Planning Zoning Commission v. Zemel Bros., Inc.

270 A.2d 562, 29 Conn. Super. Ct. 45, 29 Conn. Supp. 45, 1970 Conn. Super. LEXIS 131
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedJuly 27, 1970
DocketFile 20242
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 270 A.2d 562 (Planning Zoning Commission v. Zemel Bros., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Planning Zoning Commission v. Zemel Bros., Inc., 270 A.2d 562, 29 Conn. Super. Ct. 45, 29 Conn. Supp. 45, 1970 Conn. Super. LEXIS 131 (Colo. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

Palmer, J.

This is an application for a temporary injunction heard by a judge of the Superior Court before the return day of the writ. For convenience, the judge will hereinafter be referred to as the court.

The plaintiffs are the planning and zoning commission of the town of Middlefield, the town of Middlefield, two corporations located in the town of Middlefield, and twenty-five individuals who reside in the town of Middlefield. Generally speaking, the *47 plaintiffs are seeking a temporary injunction enjoining the defendants from promoting or conducting a music or rock festival on premises of two of the defendant corporations in the town of Middle-field and from using two parcels of land of three individual defendants for the purpose of parking motor vehicles of the purchasers of tickets for the festival.

I

Since the incorporation of the town of Middle-field in 1866 by the Connecticut General Assembly, the legislative body of the town has been the town meeting. A board of three selectmen is the town’s executive authority, with power to superintend the affairs of the town. The area of the town is 13.2 square miles, and its population, according to preliminary figures of the 1970 national census, is 4050, of whom approximately 1700 are children. The character of the town is predominantly rural agricultural, and its system of roads and highways is characteristic of rural, agricultural areas. The roadway system consists largely of two-lane asphalt or macadam roads which are very curvy and circuitous. In addition, as the Middlefield terrain is generally hilly, many of the roads have steep grades.

In April of 1970, a special town meeting purported to enact a “special events” ordinance, for the purpose of regulating so-called music or rock festivals, whereunder the first selectman was empowered to issue licenses pursuant to the terms of the enactment. When the festival that is the subject of this proceeding started to germinate, the first selectman appointed an ad hoc advisory committee, presumably to advise and assist him in regard to granting or denying a license under the ordinance. There was no legal authority for the appointment of this committee, but it appears that it participated with *48 the first selectman as spokesman for the town in meetings with representatives of the promoters of the festival.

Another special town meeting purported to enact an amendment to the “special events” ordinance to strengthen its provisions. The first selectman and the members of the advisory committee acted thereafter on the assumption that the “special events” ordinance as amended was a valid and effective law. In fact, there is a very serious question as to whether the town of Middlefield had the legal power to adopt the original “special events” ordinance in April. The powers of towns like Middlefield, which do not have a charter, are governed by § 7-148 of the General Statutes, and that section does not appear to authorize the enactment of the ordinance in question. Furthermore, even if Middlefield did have the requisite statutory power, the amendatory ordinance was not published as required by law, and for that reason alone could not become effective. At the hearing, the plaintiff’s attorneys recognized the invalidity of the ordinance and did not press the count based on it.

The defendant Middleton Arts International, Ine., hereinafter called Middleton, is a Connecticut corporation which was organized in June of 1970 specifically for the purpose of conducting a festival in this state. Middleton investigated three other locations in Connecticut, which proved to be unsuitable or unavailable for legal reasons. Middleton then investigated the Powder Hill ski area in Middlefield and decided it was the most desirable and usable of the sites investigated.

Thereupon Attorney Richard Zeisler, a member of the Bridgeport bar, in behalf of Middleton made a trip to the Middlefield town offices to obtain information. On June 10, 1970, Middleton signed an agree *49 ment with the owners of the Powder Hill ski area for the use of the area for the festival. That same day Middleton hired Alan Scherr to he the producer of the festival, and by June 16 or 17 Scherr had hired the cast to perform at the festival. On June 24, he launched an extensive advertising and publicity campaign to publicize the festival among lovers of rock music. Included in the advertising were the words, “. . . we believe this is the important one for 1970.”

In the meantime Attorney Zeisler and other representatives of Middleton met with the Middlefield first selectman and his advisory committee on Sunday, June 14, 1970, in Middlefield to discuss the festival. During this meeting the Middleton people said they would bring in experts to answer the committee’s questions in regard to arrangements for the festival. On June 23, Attorney Zeisler filed an application for a license as required by the “special events” ordinance. This application set forth that the approximate number of people attending this event would be 25,000 to 50,000.

On June 24 and June 25,1970, a massive advertising and publicity campaign started in the newspapers and radio. On June 25 Attorney Zeisler had a lengthy meeting with the first selectman and Trooper Leonard, the resident state policeman for Middlefield. Zeisler testified that they told him there was no objection to a festival so long as the defendants “could properly handle it.” He also testified they suggested that the defendants start with a festival of 10,000. Attorney Zeisler also testified that during the June 25 meeting the first selectman received a call from the Associated Press and he said over the telephone in Zeisler’s presence that he could not see any reason why the festival should not be held.

*50 Another and final meeting was held on June 29, 1970, attended 'by the first selectman, members of the advisory committee, state police officers, the town zoning enforcement officer, the state commissioner of health, a New Haven attorney for the town of Middlefield, Attorney Zeisler and other representatives of Middleton, an attorney representing other defendants, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Zemel, and a reporter for the Middletown Press. At this meeting plans for the festival and parking areas were discussed at length.

Attorney Zeisler testified that the upshot of the June 29 meeting was that the town was very much impressed with the plans for the festival and that he got the impression the town was satisfied. He admitted, however, that he had a “fear of the unknown” and he said he was dismayed because the attorney for the town questioned whether their plans for parking would violate the zoning regulations. Zeisler also testified that Middleton had always operated on the basis of a 50,000 limit for attendance with 15,000 vehicles, but at the June 29 meeting Middleton offered to reduce the attendance to 35,000 to 40,000. The court received the impression that the conferences and communication between Middleton and the town spokesmen smacked of bargaining, with the town spokesmen trying to keep the attendance down as low as possible and Middleton trying to raise it as high as possible.

In any event Zeisler made no claim that any agreement or commitment to grant a license was made.

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Bluebook (online)
270 A.2d 562, 29 Conn. Super. Ct. 45, 29 Conn. Supp. 45, 1970 Conn. Super. LEXIS 131, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/planning-zoning-commission-v-zemel-bros-inc-connsuperct-1970.