In re the City of New York

162 A.D. 236, 147 N.Y.S. 661, 1914 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6034
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York·Decided May 8, 1914·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinions

Scott, J.:

The portion of the improvement to which this appeal relates is the widening of Bailey avenue between Sedgwick avenue and Kingsbridge road and the extension of Heath avenue, and the creation of a public place at the intersection of Heath avenue and Bailey avenue. The latter avenue runs approximately north and south. Between Sedgwick avenue and Heath avenue the land taken for the widening of Bailey avenue is taken from the easterly side of the avenue as it formerly was; that required for the widening between Heath avenue and the Kingsbridge road is taken from the westerly side. The land on both sides of Bailey avenue within the limits stated as well as the land taken for extending Heath avenue and creating the public place formerly belonged to the Kingsbridge Beal Estate Company and was so owned by it when this proceeding was begun on February 8, 1907. While the proceedings were pending and on May 28,1907, the Kingsbridge Company offered its property for sale at public auction, using for that purpose and [238]*238widely distributing among the bidders and others maps showing Bailey avenue widened to its full proposed width and Heath avenue extended and the public place laid out; in other words, anticipating the improvements contemplated in the present proceeding. This left in the ownership of the Kings-bridge Company all of the land proposed to be taken by the city, which, so far as Bailey avenue was concerned, consisted of strips of land of varying width lying between the lots offered for sale and Bailey avenue as it was before the widening. The terms of sale annexed to the catalogue and signed by each purchaser contained inter alia the following clauses: “7th. All awards or claims for awards for damages in change of grade or condemnation proceedings, had or pending, are reserved to the sellers.

“ 8th. All taxes, assessments and water rates, which, at the time of sale, are liens or encumbrances upon said premises (including the assessments for widening and regulating and grading Bailey Avenue, which will be assumed by the sellers) will be allowed out of the purchase money, provided the purchaser shall, previous to the delivery of the deed, produce to the sellers or their attorneys proof of said liens, and duplicate receipts for the payment thereof.”

It was also stated that purchasers would be given free a certificate of title' of the appellant, the Title Insurance Company of New York, at whose office the sales were to be completed and the deeds delivered. At the auction sale the Kingsbridge Company disposed of not more than one-half of the lots offered. On June 28, 1907, before any deeds were delivered to purchasers at the auction sale, the Kingsbridge Company conveyed to the appellant, the Title Company of New York, all of the property belonging to the grantor which the city proposed to take in this proceeding. This deed was recorded on July 2, 1907. Meanwhile and on June 29, 1907, the Kingsbridge Company filed its auction map with the register of the county of New York appending to it the following note: “Note: The making and fifing of this map is subject to all the rights acquired by the purchasers and reserved by the sellers at the auction sale May 28, 1907, under the advertisements for sale, the pamphlets of sale and the terms of sale. The Lawyers [239]*239Engineering and Surveying Co., F. P. Lant, manager, June 29, 1907.”

On July 10, 1907, the deeds to the several purchasers at the auction sale were executed and subsequently recorded. In each deed the property conveyed was described by reference to the auction sale map filed as hereinbefore stated, with a specification of the number or numbers of the lots conveyed as they appeared on that map. Title vested in the city of New York to all of the property taken for the widening of Bailey avenue on July 15, 1910.

The effect of selling the lots, as was done in this case, was to convey to each purchaser an easement for street purposes over the strip of land lying in front of the lot purchased and which was thereafter to constitute a part of Bailey avenue as widened (Matter of City of New York [Edgewater Road), 138 App. Div. 203; affd., 199 N. Y. 560), and this easement extended not only to the strip immediately in front of the lot conveyed, but to the whole strip to be taken for Bailey avenue for the length of the block containing the lot sold. (Reis v. City of New York, 188 N. Y. 58.) It is claimed by appellant that the Kingsbridge Eealty Company successfully avoided this result which is said to have been achieved by inserting in the terms of sale the provision that the vendor reserved the right to receive the awards for land taken for the Bailey avenue widening and by conveying to the appellant the land to be taken for the improvement. We are unable to see that either of these circumstances produce the effect claimed for them. The Edgewater Road Case (supra) is authority for the proposition that it was the auction sale and the manner in which it was advertised and conducted that fixed the right of purchasers to an easement for street purposes over the projected streets in front of the lots purchased. The appellant who took title with full knowledge of the sale and its circumstances took its conveyance subject to the implied easements created by the sale. The reservation of the right to receive any awards that might be made for widening Bailey avenue could not have conveyed to any purchaser knowledge or notice that he was to have no easement for street purposes over the strip of land lying between his lot and the established street, which strip was [240]*240shown on the map by which the sale was made as actually included in the street by which the lot was bounded. The appellant relies with much apparent confidence on Matter of City of New York (Avenue D) (200 N. Y. 536). In that case the question was as to the right to substantial damages for the taking of a road, through a farm in Flatbush, known as Avenue D. The appellant in that case, who had been the owner both of the land taken for Avenue D and the abutting land, sold the latter pending proceedings for condemnation and under circumstances which, save for the reservation in his deeds, would have granted an implied easement over the avenue in favor of the grantees of the abutting land. His deeds, however, contained an express reservation of the right to receive any awards that might be made for Avenue D, and .also contained the following clause: “Nothing contained in this deed shall be construed as dedicating to public use Avenue ‘ D ’ or any portion thereof, nor to subject the same to any easement in favor of the party of the second part, it being the intention of the party of'the first part to retain the bed of said Avenue 1D ’ in fee simple absolute. The above covenant shall run with the land. ” It was held that the vendor had successfully rebutted any presumption that it was his intention to grant to his vendees any easement over Avenue D, and had consequently effectually avoided impressing upon the land to be taken for that avenue any private easements in favor of the abutting land, but that result was reached, as we read the case, not because the vendor reserved the right to receive the award, for that was not inconsistent with the implied grant of private easements, but in consequence of the express covenant that no easement should result from the conveyance.

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In re the City of New York, 162 A.D. 236, 147 N.Y.S. 661, 1914 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6034 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1914).

162 A.D. 236 (In re the City of New York) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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