In re the City of Rochester

24 A.D. 383, 48 N.Y.S. 764
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedDecember 15, 1897
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 24 A.D. 383 (In re the City of Rochester) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the City of Rochester, 24 A.D. 383, 48 N.Y.S. 764 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1897).

Opinion

Ward, J.:

Considerable evidence was given in behalf of each side of this controversy before the commissioners to ascertain the damages that [385]*385should he awarded, to the appellant for taking his lands for park purposes, and upon the hearing of the proceedings the appellant sought to show the damages that would result to him from being deprived of the system of ditches that had been constructed to relieve 'his farm from water and which connected with the Genesee river through the twelve acres fronting upon the river that the city sought to take and condemn for park purposes. He also offered to show the damages that would result to him from having the highway or River road transferred to the jurisdiction of the park commissioners and embraced within the park. This evidence was objected to by the corporation counsel and was ultimately rejected by the commissioners, they holding that neither item of damage could be considered by them, and giving the appellant an exception, so that these questions are fairly before us, being the only questions argued by the learned counsel for the appellant as grounds of error.

The Special Term did not decide these questions, holding that it had not jurisdiction to do so under the Park Act,” and that any error of the commissioners in regard to the exclusion or admission of testimony could only be corrected by appeal. The learned counsel for the respondent, however, contends that the order confirming the report of the commissioners is not appealable, as no right to appeal is given by the charter in such a case. This is a special proceeding and is properly appealable to this court under title 8 of chapter 12 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (And see Matter of the City of Buffalo, 17 N. Y. St. Repr. 371; sub nom. In re Appointment of Park Commissioners, 1 N. Y. Supp. 763; Matter of City of Rochester, 137 N. Y. 243.)

It must be conceded that if the remainder of the appellant’s farm not taken by the city for park purposes is deprived of its system of drainage, the appellant will suffer serious damage. The theory upon which the commissioners excluded the evidence as to this damage, and which is urged by the learned counsel for the city here, is that this proceeding does not acquire any right to cut off or otherwise interfere with the drains existing upon the lands to be taken, but the appellant’s drainage system will remain intact with his right to make the necessary repairs thereon from time to time, notwithstand[386]*386ing the appropriation of the lands for park purposes. The difficulty with this contention is that when the land is condemned and paid for by the city, it becomes, under the “ Park' Act,” the property of the city. The title in fee to the realty vests in the city; the absolute control of the lands tlms taken for park purposes is secured to the city by legislative decree.' There is no reservation of easements, water rights or other privileges as connected with other portions of the property of the landowner from which the condemned premises are taken.

Section 3 of the “Park Act” declares that the lands taken for park purposes shall be deemed to have been taken for a public use. Section 10 provides that, upon the landowner being paid a compensation for the land so taken, “ the fee of the said lands shall vest in the said city of Rochester for the uses and purposes named in this act, and the same shall be held by said city for such purposes and uses forever.”

The 14tli section provides that in all cases where any real estate subject to any lease or other agreement shall be taken under the condemnation proceeding, all covenants and stipulations contained in such lease or agreement shall, upon final confirmation of the report of the commissioners, cease, determine and be discharged.

Section 29 provides that lands acquired by the city under the provisions of the act, except such as may come to it by gift, if the park commissioners shall determine the same is unnecessary to be longer used for park purposes, may be sold at public auction and the proceeds put into the city treasury. Indeed, the whole scope of the act indicates a determination by the Legislature to secure to the city the exclusive right, use and title to the property taken, without reservation or exception. The implied reservations of the easement to pass the water accumulated upon the farm through the twelve acres would be inconsistent with the use of the twelve acres as a park. If the'easement existed, the appellant would have the right to enter upon the park to repair the tile ditch when necessary in order to preserve the right of drainage. In so doing, he might have to tear up the walks, grass plats, or destroy shrubbery in the park and interfere with its use as a park.

The following cases may be profitably consulted, upon the question as to what estate or title vests in the city to the land acquired for [387]*387park purposes: Sweet v. Buffalo, N. Y. & Phil. Ry. Co. (79 N. Y. 293); Matter of Water Commissioners of Amsterdam (96 id. 351); Rexford v. Knight (11 id. 308); Birdsall v. Cary (66 How. Pr. 358); Vandermulen v. Vandermulen (108 N. Y. 195). (See, also, Lewis Em. Dom. § 278.)

The right to appropriate property for public use includes not only the tangible thing owned, but every right and incident which accompanies ownership. In case of land it includes any right or easement, and it has been held that it even includes a right of action for injuries to land. (6 Am. & Eng. Ency. of Law [1st ed.], 530, and cases cited.)

The right to maintain the drain through the twelve acres is property, and it cannot be acquired of the owner without compensation. (Arnold v. Hudson River Railroad Company, 55 N. Y. 661; The People ex rel. Williams v. Haines, 49 id. 587.)

It is within the power of the Legislature to authorize lands to be condemned for public use which may be permanent; to determine what estate shall be taken, and to authorize the taking of any fee or vested estate in its discretion. (Sweet v. Buffalo, N. Y. & Phil. Ry. Co., supra.)

The learned counsel for the city argues that the rights of the parties in the proceeding, as to the title obtained by condemnation of the twelve acres, must be governed by the same principles that would obtain if the appellant had voluntarily conveyed the twelve acres to the city without reserving the right of drainage, and to the rule in such cases he cites Wells v. Garbutt (132 N. Y. 430); Paine v. Chandler (134 id. 385); Roberts v. Roberts (55 id. 275); Lampman v. Milks (21 id. 505).

In Burr v. Mills (21 Wend. 290) Judge Cowen says: “If a man convey land which is covered by his mill pond, without any reservation, he loses his right to flow it.. There is no room for implied reservation. A man makes a lane across one farm to another which he is accustomed to use as a way, he then conveys the former without reserving a right of way, it is clearly gone. A man cannot, after he has absolutely conveyed away his land, still retain the use of it for any purpose without an express reservation.” (And see Treadwell v. Inslee, 120 N. Y. 458; Outerbridge v. Phelps, 13 Abb. N. C. 133.)

[388]*388Judge Vann, in Wells v. Garbutt (supra),

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Bluebook (online)
24 A.D. 383, 48 N.Y.S. 764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-city-of-rochester-nyappdiv-1897.