Piesco v. di Francesca

72 Misc. 2d 128, 338 N.Y.S.2d 286, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1346
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 21, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 72 Misc. 2d 128 (Piesco v. di Francesca) 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
Piesco v. di Francesca, 72 Misc. 2d 128, 338 N.Y.S.2d 286, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1346 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1972).

Opinion

Samuel W. Eager, J.

This action is brought for a judgment declaring the invalidity of the zoning ordinance of the Village [130]*130of Piermont insofar as it affects plaintiffs’ waterfront lands. The plaintiffs, other than the plaintiff Kracke, own two adjacent lóts situate in said village and abutting the Huson Biver. The complaint was dismissed on the trial as to the plaintiff Kracke for lack of standing and interest as more fully pointed out on the trial.

The plaintiff Piesco owns a lot (No. 44) fronting 63.3 feet on the east side of Piermont Avenue and extending back approximately 140 feet (137.1 feet on one side and 149.3 feet on the other side) to the Hudson Biver. The easterly boundary runs 46.4 feet ‘ ‘ along the Hudson Biver ’ ’. The lot now is and, at the time of the enactment of the zoning ordinance,, was improved by a building occupied as a tavern, a grocery store, and with dwelling units on the second floor.

The plaintiffs Pragiacomo own a lot (No. 46) abutting on the Hudson Biver, with its easterly boundary line running 50 feet “along the Hudson Biver”. The lot is rectangular in shape, extending back 77.5 feet from the Hudson Biver and appurtenant thereto is a right of way for access to Piermont Avenue. The lot now is and, at the time of enactment of the ordinance, was improved by a dwelling presently occupied as such.

The zoning ordinance places the plaintiffs’ lots in the “ W-2 ” district which not only embraces an area of upland fronting on the river, but also includes within its boundaries lands under the Hudson Biver within the village limits and adjacent to said lots. The ordinance provides no use as of right for the lands in this ‘ W-2 ’ ’ waterfront district but it merely provides for the issuance of special permits by the Village Board of Trustees for several enumerated uses, including marinas, boat moorings, docks, wharves and other river uses. However, since the areas of plaintiffs’ lots do not comply with the minimum bulk regulations contained in the ordinance, the lots do not qualify for a special permit for any of the enumerated special uses. In fact, an application to the Board of Trustees for a special permit for use of one of such lots for marina purposes was denied.

Although the ordinance fails to generally provide for uniform permitted uses for the lands in the “W-2” district, there is express provision therein authorizing the continuance of the “ lawful use of any building or land existing at the time of the enactment of this ordinance * * * although such use does not conform with the provisions of this ordinance.” It is further provided that, on discontinuance of any such use for the period of one year, the use shall not thereafter be re-established.

[131]*131Contending that the terms of the ordinance, construed together with the zoning map, preclude the use of the plaintiffs’ lands for any purpose other than the respective nonconforming uses, the plaintiffs request a judgment declaring the ordinance unconstitutional and invalid. In reality, they seek to avoid in their entirety the presently existing use restrictions so that their lands together with the .adjacent waters may be devoted to general marina purposes.

The plaintiffs’ first cause of action is framed on the theory, as alleged in the complaint, that the ordinance is unconstitutional and invalid because the restriction imposed upon plaintiffs? lots “precludes the use of said property for any purpose to which it is reasonably adapted. Said ordinance, as it pertains to the plaintiffs’ property, works an undue hardship as to its use, destroys the greater part of its value, is discriminatory as a denial of equal protection of the law, is confiscatory and amounts to a taking of private property without just compensation contrary to due-process ”.

Notwithstanding the clearly framed gravamen of the first cause of action, there was no factual showing whatever permitting a determination of whether the plaintiffs have suffered any significant economic injury by the application of the terms of the ordinance restricting the use of their lots to the respective nonconforming uses. It does not even appear whether or not the properties were practicably and profitably used in accordance with the authorized nonconforming use provisions of the ordinance. The burden was upon the plaintiffs to establish that their respective properties were so situated or of such a nature that they were not reasonably adapted to the present uses. (See Scarsdale Supply Co. v. Village of Scarsdale, 8 N Y 2d 325.) The record is not such that declaratory relief may be awarded with respect to the claim that the ordinance is confiscatory or invalid as imposing unreasonable restrictions on the beneficial uses of plaintiffs ’ properties materially affecting their values. (See, further, Matter of Fulling v. Palumbo, 21 N Y 2d 30; Mary Chess, Inc. v. City of Glen Cove, 18 N Y 2d 205; Matter of Emmenegger v. Board of Appeals of Inc. Vil. of Garden City, 33 A D 2d 393; Junar Constr. Co. v. Town Bd. of Town of Hempstead, 57 Misc 2d 727; Matter of Aucello v. Moylan, 60 Misc 2d 1094.)

The second cause of action attacks the validity of the ordinance on the ground that the terms thereof are discriminatory and in violation of the Equal Protection Clauses of the Federal and State Constitutions. The claimed invalidity rests on the [132]*132alleged premise that other owners of waterfront properties having nonconforming marina uses at the time of enactment of the ordinance are “granted a monopoly”; that they generally receive preferential treatment over the owners of waterfront property not possessing nonconforming marina rights. But there was no showing by plaintiffs that the particular zoning, including the establishment of the “ W-2 ” district, was not in accordance with a reasonable and comprehensive plan, nor does it appear that the resulting dissimilarity in authorized nonconforming uses of the zoned property was other than merely incidental to the effectuation of proper planning. In fact, all property owners similarly situated, namely, all owners having established marinas, were treated alike, that is, all were vested with a similar right to continue, the nonconforming uses. The plaintiffs, however, were not similarly situated in that they did not, at the time, possess marina improvements and investments. The essence of the right to equal protection of the laws is merely that all persons similarly situated be treated alike; the constitutional clauses go no further than to prohibit ‘ ‘ invidious discrimination”. (See Matter of Di Maggio v. Brown, 19 N Y 2d 283; Myer v. Myer, 271 App. Div. 465, affd. 296 N. Y. 979; Matter of Posner v. Rockefeller, 31 A D 2d 352.) Accordingly, the plaintiffs’ claim for declaratory relief is not supportable on the basis of the allegations of the second cause of action.

In the third and fourth causes of action, the plaintiffs claim that the ordinance violates the Constitution and the statutes of the State of New York in that it operates “ to deprive the plaintiffs [of] unlimited and unconditional use of the waters situate in the Hudson River and appurtenant and adjacent to their uplands; and the said ordinance violates the Constitution of the State of New York as a usurpative [sic] of power not granted to a village ’ ’ and that ‘ the power to regulate the uses of water adjacent to the uplands upon any navigable stream rests solely with the state

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Bluebook (online)
72 Misc. 2d 128, 338 N.Y.S.2d 286, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/piesco-v-di-francesca-nysupct-1972.