Plemons-Eakle Neighborhood Ass'n v. City of Amarillo

694 S.W.2d 218, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 11839
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 2, 1985
DocketNo. 07-84-0132-CV
StatusPublished

This text of 694 S.W.2d 218 (Plemons-Eakle Neighborhood Ass'n v. City of Amarillo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Plemons-Eakle Neighborhood Ass'n v. City of Amarillo, 694 S.W.2d 218, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 11839 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

BOYD, Justice.

This appeal arises from a suit brought by appellants Plemons-Eakle Neighborhood Association, Inc. and Jean Carter against appellees City of Amarillo, E.A. & M.O., Inc. d/b/a Maggie’s and Adelia Cox. In the suit, appellants sought to enforce by injunction a prohibitory zoning ordinance, claiming that a previous nonconforming use exception to the zoning ordinance had been abandoned. The trial court refused the relief sought, resulting in this appeal. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

In five points of error, appellants present three questions for our decision. The first is whether the acts of appellee Cox’s sub-lessee in voluntarily surrendering her liquor license and ceasing operations on the premises effectuated an abandonment of a right to a nonconforming use exception to the city ordinance. The second is whether the issuance of liquor licenses by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) pursuant to an order of a Travis County district court, which order was later determined by the Austin Court of Appeals to have been made without jurisdiction, was void. Based on that holding of the Court of Appeals, appellants argue that the liquor licenses, having been issued pursuant to the order of a court having no jurisdiction, were void. Therefore, they reason, any activities conducted under such licenses were void and could not operate to toll the running of a one-year cessation of activities on the premises, which cessation would cause thé loss of the nonconforming use exception to the zoning ordinance. The third question is whether the trial court’s findings were correct and based upon proper and competent evidence.

To discuss this appeal properly, it is necessary to set out the somewhat complex relevant facts in the case. Appellee Cox is, and was at all relevant times, the owner of the premises which are the subject of this dispute. The premises are improved with a large building which is suitable for the operation of a food service establishment, a bar, a lounge or a tavern. The premises had formerly been operated by Cox and her [220]*220husband as a drive-in restaurant called the “Hi-D-Ho” which was very popular with young people. Following the death of her husband, Cox, through her agent Lowenst-ern Realtors, leased the property to B & B Vending Company (B & B). B & B subleased the premises to G.R.N.C., Inc. for the operation of a bar, tavern or lounge.

Prior to September 8, 1981, the property and area had a zoning classification of “LC” (Light Commercial) which permitted the operation of a bar, tavern or lounge. On October 9, 1980, various liquor licenses were issued to G.R.N.C., Inc. d/b/a Grumpy’s. On July 15,1981, these licenses were cancelled by the ABC. From July 18, 1981 until June 14, 1982, the premises were vacant.

On September 8, 1981, the property was rezoned “PD” (Planned Development District No. 130). The effect of this reclassification was to prohibit the operation of a bar, tavern or lounge except as a nonconforming use. In September 1981, B & B subleased the premises to Barbara Dean. On September 30, 1981, Dean applied to the ABC for requisite liquor licenses to operate a bar, tavern or lounge under the name of “The River.” A protest was filed by appellant Carter and, on March 29, 1982, the ABC denied Dean’s application.

Dean appealed the adverse ruling of the ABC to a Travis County district court. That court, over a challenge to its jurisdiction, reversed the ruling of the ABC and ordered the issuance of the licenses to Dean. This judgment of the district court was appealed to the Austin Court of Appeals. Parenthetically, we note that the applicable statute does not permit the suspension of such a court order pending appeal. During the pendency of this appeal, and in pursuance of the court order, the ABC issued the liquor licenses to Dean on July 14, 1982.

Cox’s uncontroverted testimony was that B & B had permission to sublease the premises. The uncontroverted testimony of Ricki Eaves, the representative of E.A. & M.O., Inc., was that he, by some kind of lease purchase agreement, agreed to pay Dean $19,000 for “her equipment and to be able to get the building from her so she would turn in her liquor license” and that “she would cease her operation” and he “would take it over.” On September 7, 1983, E.A. & M.O., Inc. d/b/a Maggie’s (Maggie’s) applied to the ABC to transfer its liquor licenses from another of its locations in Amarillo to the premises involved here. Appellant Plemons-Eakle Neighborhood Association, Inc. filed a protest to this application. On September 14, 1983, Dean voluntarily surrendered her licenses to the Amarillo office of the ABC. The protestor did not appear at the Austin hearing on the application to transfer liquor licenses and on September 28, 1983, the ABC overruled the protest and granted the application to transfer. The protestor did not appeal from this decision.

On November 15, 1983, the property was heavily damaged by fire. Because of that damage, no bar, tavern or lounge operations were begun on the premises. At the time of the fire, Maggie’s had started a “remodeling or refurbishing or some sort of improvement program” on the premises. On November 16, 1983, the Austin Court of Appeals held that the Travis County district court had no jurisdiction to entertain the appeal from the ABC’s refusal to issue the Dean licenses. Carter v. Dean, 660 S.W.2d 866 (Tex.App. — Austin 1983, no writ).

On January 18, 1984, Cox, through her attorneys, notified B & B that because of the damage to the premises, she elected to terminate the lease. On January 24, 1984, B & B, by endorsement upon the notification, agreed to the termination. According to Cox, at the time of the fire, Eaves was a sublessee of B & B. In “the middle of December, or the first of January,” Cox was contacted by Eaves and an “arrangement” worked out between them.

On January 27, 1984, the City of Amarillo issued a building permit to Ricki Eaves, as owner, and John Aboud, as contractor, apparently for the purpose of restoring the premises. The instant suit was filed on February 3, 1984 with service of citation [221]*221made on February 10, 1984. On February 15, 1984, an electrical permit was issued to Patrick Electric for restoring electricity to the premises. On February 21, 1984, a certificate of occupancy for up to 87 people was issued by the City, and the lounge has been in operation since that time.

Relevant portions of P.D. 130 passed on September 8, 1981, are as follows:

Land Use
Existing land uses that would not be allowed to develop under a “GR” general Retail classification shall be considered as non-conforming uses. Any non-conforming use that is abated for more than one (1) year, shall then comply with the “GR” zoning district requirements.

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Related

McDonald v. Bd. of Adj., City of San Antonio
561 S.W.2d 218 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Carter v. Dean
660 S.W.2d 866 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1983)
City of Dallas v. Fifley
359 S.W.2d 177 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1962)
City of Amarillo v. Stapf
101 S.W.2d 229 (Texas Supreme Court, 1937)

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Bluebook (online)
694 S.W.2d 218, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 11839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/plemons-eakle-neighborhood-assn-v-city-of-amarillo-texapp-1985.