Piampiano v. Town of Cumberland

Superior Court of Maine·Decided April 29, 2020·No. CUMap-19-30·Unpublished

Opinion

( (

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, ss. CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. AP-19-30

ROBERT PIAMPIANO, et al., Plaintiffs,

v. ORDER

TOWN OF CUMBERLAND, CLERKS Defendant

Before the court is an appeal by plaintiffs Robert and Brenda Piampiano from an August 14, 2019 decision of the Town of Cumberland Board of Adjustment and Appeals ruling that a building permit could not be issued for construction of a residence on property owned by the Piampianos unless the existing access road was upgraded to current town standards.

The focus of the appeal is whether the property in question qualifies as "a lot that was in existence on August 10, 1998" within the meaning of section 315-61(H) of the Cumberland Zoning Code and therefore would not require an upgraded access road. The Piampianos contend that the Board incorrectly determined that their property was not a lot in existence on August 10, 1998 and that a contrary interpretation would violate their constitutional; rights.

After the record and the parties' initial briefs were filed, the Piampianos also filed a motion requesting that the court take judicial notice of certain additional information.

Plaintiffs-Pro Se

Defendant-Natalie Burns, Esq.

( (

1. Appellate Review Factual determinations made by a local planning board or board of appeals will only be overturned if they are not adequately supported by evidence in the record. Jordan v. City of Ellsworth, 2003 ME 82 ,r 8, 828 A.2d 768. On factual issues the court may not substitute its judgment for that of a local board. Just because a different conclusion could be drawn from the record does not justify overturning the board's decision if there is evidence in the record that could support the board's determination. Twigg v. Town of Kennebunk, 662 A.2d 914, 916 (Me. 1995).

The court reviews the decision of a municipal planning or appeals board for errors of law, abuse of discretion, or findings not supported by substantial evidence in the record. York v. Town ofOgunquit, 2001 ME 53 ,r 6, 769 A.2d 172,175. Interpretation of the language of a local ordinance is a question of law that is reviewed de nova. Isis Development LLC v. Town of Wells, 2003 ME 149 ,r 3,836 A.2d 1285, 1287.

A threshold issue in this case, not raised by the parties, is whether the court has subject matter jurisdiction to hear an appeal from the decision of a municipal board affirming an advisory opinion issued by the Town Code Enforcement Officer (CEO). The CE O's decision on the Piampianos' request for an advisory opinion was appealable under sections 315­ 77(8)(1) and 315-77(D)(l) of the Cumberland Zoning Ordinance (R. 101, 104), 1 and the Board's decision is appealable to the Superior Court under 30-A M.R.S. § 2691(3)(G). Because

1Citations to the administrative record ("R.") will be cited by the page numbers that appear in the bottom right hand corner. Citations to the transcript of the hearing before the Board will be cited as "Tr." followed by page number.

( (

the Board's decision affects the property interests of the Piampianos, the court concludes that it may be appealed based on the Law Court's decision in Raposa v. Town of York, 2019 ME 29 ,r 11,204 A.3d 129.z Finally, while the proceedings began as an appeal by the Piampianos from an advisory opinion of the Town's Code Enforcement Officer, the Board of Adjustment and Appeals held a de nova hearing on that appeal pursuant to section 315-77(C) (1) (R. 104). Accordingly, the Board's decision is the operative decision for review. York v. Town ofSouthwest Harbor, 2001 ME 2 ,r 10, 763 A.2d 1168.

The facts in this case are not in dispute, but the Piampianos contend that the Cumberland Board of Adjustment and Appeals misinterpreted the ordinance.

2. Facts of Record and Prior Proceedings The property at issue ("the Subject Property") consists of 12.4 acres located on a private access road known as the Blanchard Road extension and identified as Cumberland Tax Lot R08-68 I. A map showing the property is contained in the record at R. 10.3 The history of the property is set forth in the record and in the testimony of Robert Piampiano at the hearing before the Board. Three lots were originally created from a larger parcel on February 20, 1998. Tr. 18. One is now the Yovino property located on the southeast

'Raposa involved the decision ofa CEO that a landowner's use of his property did not violate the zoning code, and the Law Court relied on a legislative amendment to 30-A M.R.S. § 2691(4) - not directly applicable in this case - in reaching its decision. However, the logic of Raposa would appear to extend to this appeal as well.

'The map incorrectly lists the tax lot number as R03-68 I, but the parties have agreed that the correct tax lot designation is ROB-68 I. See Appellant's brief dated November 14, 2019 ("Appellants' Br.") at 1 n.2.

