NH Motor Transport v. Town of Plaistow

CourtCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit
DecidedSeptember 27, 1995
Docket94-2095A
StatusPublished

This text of NH Motor Transport v. Town of Plaistow (NH Motor Transport v. Town of Plaistow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the First Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
NH Motor Transport v. Town of Plaistow, (1st Cir. 1995).

Opinion

USCA1 Opinion



September 27, 1995
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
____________________

No. 94-2095

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION, ET AL.,

Plaintiffs, Appellants,

v.

TOWN OF PLAISTOW,

Defendant, Appellee.

____________________

ERRATA SHEET

The opinion of this court, issued on September 20, 1995, is
amended as follows:

On page 12, line 8 of first full paragraph, replace "making" with
"make".

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
____________________

No. 94-2095

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION, ET AL.,

Plaintiffs, Appellants,

v.

TOWN OF PLAISTOW,

Defendant, Appellee.

____________________

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

[Hon. Martin F. Loughlin, Senior U.S. District Judge] __________________________

____________________

Before

Cyr, Circuit Judge, _____________

Aldrich, Senior Circuit Judge, ____________________

and Boudin, Circuit Judge. _____________

____________________

Mark I. Zarrow with whom Lian, Zarrow, Eynon & Shea was on briefs ______________ __________________________
for appellants.
Melinda S. Gehris with whom Marjorie E. Lanier and Devine, ___________________ ____________________ _______
Millimet & Branch, P.A. were on brief for appellee. _______________________

____________________

September 20, 1995
____________________

BOUDIN, Circuit Judge. This appeal presents a challenge _____________

to a town zoning ordinance and cease and desist order that

limit night-time access to and from a local trucking

terminal. Appellants are the terminal owner, the terminal

operator, various interstate motor carriers that regularly

use the terminal, and an association representing New

Hampshire truckers. Appellee is the Town of Plaistow, New

Hampshire, ("the town"), which adopted the restrictions at

issue. The terminal is located on a site partly in Plaistow

and partly in Newton, New Hampshire.

The trucking terminal began operation in September 1988.

It serves as a regional hub for various trucking companies

serving the New England area. Line haulers from around the

country drop off freight to be delivered in New England and

pick up freight whose destination lies outside New England.

Atlas Motor Express, Inc. ("Atlas"), the operator of the

terminal, maintains a fleet of trucks and provides short haul

service within the New England area. The terminal operates

24 hours a day, loading and unloading trailers.

Most trucks that use the Plaistow/Newton terminal reach

it from Interstate 495, a federal highway that runs through

Massachusetts and near the New Hampshire border. From

Interstate 495, trucks travel about 5 miles on Route 125 to

Kingston Road (both are New Hampshire state highways) and

then about half a mile to Garland Way, the terminal's private

-2- -2-

access road. Trucks must travel roughly 2000 feet along

Garland Way, the first portion of which passes through the

Plaistow residential zone. The terminal's facilities are all

located in Newton in an industrial zone bordering on

Plaistow.

Shortly after the terminal opened, numerous residents

from Plaistow who live along Kingston Road near Garland Way

complained about late night truck traffic to and from the

terminal. The town subsequently served a cease and desist

order on Atlas and the terminal owner, alleging a violation

of a Town of Plaistow zoning ordinance that reads in

pertinent part:

Any uses that may be obnoxious or injurious by
reason of the production or emission of odors,
dust, smoke, refuse matter, fumes, noise, vibration
or other similar conditions, or that are dangerous
to the comfort, peace, enjoyment, health or safety
of the community, whether it contributes to its
disturbance or annoyances are prohibited in all
districts.

The cease and desist order stated that "heavy commercial

trucking arriving at and leaving [the] site is emitting

odors, smoke, fumes, noise and vibration around the clock."

Despite the order, late night traffic to and from the

terminal continued.

The town then brought an action in New Hampshire

Superior Court seeking an injunction against the terminal and

an order imposing reasonable hours of operation. The state

court entered a preliminary injunction on February 28, 1989,

-3- -3-

placing a curfew on night-time access to and from the

terminal. After an evidentiary hearing, the court entered a

permanent injunction on July 7, 1989, limiting the terminal's

night-time traffic as follows:

6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.: No restrictions.
9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.: Two trucks may arrive or
depart.
11:00 p.m.

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Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corp. of Del.
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United States v. Ilario M.A. Zannino
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United States v. Osvaldo Rodriguez-Morales
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Mark S. Stuhlreyer v. Armco, Inc.
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New York State Motor Truck Ass'n v. City of New York
654 F. Supp. 1521 (S.D. New York, 1987)
CONSOL. FREIGHTWAYS CORP. OF DELAWARE v. Larson
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Daigle v. City of Portsmouth
534 A.2d 689 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 1987)

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