545 C.D. 1983
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 484 A.2d 874 (In re The Appeal of the Estate of Achey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re The Appeal of the Estate of Achey, 484 A.2d 874, 86 Pa. Commw. 385, 1984 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 2086 (Pa. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge Blatt,

The Estate of Charles Achey (Landowner) (Appeal No. 3407 C.D. 1983) and Colonial Manor Civic Association (Association) (Appeal No. 3545 C.D. 1983) have filed cross appeals here concerning a decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County which denied the Landowner a conditional use permit for a mobile home park.

On November 4, 1981, the Landowner filed an application with the Board of Supervisors of Manor Township (Board)1 for approval of a conditional use permit, pursuant to Section 704 of the Manor Township Zoning Ordinance. He intended to develop a mobile home park on approximately 113.8 acres of land in the Township. After conducting hearings, the Board denied the application, and he then appealed to the common pleas court which, after denying his motion to supplement the record and granting leave to intervene to the Association, affirmed the order of the Board. The instant appeals ensued.

In a zoning case, where, as here, the court below took no additional evidence, our scope of review is to determine whether or not the zoning board committed an abuse of discretion or an error of law. Appeal of Gillies Corporation, 59 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 526, 430 A.2d 694 (1981). The existence of a conditional [388]*388use provision in a zoning ordinance, of course, indicates legislative acceptance that the use is consistent with the zoning plan and should be denied only when the adverse impact upon the public interest exceeds that which might be expected in normal circumstances; where an applicant complies with the ordinance’s specific requirements, the burden then lies upon the objectors, and the township is required to grant the conditional use unless it can be shown to a high degree of probability that the use will adversely impact on the public interest; and the mere possibility of adverse impact is not enough. Brentwood Borough v. Cooper, 60 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 462, 431 A.2d 1177 (1981).

No. 3407 C.D. 1983

The parcel of land in question here is located in an area of Manor Township which is zoned as a medium-density residential district. Section 704.a of the Man- or Township Zoning Ordinance (Zoning Ordinance) specifically provides for mobile home parks as a conditional use in such a district, and Section 302(23) of the Zoning Ordinance defines a conditional use as follows :

A use which is not appropriate to a particular zone district as a whole, but which may be suitable in certain localities within the district only when specific conditions and factors prescribed for .such cases within this Ordinance are present. -Conditional uses are allowed or denied by the Municipal Governing Body after recommendations by the Planning Agency.

In addition to the above Zoning Ordinance, Manor Township also enacted Ordinance No. 1-77 (Street Ordinance), which regulates the construction of streets, curbs and driveways in the Township and, in pertinent part, provides that:

[389]*389(C) Width of Newly-Constructed Streets in Developments
(i) The paved roadway width shall not be less than thirty-four (34) feet, curbed on both sides with “Plain Cement Concrete Curb” as detailed on PennDGT design drawing RC-64, dated June 1,1976.

The Landowner here submitted plans to the Board which indicated that the proposed mobile home park would contain streets with a width of 24 to 28 feet, and no curbs. Both the Board and the common pleas court held, inter alia, that inasmuch as the plans were not in compliance with the Street Ordinance, the developer was not entitled to a conditional use permit.

The Landowner essentially raises two issues here concerning the Street Ordinance: whether or not the Street Ordinance is invalid inasmuch as it exceeds the statutory authority granted to Manor Township under the Second Class Township Code ('Code), Act of May 1, 1933, P.L. 103, as amended, 53 P.S. §§65101-67201, and, assuming that we hold that the Street Ordinance is valid, whether or not that ordinance is pre-empted by the Lancaster County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

Section 1140.1 of the Code, 53 P.S. §66140.1 provides that:

No person shall construct, open, or dedicate any road, or any drainage facilities in connection therewith, for public use or travel in any township, without first submitting plans thereof to the township supervisors for their approval. (Emphasis added.)

The Code, however, also provides in Section 103, 53 P.S. §65103 that “[t]his act does not include any provisions, and shall not be construed to repeal any acts, relating to .. . (g) State roads, and private roads; . . . .” (Emphasis added.) Clearly, Manor Township [390]*390has no authority under the Code to regulate private roads and we believe, therefore, that the Street Ordinance is inapplicable to private roads. The issue here, therefore, becomes whether or not the roads within the mobile home park would be public or private, because only public roads would be governed by the criteria set forth in the Street Ordinance.

The plans submitted to the Board contain an express disclaimer by the Landowner .stating that “no streets or facilities within the land development are proposed for public dedication. ’ ’ In light of this disclaimer and of the fact that a road becomes public only after dedication and acceptance, Elliott v. H. B. Alexander & Son, Inc., 41 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 184, 399 A.2d 1130 (1979), we believe that .the roads here will be private roads and, as such, the Street Ordinance is not applicable here.2

Inasmuch as we have held that the Street Ordinance is invalid as it applies to private roads, and that the roads within the proposed mobile home park will be private, we need not address the Landowner’s contention that the Lancaster County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance pre-empts the Street Ordinance. We would note, however, that Section 502 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 805, as amended, 53 P.S. §10502 provides, in pertinent part, that:

The powers of governing bodies of counties to enact, amend and repeal subdivision and land [391]*391development ordinances .shall be limited to land in those cities, boroughs, incorporated towns and townships wholly or partly within the county which have no subdivision and land development ordinance in effect at the time a subdivision and land development ordinance is introduced before the governing body of the county, and until the city, borough, incorporated town or township subdivision and land development ordinance is in effect and a certified copy of such ordinance is filed with the county planning agency, if one exists. The enactment of a subdivision and land development ordinance by any municipality, other than a county, whose land is subject to a county subdivision and land development ordinance shall act as a repeal pro tanto of the county subdivision and land development ordinance within the municipality adopting such ordinance.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
484 A.2d 874, 86 Pa. Commw. 385, 1984 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 2086, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-appeal-of-the-estate-of-achey-pacommwct-1984.