Smith v. Anchorage Associates

131 Misc. 2d 622, 501 N.Y.S.2d 751, 1986 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2571
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 25, 1986
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 131 Misc. 2d 622 (Smith v. Anchorage Associates) 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
Smith v. Anchorage Associates, 131 Misc. 2d 622, 501 N.Y.S.2d 751, 1986 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2571 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1986).

Opinion

[623]*623OPINION OF THE COURT

Melvyn Tanenbaum, J.

This motion by plaintiffs, brought on by order to show cause (Orgera, J.) dated September 30, 1985, for a preliminary injunction restraining defendants from enforcing Town of Babylon, Code of Ordinances § 213-107 and certain notices of eviction, together with the cross motion by defendant Anchorage Associates (Anchorage) to dismiss the complaint, and the motion by defendant Suffolk County Department of Health Services (Suffolk County) to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a cause of action, together with the cross motion by defendants Town of Babylon, Noto, Dalcol, Brown, Allmendinger and Maestri (collectively referred to as the Town) for summary judgment, are consolidated in the interests of judicial economy and are determined as follows:

It is uncontroverted that in July 1984, in order to regulate the residential use of vessels along its waterfront communities, defendant Town adopted an amendment to its Unified Code of Ordinances (Code), chapter 15, article XXVII, District Regulations "FH” Floating Home District, how numbered § 213 (107.1) — § 213 (107.14) which, in effect, required that special residential districts be established for such vessels. In furtherance of its plan to create a condominium for the sale of boat slips, on September 24, 1984, Anchorage, the owner of the marina in which plaintiffs lease dock space for their floating homes, executed a declaration of covenants and restrictions to the Town prohibiting at its marina such floating homes as described in the ordinance. The condominium offering plan, which was approved by defendant Attorney-General on January 2, 1985, included a provision prohibiting the docking of such floating homes and incorporated from the ordinance the definition of that term. In addition, by a subsequent amendment dated May 16, 1985, a county requirement that a declaration of covenants and restrictions to that municipal body be recorded concerning the floating home restrictions was incorporated into the plan.

As part of the offering plan, occupants of the slip units under written occupancy agreements with Anchorage on the date the plan was accepted for filing were given advantageous purchase rights. Such privileges, however, were specifically denied the occupants of floating docks thus effectively barring plaintiffs from purchasing their slips at the special terms. Each plaintiff claims either an oral or written lease for their [624]*624respective slip and occupancy dating back prior to the date of the plan’s acceptance. All such leases were apparently on a month-to-month basis as of the filing date since the proof submitted indicates the latest written lease to be of a three-month duration expiring on May 15, 1984.

By notices dated August 16, 1985, plaintiffs were notified by Anchorage that the Town had informed it that the houseboats in the marina were in violation of the ordinance and that legal action would be taken if they were not removed. Plaintiffs were further notified that they were to make other docking arrangements before September 30, 1985, and that in the event of failure to vacate, dockage would be charged at the rate of $100 per day. Plaintiffs bring this action seeking a declaration that the ordinance is unconstitutional, granting a permanent injunction prohibiting its enforcement, and directing defendant Anchorage to amend its offering plan so as to permit plaintiffs to purchase slips at the condominium for the purpose of maintaining their floating homes.

With respect to the claims against defendant Anchorage, it is unclear whether said defendant is seeking dismissal on the ground of plaintiffs’ purported failure to state a cause of action (CPLR 3211 [a] [7]) or on the ground, as also stated, that plaintiffs have failed to join necessary parties. Since plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary injunction opens the record and gives the court authority to pass upon the sufficiency of the underlying pleading (CPLR 6301; Shapiro v City of New York, 67 Misc 2d 1021 [Sup Ct, Kings County 1971], affd 32 NY2d 96 [1973]) and there exists parallel motions to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action and for summary judgment by defendants Suffolk County and the Town, the court also considers defendant Anchorage’s application as one pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (7).

According to the allegations in the complaint and the papers submitted on the motions and cross motions, at all times in issue, each individual plaintiff’s interest in his or her respective docking slip amounted to at most a right to use the space for a limited period subject to termination either at the end of the designated term where there was a written agreement, or at the will of Anchorage on 30 days’ notice in all other instances. Such fragile interests created no right in the occupants to participate or interfere with business decisions of Anchorage. If it chose, as it apparently did, not to expend effort and money in contesting the constitutionality of the Town’s Floating Home Ordinance but instead to comply with [625]*625it and, additionally, grant a restrictive covenant running to the Town, the plaintiffs/occupants have no standing to complain or to challenge independently the ordinance’s constitutionality on their behalf as it relates to Anchorage’s property.

Moreover, on the pleadings and documents submitted by plaintiffs, it appears that they would not even have been entitled to the special privileges provided for in the offering plan approved by the Attorney-General. Without determining whether the preclusion of plaintiffs from the benefits of exercising such rights was illegally discriminatory, it is sufficient to note that there is no showing, or even allegation, that any of the individual plaintiffs possessed the requisite "written occupancy agreement with the sponsor” required of all occupants before such rights could be exercised.

Accordingly, the motion to dismiss the cause of action in the complaint against defendant Anchorage is granted.

The motion by defendant Suffolk County Department of Health to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action is likewise granted (CPLR 3211 [a] [7]). There is no allegation in the complaint of any acts committed by said defendant and thus there is no basis upon which to predicate any relief. Plaintiffs assert however that the proof submitted on their motion that Suffolk County required a declaration of covenants and restrictions in its favor establishes a cause of action against it. Although where evidentiary material is considered with the pleadings on a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action, the criteria is not whether the proponent of the pleading has stated a cause of action but whether he actually possesses a cause of action even if not specifically pleaded (Guggenheimer v Ginzburg, 43 NY2d 268 [1977]), no cause of action against said defendant can be discerned here. Since plaintiffs lacked standing to assert Anchorage’s rights or to contest their actions, the fact that the business entity may have submitted, subsequent to the original acceptance of the plan, to an additional requirement from a second municipal body is superfluous and creates no enforceable rights in plaintiffs against that municipal body.

Lastly, the remaining application by defendant Town for summary judgment or for dismissal for failure to state a cause of action is granted (CPLR 3212).

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Related

Smith v. Anchorage Associates
122 A.D.2d 788 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
131 Misc. 2d 622, 501 N.Y.S.2d 751, 1986 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-anchorage-associates-nysupct-1986.