Nardone v. Ryan

49 Misc. 2d 93, 266 N.Y.S.2d 847, 1966 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2296
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 17, 1966
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 49 Misc. 2d 93 (Nardone v. Ryan) 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
Nardone v. Ryan, 49 Misc. 2d 93, 266 N.Y.S.2d 847, 1966 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2296 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1966).

Opinion

Edwin R. Lynde, J.

The plaintiffs have brought this action for a declaratory judgment to determine their rights in connection with proceedings taken by the defendant village in considering and voting upon a resolution having as its purpose amendment of its Zoning Ordinance. The complaint contains two causes of action. In the first, the plaintiffs allege that a resolution voted upon on September 7, 1965, was duly adopted by the Village Board of Trustees; in the second, they allege that if the amendment is ineffective, the village’s Zoning Ordinance, as it applies to their property, is confiscatory and unconstitutional. The plaintiffs have moved for summary judgment on the first cause of action. The motion is granted.

The plaintiffs are the owners of a parcel of property which was the subject matter of an application to rezone from a Residence A A ” category to Residence “B”. In November of [94]*941964, the plaintiffs entered into a contract of sale for the property, contingent upon such rezoning. The contract vendees petitioned the defendant Board of Trustees for the rezoning, and, on due notice, a hearing was held on June 15, 1965. At the hearing, owners of 20% or more of the area affected submitted written protests. On September 7, 1965, the board voted on a resolution to amend the village’s Zoning Ordinance, which provided for the requested change of zone. The vote of the 5 Trustees was 4 in favor of the resolution and 1 against. After the vote, the Mayor announced that, in view of the provisions of section 2004 of the Zoning Ordinance of the Incorporated Village of Hempstead, the change of zone was not effective since that section required a unanimous vote when more than 20% of the owners affected opposed the application.

The plaintiffs contend that under section 179 of the Village Law, such a resolution is effective when adopted by a vote of a three-fourths majority, that, to the extent section 2004 of the Building Zone Ordinance is inconsistent with the Village Law, it is invalid, and, since the resolution was adopted as provided in the Village Law, it is effective.

Prior to April, 1956, the provisions of the Village Law and the Hempstead Zoning Ordinance were practically identical. The Village Law (§ 179) read: Such regulations, restrictions and boundaries may from time to time be amended, supplemented, changed, modified or repealed by the board of trustees on its own motion or on petition. In case, however, of a protest against such change signed by the owners of twenty per centum or more of the area of the land included in such proposed change, or by the owners of twenty per centum or more of the land immediately adjacent extending one hundred feet therefrom, or by the owners of twenty per centum or more of the land directly opposite thereto, extending one hundred feet from the street frontage of such opposite land, such amendment shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of all the members of the board of trustees.”

The Hempstead Ordinance provided: “ In case of a protest against such change signed by the owners of twenty per cent (20%) or more of the area of the land included in such proposed change, or by twenty per cent (20%) or more of the owners of the land adjacent in the rear thereto, or by twenty per cent (20%) or more of the owners of the land immediately adjacent on either side extending one hundred (100) feet therefrom, or by twenty per cent (20%) or more of the owners of the land directly opposite thereto, extending one hundred (100) feet on either side from the street frontage of such opposite land, such [95]*95amendment shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of all the members of the Village Board.”

Thereafter, in 1956, section 179 of the Village Law was amended by changing the unanimous vote requirement to a three-fourths vote and as amended, it now reads: ‘£ Such regulations, restrictions and boundaries may from time to time be amended, supplemented, changed, modified or repealed by the board of trustees on its own motion or on petition. In case, however, of a protest against such change signed by the owners of twenty per centum or more of the area of the land included in such proposed change, or by the owners of twenty per centum or more of the land immediately adjacent extending one hundred feet therefrom, or by the owners of twenty per centum or more of the land directly opposite thereto, extending one hundred feet from the street frontage of such opposite land, such amendment shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of two-thirds of the members of the board of trustees in villages having three members on the board of trustees and three-fourths of the members of the board of trustees in all the other villages.”

Although the Village Law was amended, the Village of Hemp-stead did not amend its Zoning Ordinance and retained the requirement that such enactment must be by unanimous vote.

Zoning ordinances must conform to constitutional and statutory requirements. To be valid, a zoning ordinance must be in substantial conformity with the enabling act authorizing it. A provision of a zoning ordinance which is not authorized by an enabling act is void, and a zoning ordinance is invalid at least to the extent of its inconsistency with the basic statute (8 McQuillin, Municipal Corporations [3d ed.], § 25.58). The sole issue in this case is whether or not the statute and the ordinance are now inconsistent. The defendants contend that there is no inconsistency since compliance with the provisions of the ordinance necessarily includes compliance with section 179 of the Village Law.

The validity of legislation requiring approval by a vote of more than a majority when a certain per cent of interested property owners object to a proposed change has been upheld (Matter of 40th St. & Park Ave. v. Walker, 133 Misc. 907), and in cases where a local ordinance permitted approval by a vote smaller than that prescribed in the basic statute, it has been held that the State’s statutory requirement must prevail (Rabasco v. Town of Greenburgh, 285 App. Div. 895, affd. 309 N. Y. 735; Matter of. Glen Cove Shopping Center v. Suozzi, 8 Misc 2d 247; Matter of Melita v. Nolan, 126 Misc. 345). Although it does not appear that the precise question raised herein has [96]*96been considered by the courts of this State, there are general observations by way of dicta to the effect that the enabling statute must be strictly construed (Viscusi v. City of Schenectady, 198 Misc. 732, 733); that the powers granted thereunder must be exercised by the municipality subject to the limitations and restrictions imposed by the State Legislature (Matter of Melita v. Nolan, 126 Misc. 345, 348); and that the power of a municipal body may not be impaired by any self-denying resolution (Morrill Realty Corp. v. Rayon Holding Corp., 254 N. Y. 268, 281). In other jurisdictions, courts have ruled that the municipality cannot impose a greater voting requirement than that provided for in the enabling statute. In City of Jackson v. Freeman-Howie (239 Miss. 84) an application to rezone from residential to commercial was approved by a 2 to 1 vote of the City Council of the City of Jackson, Mississippi. The Zoning Law of the State provided that if protests were filed, an amendment would not become effective except by favorable vote of two thirds of all members of the municipality’s legislative body.

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Bluebook (online)
49 Misc. 2d 93, 266 N.Y.S.2d 847, 1966 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2296, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nardone-v-ryan-nysupct-1966.