Land Master Montg I, LLC v. Town of Montgomery

13 Misc. 3d 870
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 18, 2006
StatusPublished

This text of 13 Misc. 3d 870 (Land Master Montg I, LLC v. Town of Montgomery) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Land Master Montg I, LLC v. Town of Montgomery, 13 Misc. 3d 870 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Joseph G. Owen, J.

It is hereby ordered that (i) the motion of petitioners-plaintiffs is granted as to their causes of action based on exclusionary zoning and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SE-QRA) (Land Master 1st, 3d, 7th, 8th, 17th; Roswind 7th, 9th, 13th, 15th, 22d), and is otherwise denied; and (ii) the cross motion of respondents-defendants is granted to the extent that the remaining causes of action are dismissed, and is otherwise denied; and it is further ordered that the Comprehensive Plan, Local Law No. 4 (2004) and Local Law No. 5 (2004) of the Town of Montgomery are declared null and void; and it is further ordered that pending any further good faith proceedings in compliance with the determination herein, the prior existing Comprehensive Plan and prior applicable zoning laws affecting the subject properties remain in effect and petitioners’ respective applications are reinstated.

In 2001 and 2002, petitioners-plaintiffs (hereinafter petitioners) submitted land use applications for certain projects involving alleged affordable and cluster housing in an area located near the intersection of routes 17K and 208 in the town of Montgomery known as “Scott’s Corners.” Subsequently, after imposing a moratorium prohibiting the approval of residential development plans exceeding three dwelling units, the Town of Montgomery enacted a new Comprehensive Plan, followed by Local Law Nos. 4 and 5, which petitioners claim effectively preclude any realistic opportunity for affordable multiple dwelling or small lot single-family developments. Among other things, petitioners allege unconstitutional exclusionary zoning; violation of the federal Fair Housing Act; violation of equal protection rights; and other such unlawful activities.

Factual Background

[872]*872The Town of Montgomery’s first Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1965. Among other things, this initial plan designated the “Scott’s Corners” area of the town of Montgomery as a priority growth area. The following year the Town adopted its first zoning law, effectively making Scott’s Corners the only area in which multi-family housing was permitted through its RM-1 (residential multi-family), RA-2 and RA-3 (residential agricultural) zoning designations. Throughout the ensuing years, and several comprehensive plan revisions, those designations remained the same until the operative events herein.

In 1992 the Town Board established a sewer district, denominated “Sewer District 3,” within the Scott’s Corners area. According to petitioners, in reliance upon this designation the property owners processed a state pollutant discharge elimination system application with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a wastewater treatment plant permit. This measure was, on petitioners’ account, supported by the town supervisor in office at the time.

On or about May 16, 2001, petitioner Roswind Farmland Corp. submitted its application to the Planning Board for the development of a 139-acre mixed use enhancement to the existing public golf course located at Scott’s Corners, including clustered single-family homes and multi-family homes as well as commercial retail facilities. According to respondents, this plan contained no low- or moderate-income housing. After the submission of an engineer report on this project and the issuance of Planning Board comments, it appears that Roswind took no further formal proceedings.

Petitioner Land Master submitted its mixed-use “Crossroads Farm Development” plan, also located in the Scott’s Corners area, on or about April 18, 2002. This development, a combination of two earlier projects, included multiple- and single-family dwellings as well as retail and office facilities, a clubhouse, swimming pool and a wastewater treatment plant. According to Land Master, 10% of the anticipated dwellings constituted affordable housing.

A Comprehensive Plan Special Committee was formed on April 9, 2002, pursuant to Town Law § 272-a, to review the Town’s 1988 plan and prepare a revised one. Respondents maintain that this committee held some 43 public meetings during which it carefully considered every aspect of developing a new comprehensive plan. One major issue, according to respondents, became the increased level of motor vehicle traffic [873]*873in the Scott’s Corners area, together with advice from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) that funding for any roadway revisions would be limited. Respondents reference a June 2003 traffic impact study, prepared by the Orange County Planning Department using a build-out analysis of Town Planner Edwin Carling, purportedly indicating that only a 44% increase in total residents was permissible if further traffic congestion was to be avoided in the Scott’s Corner’s area. Petitioners criticize this study as incomplete and respondents criticize it as unfounded.

On May 2, 2002, the Town Board adopted Local Law No. 3 (2002) of the Town of Montgomery, imposing a moratorium on residential developments in excess of three dwelling units, with certain stated exception and waiver provisions. This moratorium, through the adoption of subsequent successive local laws, lasted until on or about November 4, 2004.1

The Comprehensive Plan Special Committee issued its first draft on September 23, 2003. Although this initial plan recommended the rezoning of Scott’s Corners so as to reduce the density requirements to three units per acre, it maintained the RM-1 designation. On December 1, 2003, the draft plan was referred to the Orange County Department of Planning. This initial draft plan was subsequently modified by the Town Board.

In the midst of all this, political campaigns were being held for the election of a town supervisor. Petitioners maintain that the successful candidate, Susan Cockburn, campaigned on a “no-growth” platform. Respondents characterize her campaign as a public mandate to pursue a “balanced land use plan.” Susan Cockburn commenced her tenure as Town Supervisor on January 1, 2004.

The Town Board thereafter designated itself as SEQRA lead agency on February 5, 2004, with respect to environmental review of the draft comprehensive plan, and public hearings were held on February 10, 2004, April 29, 2004, June 24, 2004, July 8, 2004 and July 29, 2004. Throughout the public hearing process the Town Board was presented with numerous documents, opinions and reports on affordable housing and other issues presented by the draft plan, including a review submitted by consultants Matthew D. Rudikoff Associates, Inc. and William Agresta. Petitioners submitted documentation indicating [874]*874that, given the Town’s median household income of $49,422, a median income family could afford a residence valued at $145,000. According to petitioners, none of the 43 houses then listed for sale were at or below this price, showing a need for the development of affordable housing.

Pursuant to General Municipal Law § 239-m, the Orange County Department of Planning (Planning Department) reviewed the draft comprehensive plan and issued a written report dated July 28, 2004, which approved the plan subject to delineated modifications and conditions. Among other things, the Planning Department criticized the draft plan’s removal of sewer and/or water service “density bonuses” (report, July 28, 2004, at 3, 11 7), as well as the imposition of special use permits which ran “contrary to the primary goal ... to ‘promote the development of affordable housing options’ ” (id.

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Bluebook (online)
13 Misc. 3d 870, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/land-master-montg-i-llc-v-town-of-montgomery-nysupct-2006.