State ex rel. Department of Transportation v. Hilderbrand

582 P.2d 13, 35 Or. App. 403, 1978 Ore. App. LEXIS 2834
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedAugust 1, 1978
DocketNo. 3711, CA 8469
StatusPublished

This text of 582 P.2d 13 (State ex rel. Department of Transportation v. Hilderbrand) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Department of Transportation v. Hilderbrand, 582 P.2d 13, 35 Or. App. 403, 1978 Ore. App. LEXIS 2834 (Or. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

THORNTON, J.

This is an appeal by defendant property owners from a judgment for the state in a condemnation proceeding.

Defendants’ property, which is located along the Deschutes River in Sherman County, was condemned by plaintiff under the Scenic Waterways Act. Defendants contend that the trial court erred: (1) "in finding the taking of defendants’ property was necessary,” and (2) "in holding ORS 390.845(6)[11 [of the Act] constitutional in that the statute violates Oregon Constitution, Art I, § 18, as it allows private property to be taken for public use when the taking is not necessary.”

The thrust of defendants’ argument on appeal is as follows: that the taking was not necessary; that plaintiff failed to negotiate in good faith prior to filing suit; that plaintiff made no significant effort to devise a suitable plan for defendants’ land; that plaintiff delayed unreasonably before condemning defendants’ land; that defendants abandoned all challenged building proposals before suit; and finally, that the condemnation provisions of the Act are unconstitutional in [406]*406that they allow private property to be taken for public use without a showing of reasonable necessity for the taking.

The sequence of events leading up to the filing by plaintiff of this condemnation action may be summarized as follows:

Defendants are the owners of a tract which is "related adjacent land” under the Scenic Waterways Act, ORS 390.805 to 390.925. In August 1972 a dilapidated bam, which had been located on the property for many years, was destroyed by fire. The bam had been used by previous owners for storing fencing materials and caring for livestock, and for a place to stay during hunting and fishing trips.

On July 5,1973, defendants’ predecessor in interest in the property submitted a written proposal to the Department of Transportation (DOT) in which he expressed his desire to build a cabin or cottage to replace the bam. The proposal included a floor plan of the structure.

After receiving the proposal, DOT consulted various affected federal, state and local governmental agencies regarding the plan.

On September 28, 1973, the Programs Administrator of the State Parks Branch of DOT wrote a memorandum in which he recommended that the proposal be denied. The stated reasons for the recommendation were that the proposed structure was not necessary to an existing agricultural use of the land, and the primary use of the cabin would be recreational. The Programs Administrator also indicated that there was no agricultural justification shown for replacement of the bam by any structure. Defendants acquired title to the parcel in issue in September 1973.

On November 5, 1973, DOT received a sketch of a hexagonal cabin from defendants. The sketch included a bunk room, an area for hay storage for livestock, kitchen, toilet and stove.

[407]*407On January 3, 1974, the State Parks Superintendent briefly described the proposal to DOT, recommending against approval, and placed it on the agenda of the January 30, 1974, meeting of the Transportation Commission. Defendant, John Hilderbrand, appeared at the January 30 meeting and defended his proposal.

On March 20,1974, the State Parks Superintendent informed defendant Hilderbrand that the Transportation Commission had concluded that the proposal was contrary to the purpose of the Scenic Waterways Act and violated the administrative rules for the area and was, therefore, not approved.

On April 30, 1974, DOT received a letter from defendant in which he stated he would alter his proposal if DOT would allow him to keep a travel trailer at the location until the bam could be rebuilt. Hilderbrand later indicated that he might never rebuild the bam.

On May 14, 1974, the State Parks Superintendent informed Hilderbrand that a trailer or camper would not be acceptable.

On November 13, 1974, Hilderbrand appeared before the Sherman County Planning Commission to request a conditional use permit for the property. At the hearing Hilderbrand requested that the subject property be rezoned from agricultural to residential. He proposed building a cabin, corrals, campsites and possibly a boat ramp. The Programs Administrator for the State Parks wrote to the Planning Commission in opposition to the proposed use. Defendants subsequently withdrew their request for a conditional use permit.

On November 14, 1974, the Programs Administrator wrote a letter to defendants’ attorney, in which he stated that unless defendant Hilderbrand "has some new and different idea, I don’t expect further negotiations to be productive.”

[408]*408Defendants submitted at least three different proposals to DOT concerning the cabin.

On May 6, 1975, DOT wrote defendants that the state was about to file a suit and made defendants a cash offer for the purchase of the property.

On May 30, 1975, DOT adopted a resolution declaring the necessity of acquiring defendants’ land for purposes of the Scenic Waterways Act.

On June 20, 1975, DOT filed a complaint in eminent domain, against the defendants.

A separate hearing on the question of the necessity of the taking of defendants’ property was held on May 20, 1976. At that hearing the Programs Administrator for the State Parks testified that DOT was still willing to negotiate a use for the property with defendants. Defendant Hilderbrand testified he would be willing if necessary to forego placing any structure on the property if he would be allowed to retain the property.

Following this hearing the trial court ruled the taking of defendants’ land was necessary and ordered the question of compensation to be set for trial by jury. On March 11, 1977, after trial the jury awarded defendants $10,000 as reasonable compensation for their property.

The key provision of the Act involved here is ORS 390.845(6)(a). This statute authorizes the condemnation of "related adjacent land” where the owner has proposed using the land in a manner which would impair the natural beauty of this scenic waterway and he has not subsequently abandoned his plan notwithstanding the state’s disapproval thereof.

Having examined the entire record, we conclude that there was substantial evidence from which the trier of fact could have found that the taking of defendants’ property was necessaiy.

Defendants also argue that DOT acted in bad faith in condemning defendants’ tract and that it delayed [409]*409unreasonably in condemning it. Neither of defendants’ assignments of error specifically raises either of the above points. However, assuming arguendo that these arguments may be considered a part of defendants’ first assignment, namely, that the taking of defendants’ property was unnecessary, we find no evidence in the record tending to show either bad faith or unreasonable delay on the part of plaintiff. The record demonstrates that the impasse between defendants and DOT, and the accompanying delay, was attributable to defendants’ insistence upon erecting a structure which DOT had determined to be improper.

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Bluebook (online)
582 P.2d 13, 35 Or. App. 403, 1978 Ore. App. LEXIS 2834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-department-of-transportation-v-hilderbrand-orctapp-1978.