Partain v. Brooklyn

138 N.E.2d 180, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 481, 1955 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 322
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedDecember 2, 1955
DocketNo. 676617
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 138 N.E.2d 180 (Partain v. Brooklyn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Partain v. Brooklyn, 138 N.E.2d 180, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 481, 1955 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 322 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1955).

Opinion

OPINION

By BLYTHIN, J:

This is an action brought by three plaintiffs as residents, property owners and taxpayers of the City of Brooklyn, a municipal corporation operating under a charter adopted by its electors, effective as of January 1, 1952. Stated simply and in a word, the aim is to have the Court declare unconstitutional and ineffective an amending ordinance, No. 1955-59, passed by the Council of said city as an emergency measure on the 24th day of August, 1955, rezoning a section of the Westerly side of Tiedeman Road, so as to remove it from the “A” use classification (dwelling house) to the “E” use classification (industrial), designated in the general zoning and planning ordinance (No. 1940-19) of the city passed November 25th, 1940, amended from time to time, but still in effect as amended.

The petition sets forth the official connections of defendants John M. Coyne and Joseph E. Murphy as Mayor and Director of Public Safety, respectively, of said city and alleges defendant The Lamson and Sessions Company to be an Ohio corporation, private and for profit.

Plaintiffs allege in substance that said city has in effect a zoning ordinance, No. 1940-19, passed on November 25, 1940, dividing the municipality into use districts etc., except that some detail amendments [483]*483have been adopted since 1940, and that under it there were established five zones or districts expressive of uses to which premises may be put, as follows:—

“A” Dwelling House District.
“B” Apartment House District.
“C” Retail District.
“D” Commercial District.
“E” Industrial District.

That the city of Brooklyn has an area of approximately 5% square miles and a growing population of approximately 10,000 people; is bounded on its North, East and West by the city of Cleveland, and on its South by the city of Parma, .the dividing line being Brookpark Road.

That Memphis Avenue and Biddulph Road run through said city in an Easterly and Westerly direction; that Ridge Road runs in a Northerly and Southerly direction through said city from Brookpark Road North to the city of Cleveland and that Tiedeman Road runs in a general Northerly and Northeasterly direction from Brookpark Road North to Memphis Avenue, and that said thorofares serve said municipality as ingress to and egress from its principal centers and growing and developing areas.

That under said ordinance certain Class E districts have been designated within the city as shown on the zoning map and that the remainder of the territory within the city is zoned for residential use, meaning thereby single and two family dwellings, churches, schools, public libraries, parks, Hospitals and farms, except (1) a parcel 2000 x 1000 feet at the Northwest corner of Ridge Road and the Belt Line Railroad zoned for commercial use; (b) certain small areas zoned for retail purposes for the convenience and accommodation of the residential areas, and (c) a parcel 2000 x 1000 feet North of and adjoining Biddulph Road between the city of Cleveland and Ridge Road, zoned for apartment use.

That except for two small retail districts at the intersection of Tiedeman Road and Memphis Avenue; Tiedeman Road and Biddulph Road, the development of Tiedeman Road north of the Belt Line Railroad is entirely residential in character and that about 59 modern residences abut Tiedeman Road; that 18 of them were there prior to passage of the zoning ordinance, No. 1940-19, in 1940, and that 41 have been erected since and that the area is ideal for residential purposes; that the plaintiffs own their homes on said section of Tiedeman Road and that the values of their individual homes are $35,000 and $60,000.

That within 1955 defendant The Lamson and Sessions Company purchased a parcel of unimproved land bounded on the East by the Westerly line of Tiedeman Road; on the South by the Northerly line of the Belt Line Railroad; on the North by the home property of plaintiffs Partain and on the West by the boundary line between the city of Brooklyn and the city of Cleveland. The parcel has a frontage of about 1000 feet on Tiedeman, a varying depth averaging about 2600 feet and contains 61 acres.

Said parcel adjoins, as indicated, the Partain property and is near other homes on Tiedeman Road.

[484]*484That opposite said Lamson and Sessions parcel, across Tiedeman Road, is a golf course and other property especially suitable for residential purposes.

That on August 24, 1955, the Council and officers of said city of Brooklyn rezoned the parcel of The Lamson and Sessions Company from the “A” Residential District to the “E” Industrial District by Ordinance No. 1955-59, passed as an emergency measure, thereby cutting off the right of referendum without just cause.

That said city of Brooklyn and its officers have issued a permit to said The Lamson and Sessions Company to erect an industrial structure on its parcel according to a plan for a factory and office building presented, which structure is to cost approximately $4,500,000.00; and that the change of zoning was approved by the Planning Commission.

That the zoning change has no relation to the public peace, health, safety or public welfare for the reason that its effect will be to decrease the value of all property on and about Tiedeman Road for residential purposes and that it does violence to the zoning plan originally adopted for the municipality and continued in effect until the present time, with the exception of the change now in issue in this cause, and is unfair to plaintiffs and others who have been encouraged to invest their money in valuable homes relying on the zoning regulations in effect.

That since the year 1940 there have been no changes in the Lamson and Sessions parcel, nor in the surrounding property such as to warrant a rezoning of any from a residential to an industrial use and that Ordinance 1955-59 constitutes spot zoning and discriminates in favor of The Lamson and Sessions Company and was passed for its economic advantage and private benefit in disregard of the public interest.

That the Belt Line Railroad is a natural barrier between the industrial section to the South of it and the residential section to the North of it and that there has never heretofore been established an industrial district immediately North of it, and that to create one now will destroy the barrier and create an industrial district without any necessity therefor due to the fact that there now exists ample industrially zoned property available within the city.

That even though The Lamson and Sessions Company parcel adjoins land within the City of Cleveland zoned for industrial use there is, in fact, no such use being made thereof.

Due to the facts alleged and reasons stated the plaintiffs claim Ordinance No. 1955-59 to be unconstitutional and void and aver that they are without an adequate remedy at law and will be irreparably damaged unless the Court declares said ordinance void and grants them the relief to which they would be entitled upon such declaration.

In its answer the city of Brooklyn admits generally the facts stated by plaintiffs in their petition anent the city, its territory and the fact that the municipality has been zoned since 1940, with periodical amendments, and that Ordinance 1955-59 was passed by the Council of said city.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
138 N.E.2d 180, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 481, 1955 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 322, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/partain-v-brooklyn-ohctcomplcuyaho-1955.