{ (

border of the Subject Property. Tr. 18-19. One is a lot owned solely by plaintiff Brenda Piampiano located on the northwest border of the Subject Property. Tr. 19. The remaining lot created in February 1998 was owned by plaintiff Robert Piampiano and consisted of a 17.4 acre parcel that included the 12.4 acres that now constitute the Subject Property. Id. On July 3, 2003 Robert Piampiano conveyed the 17.4 acre property to himself and his wife Brenda as joint tenants by a deed recorded on July 9, 2003. R. 43-46. Later in 2003 the Piampianos constructed an unpaved access road starting at the end of the paved portion of the Blanchard Road extension.

In May 2012 the Piampianos conveyed approximately five acres of the 17.4 acre property (hereafter "the Briggs Lot") to Richard Briggs and Mary Lowery and retained the remaining 12.4 acres (the Subject Property). R. 78 ,r 34; Tr. 21, 40. The Briggs Lot included a house that had been built on that portion of the property. R. 21.

All of the above lots and the unpaved access road that the Piampianos constructed in 2003 are shown on the map included in the administrative record at R. 10.

In March 2017 a prospective purchaser of the Subject Property, Michael Rosa, wrote to the Town's Code Enforcement Officer to inquire if he would be able to build on the property if he purchased it. R. 18. The CEO responded by email that, because the land purchased by the Piampianos in 1998 had been divided when they sold the Briggs Lot in 2012, the private road on which the Subject Property was located would have to be upgraded to meet the standards in section 315-61 of the Town Ordinance before a building permit could be issued. Id.

4At the hearing before the Board Robert Piampiano stated that he agreed with 11if 1-3, 5-7, and 11­ 12 of the CEO's decision (R. 78-79) and that he did not disagree with ,r 9. Tr. 40-41.

( (

In January of 2019 the Piampianos wrote to the CEO, providing additional information and argument and asking him to reconsider whether road improvements would be required before a building permit could be issued for the Subject Property. R. 3-9. The CEO responded on June 19, 2019, reiterating his earlier opinion and setting forth his basis for that opinion. R. 78-79.

Pursuant to section 315-77(D)(l) of the Cumberland Zoning Ordinance, the Piampianos appealed the CEO's decision to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals, which held a hearing pursuant to§§ 315-77(B)(l) and 315-77(C) (1) on August 8, 2019.

At the conclusion of the hearing the Board members voted unanimously that they agreed with the opinion of the CEO that the Piampianos' 12.4 acre property in its present form was not in existence on August 10, 1998. Tr. 69-70. A written decision was issued on August 14, 2019 with findings and conclusions that the Piampianos' lot "as it exists today" was not in existence prior to August 10, 1998, that the sale of a portion of the lot in 2012 created two new lots, and that the current road standards are applicable. R. 11-12.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Piampiano v. Town of Cumberland, (Me. Super. Ct. 2020).

Piampiano v. Town of Cumberland (Piampiano v. Town of Cumberland) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Terry v. St. Regis Paper Co.
459 A.2d 1106 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1983)
Twigg v. Town of Kennebunk
662 A.2d 914 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1995)
Sahl v. Town of York
2000 ME 180 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
City of Portland v. Fisherman's Wharf Associates II
541 A.2d 160 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1988)
Wyer v. Board of Environmental Protection
2000 ME 45 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
Jordan v. City of Ellsworth
2003 ME 82 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2003)
Keith v. Saco River Corridor Commission
464 A.2d 150 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1983)
F.S. Plummer Co. v. Town of Cape Elizabeth
612 A.2d 856 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1992)
Yates v. Town of Southwest Harbor
2001 ME 2 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2001)
MC ASSOCIATES v. Town of Cape Elizabeth
2001 ME 89 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2001)
Kittery Retail Ventures, LLC v. Town of Kittery
2004 ME 65 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2004)
Viles v. Town of Embden
2006 ME 107 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2006)
Seven Islands Land Co. v. Maine Land Use Regulation Commission
450 A.2d 475 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1982)
York v. Town of Ogunquit
2001 ME 53 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2001)
Pitcher v. Town of Wayne
599 A.2d 1155 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1991)
Isis Development, LLC v. Town of Wells
2003 ME 149 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2003)
Coates v. Maine Employment Security Commission
406 A.2d 94 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1979)
John Doe I v. Robert Williams
2013 ME 24 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2013)
Christopher J. Roderick v. State of Maine
2013 ME 34 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2013)
Frederick Olson v. Town of Yarmouth
2018 ME 27 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2018)