Laurel Valley Watch, Inc. v. MOUNTAIN ENTERPRISES OF WOLF RIDGE, LLC

665 S.E.2d 561, 192 N.C. App. 391, 2008 N.C. App. LEXIS 1629
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedSeptember 2, 2008
DocketCOA07-1336
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 665 S.E.2d 561 (Laurel Valley Watch, Inc. v. MOUNTAIN ENTERPRISES OF WOLF RIDGE, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Laurel Valley Watch, Inc. v. MOUNTAIN ENTERPRISES OF WOLF RIDGE, LLC, 665 S.E.2d 561, 192 N.C. App. 391, 2008 N.C. App. LEXIS 1629 (N.C. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

STEPHENS, Judge.

Laurel Creek runs through Laurel Valley in Madison County. Plaintiff Laurel Valley Watch, Inc., a nonprofit corporation formed by residents of Madison County on 6 January 2006, initiated this action on 9 March 2006 by filing a complaint in superior court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief on allegations that Defendants Mountain Enterprises of Wolf Ridge, LLC, Haw Mountain, Inc., and Richard Bussey (“Rick Bussey” or “Bussey”) were violating Madison County’s Land Use Ordinance (“Ordinance”) by planning to construct an airport on a mountain ridge above Laurel Valley. Plaintiff subsequently amended its complaint, adding Defendants Wolf Ridges Ski and Realty, Inc., Scenic Wolf Development, LLC, and Wolf’s Crossing, Inc. (together with Mountain Enterprises, Haw Mountain, and Bussey, “Developers”) on the same allegations. Plaintiff also added Defendants Madison County and the Madison County Board of Commissioners in the amended complaint seeking declaratory relief on allegations that the Board of Commissioners improperly rezoned a tract of land on which the Developers were allegedly violating the Ordinance. The trial court resolved all of Plaintiff’s claims in favor of Defendants. Plaintiff appeals.

*393 BACKGROUND

The Ordinance delineates three zoning districts pertinent to this appeal: (1) RA-26, Residential-Agricultural District, (2) R-26R, Residential-Resort District, and (3) I-D, Industrial District. On 28 June 2005, Ronnie Ledford, Orville English, and Rick Bussey submitted an application to the County to have 12 acres rezoned from R-26R to I-D. 1 Subsequently, the County’s Planning Board issued a Notice of Public Hearing which stated that it would meet on 25 July 2005 to consider:

1. Application by Ronnie Ledford, Orville English and Rick Bussey to rezone approximately 12 acres located at the end of Haw Ridge Summit, off Wolf Ridge Drive, from residential-agriculture to industrial.

According to the Board’s minutes from the 25 July 2005 meeting: (1) the first item the Board addressed was “Orville English, Rick Bussey — Rezone 12 acres [from] R-26R [sic] to I-D[,]” and (2) Ronnie Ledford told the Board that the rezoning was necessary in order to construct an airport which would accommodate “private jets and aircraft.” Under the Ordinance, an airport is a permitted or conditional use only on land zoned I-D. The Planning Board unanimously voted to “[a]pprove rezoning from R-26R [sic] to I-D[.]”

On 26 July 2005, the Board of Commissioners issued a Notice of Public Hearing which stated that the Board would meet on 8 August 2005 to consider:

1. Application by Ronnie Ledford, Orville English and Rick Bussey to rezone approximately 12 acres located at the end of Haw Ridge Summit, off Wolf Ridge Drive, from residential-agriculture to industrial district.

The Board’s minutes from the 8 August 2005 meeting state:

[Item] II.

Upon motion of Commissioner Moore, seconded by Commissioner Smathers, the Board voted unanimously to approve the application of Ronnie Ledford, Orville English and Rick Bussey to rezone 12 acres located at the end of Haw Ridge *394 Summit, off Wolf Ridge Drive, from residential-agriculture to residential-resort district. 2

On 9 March 2006, Plaintiff filed its initial complaint against Mountain Enterprises, Haw Mountain, and Bussey alleging that these Defendants were violating the Ordinance by planning to construct an airport on land zoned “Residential Resort” and that “[a]n airport is only a permitted use in an Industrial Zoning District].]” Plaintiff sought declaratory relief that these Defendants were in violation of the Ordinance and preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop the airport’s construction. On 13 March 2006, the Board of Commissioners met and passed the following resolution:

WHEREAS, it has been called to the attention of the Board that a scrivener’s error occurred with regard to the minutes of the August 8, 2005 meeting of this Board with regard to Item II with regard to the district to which the [ajffected property was being rezoned; and
WHEREAS, the Board has the authority to and should amend the minutes of the August 8, 2005 meeting to correct this scrivener’s error;
WHEREFORE, Item II of the minutes of the August 8, 2005 meeting of the Madison County Board of Commissioners is hereby amended to read as follows:
[Item] II.
Upon motion of Commissioner Moore, seconded by Commissioner Smathers, the Board voted unanimously to approve the application of Ronnie Ledford, Orville English and Rick Bussey to rezone 12 acres located at the end of Haw Ridge Summit, off Wolf Ridge Drive, from residential-agriculture to industrial district.

Plaintiff filed its amended complaint on 17 March 2006.

On 30. June 2006, Plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment. In support of this motion, Plaintiff filed the affidavits of its president, Garland Galloway, and one of its members, Kim Garrett. In opposition to the motion, Defendants filed the affidavits of Bussey and Madison County’s Zoning Enforcement Officer, Ryan Cody (“Cody”). In Cody’s affidavit, he averred: (1) that he attended the Board of Com *395 missioners’ 8 August 2005 and 13 March 2006 meetings, and (2) that he was “familiar with Madison County’s record regarding the Board of Commissioners’ adoption of the amendment rezoning the 12 acres ... to industrial.”

In an order entered 17 July 2006, Judge C. Philip Ginn concluded:

1. There is a genuine issue of material fact whether the [Developers] are using approximately 15 acres of land, which surround the 12 acres rezoned Industrial, in a manner not permitted under current zoning regulations; and
2. Otherwise, there is no genuine issue of material fact relating to any of [] Plaintiff’s claims, and the Defendants are entitled to judgment as a matter of law, pursuant to Rule 56(c) of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.

On the issue surviving summary judgment, Judge James U. Downs presided over a jury trial held during the 16 October 2006 session of Madison County Superior Court. At the conclusion of all the evidence, Judge Downs submitted, and the jury answered, the following issues:

1. Have the Defendants erected, moved, altered, constructed, reconstructed, or used any building or part thereof in the 15 acres surrounding and outside the 12 acres zoned Industrial?
ANSWER: No[;]
2. Have the Defendants used the 15 acres surrounding and outside' the 12 acres zoned Industrial for grading, cut and fill, and erosion and sedimentation control activities and for open space?
ANSWER: Yes[;]
3.

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Bluebook (online)
665 S.E.2d 561, 192 N.C. App. 391, 2008 N.C. App. LEXIS 1629, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laurel-valley-watch-inc-v-mountain-enterprises-of-wolf-ridge-llc-ncctapp-2008.