Lake County v. Truett

758 S.W.2d 529, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 164
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 15, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 758 S.W.2d 529 (Lake County v. Truett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lake County v. Truett, 758 S.W.2d 529, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 164 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

TOMLIN, Presiding Judge,

Western Section.

Lake County (hereafter “Plaintiff”)1 filed suit in the Chancery Court of Lake County seeking injunctive relief against Ellis Truett (hereafter “Defendant”), a real estate developer in that county. It was alleged that Defendant had failed and refused to comply with certain regulations and state statutes relative thereto in the development of a subdivision. Following a bench trial, the chancellor enjoined Defendant from selling any residential lots that did not comply with Lake County’s subdivision regulations and in addition, ordered Defendant to take steps to comply with the subdivision regulations applicable to his subdivision which was under development. By this appeal Defendant presents three issues: (1) Had the subdivision regulations which Plaintiff sought to enforce against Defendant been duly and properly adopted by Plaintiff? (2) Was the Plaintiff autho[531]*531rized to file this suit against Defendant? (8) Did Plaintiff engage in the discretionary and discriminatory application of these regulations so as to estop it from applying them to Defendant? For the reasons set forth hereafter, we modify the action of the chancellor below.

Virtually all of the evidence is undisputed. The only proof presented by Defendant was some brief testimony by the county court clerk pertaining to items showing the budgeting of county funds for the payment of legal expenses. The Defendant did not testify at trial.

Pursuant to statute, the State Department of Economic and Community Development is empowered to create and establish planning regions throughout the state. The planning region may consist of a single county, two or more contiguous counties or parts thereof. The Reelfoot Lake Planning Region was established in March, 1961. A resolution creating the planning region was adopted shortly thereafter. To carry out the functions of a planning region, the enabling act calls for the formation of a planning commission within the region. The guidelines and procedures for the formulation of planning regions, the creation of the planning commission, the development of a regional plan and the creation of regional planning regulations are governed by T.C. A. §§ 13-3-103 through 13-3-411. The powers and functions of the regional planning commission are prescribed in § 13-3-104. Such commissions are given broad powers: "In general, the commission shall have such powers as may be necessary for it to perform its functions and to promote regional planning.” T.C.A. § 13-3-104(d).

Following the statutory requirements, zoning ordinances for Lake County were adopted in January, 1962 and a major road plan was adopted by Lake County in February, 1963, subsequently being recorded in the register’s office of that county. Subdivision regulations for the county were adopted in April, 1963.

Coincident with the passage of legislation pertaining to the establishment of planning regions and the creation of regional planning commissions, the General Assembly enacted legislation establishing an agency to provide expert technical assistance to the cities and counties of this state that established a planning region. Regional offices known as Local Planning Assistance Offices were established. Such an office is located in Jackson. The personnel in that office serve most if not all of the rural counties in West Tennessee.

Insofar as Lake County is concerned, the Local Planning Assistance Office (“LPO”) provides a variety of services. Generally speaking, the LPO works with the towns and counties in its region under a contractual arrangement, serving as staff planners. In addition to giving planning advice, the LPO assists in long-range planning, drafting and adopting of subdivision regulations, zoning resolutions, major road plans, and with any subsequent amendments thereto. It is a part of the function of the LPO to have staff members attend the meetings of the regional planning commissions and assist in such minute details as the preparation of an agenda, providing technical and professional assistance in reviewing subdivision plats submitted for consideration, evaluating petitions to rezone and the submission of professional recommendations concerning such matters. In essence, the LPO is designed to serve as a complete support staff to the various regional planning commissions within their jurisdiction.

The Reelfoot Regional Planning Commission was established by the same resolution that created the Reelfoot Lake Planning Region in 1961. Members of the commission were appointed at that time. Defendant’s land where the subdivision in question is located was brought within the jurisdiction of the Reelfoot Lake Planning Region by an enlargement of the planning region’s boundaries in March, 1968. The concepts of “planning” and “zoning” were relatively new to the rural counties of Tennessee twenty-five years ago. Such was the case in Lake County, one of the more rural, agricultural counties of West Tennessee.

The documentary records of Lake County concerning the growth and development [532]*532of the Reelfoot Regional Planning Commission until recent years are scarce at best and sometimes nonexistent. Much of the documentation of the adoption of the various regulations, zoning plans, etc. was furnished by the LPO in Jackson. For instance, there is no record of any type relative to any activity of the planning commission from its creation in 1962 to 1975. If there were meetings and if minutes were kept, no one was able to find and produce them. The records of the LPO in Jackson reflected that from 1975 through 1980, the planning commission did not meet. In 1981, it met three times; in 1982 it did not meet; and in March, 1983, sparked by the election of a new county executive the previous year, the planning commission was reactivated.

Following its reactivation, the commission has met almost monthly. Ms. Lynn McCaleb testified that she had been a staff planner with the LPO for some five and a half years at the time of trial, and that she had served as staff planner for Lake County since April, 1984. In addition to conducting an education process for the members of the Reelfoot Regional Planning Commission and other officials of Lake County, she provided professional assistance to the planning commission in the revision of its subdivision regulations and updating the major road plan, which was recorded in January, 1986. She testified that there were no major changes in either documents that affected defendant.

Following the educational process referred to above, Ms. Sparks gave the members of the commission a thorough briefing on the enforcement provisions of the zoning, planning and subdivision regulations. In addition, during the period 1985 to 1986, all relevant organizations in Lake County were briefed on their roles in land planning.

Inasmuch as Defendant did not testify in his own behalf, there is but little evidence concerning his involvement in this affair. He is known to be a resident of Lake County and has been for some years. He has developed residential property in the past in Lake County. The subdivision in question is known as the Magnolia Harbor North. It was the only subdivision in the process of development at the time the educational process of the rejuvenated planning commission was taking place.

Before addressing the crux of the problem and Defendant’s involvement, it would be helpful to review the proper procedure for platting a subdivision.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
758 S.W.2d 529, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lake-county-v-truett-tennctapp-1988.