State v. Hartman

338 S.W.2d 302, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2487
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 13, 1960
Docket10793
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 338 S.W.2d 302 (State v. Hartman) 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
State v. Hartman, 338 S.W.2d 302, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2487 (Tex. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinions

HUGHES, Justice.

This is a condemnation suit brought by the State of Texas to condemn the east 54' of Lots 11 and 12, Block 172, Original City of Austin, owned by appellee, Mrs. Ethel Hartman, a widow, for use as a site for an office building for the Texas Employment Commission.

The only issue in controversy is the value of the property.

Trial to a jury resulted in verdict and judgment fixing the value of the land taken at $44,712 ($9 per square foot) which amount exceeds the value placed upon it by the Special Commissioners by $10,712. The award of the Commissioners was not acceptable to appellee.

The State’s first two.points are that there is no evidence to support the verdict of the jury, and that the verdict of the jury is so against the overwhelming weight 'of the evidence as to be manifestly unjust.

Mr. Joe Crow, witness for appellee, testified that he had been in the real estate business in Austin since 1939, and had bought and sold real estate, both residential and commercial; that he had developed subdivisions, and had engaged in all phases of real estate activity, and had acted as a broker for ’both sellers and- buyers.

Mr. Crow discussed trends in the value of real estate, and the influence of supply and demand upon the market value of property; He gave a description of appellee’s property from a. personal inspection of it, and from a consideration of various facts, including its proximity to the State Capitol Building, he stated that, in his opinion, it had a market value at the time of taking, March 21, 1958, of $60,000.

[304]*304Mr. C. T. Uselton also testified for ap-pellee. He stated .that he had lived, in Austin since 1929 and had been a real estate man, builder and appraiser for twenty five years.-

He inspected and appraised appellee’s property and gave his opinion that it had a market value of $61,000 to $62,000. This witness had testified to a higher value based On matters, later mentioned, not properly relevant to market value.

Appellee, Mrs. Hartman, testified that she bought the subject property, which was located one block from the State Capitol Building and seven blocks from downtown Austin, in 1946; that it, the house, was divided into eleven apartments, with seven baths and a shower. She testified that her net income from these apartments during the five years, 1953 to 1957, was $7,259.90, and in addition she testified that she occupied four rooms and a private bath, the rental value of which was $75 monthly.

Mrs. Hartman testified, in her opinion, the property had a market value of $100,000.

Mr. Harold Legge, a witness for the State, testified, in his opinion, that the property had a value of $29,850.

Appellee’s land contains 4,968 square feet. It fronts 52’ on the north line of East 14th Street and 92' on the west line of Brazos Street. The land is level and is only slightly above the grade of the streets. The improvements consist of an old, two story frame residence and garage. The house was in poor condition as a result of the burning of the Pruitt house next door.

Appellee’s property is located at the corner of Brazos and 14th Streets in the area behind the Capitol lying between the thoroughfares of Lavaca and San Jacinto Streets. Both Brazos and 14th Streets are paved but carry very little traffic. The Capitol grounds stand as a buffer between continuous flow of traffic from downtown Austin to the intersection of 14-th and Brazos Streets.

Very few properties just north of the Capitol between Congress Avenue and San Jacinto Street are used for any thing other than uses residential in character. In appellee’s block, all properties other than a church and doctor’s clinic were improved with old frame residences. In the block to the south, between 14th and the Capitol and Congress and Brazos all properties are improved with old residences except that fronting on Congress. The block immediately to the east, bounded by Brazos, 15th, San Jacinto and 14th, was filled with old residence buildings, all but one of which have been removed. All properties on the block bounded by 14th, Brazos, 13th and San Jacinto Streets, except the State Power Plant and a remodeled residence, were occupied by old residence buildings. The blocks north of the 15th between Congress and San Jacinto Streets are similarly improved.

The only office building development behind the Capitol has been in the area west of Congress Avenue.

Mr. Crow and Mr. Uselton testified that use of the property for an office building would be desirable. This would require destruction of the house, which they valued at $10,000 and $13,440 respectively. Mr. Harold Legge, a witness for the State, gave the house a value of $5,000. These appraisals were made before the house was damaged by fire and water.

Appellee’s property is in a C Commerical and Third Height and Area Zone under the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Austin. All property in these zones must provide 180 square feet of parking space, plus egress and ingress area, for every 300 square feet of floor area of an office building and every 200 square feet of floor area of a commercial building. Mr. Crow, on voir dire examination, testified that this factor should [305]*305be taken into consideration in determining the best use of the property.

Mr. Legge, testifying about neighborhood property, stated that 49.6% was zoned commercially, 11.4% used commercially, 50.3% zoned and 63.5% used residentially.

Appellee rendered her property to the City of Austin for tax purposes for the years 1956 and 1957, land $7,250, improvements, $6,450. The city renders on approximately 75% of true value.

The county tax rendition by appellee for the years 1955, 1956 and 1957 was $5,710, the county rendering on about 20% of true value.

From appellee’s income tax returns for the years 1953 through 1957, the following is shown:

“Year Gross Income 1 Operating Expenses 2 Net Income (Excluding Depreciation) Value On Capitalization At 6% Per Annum Depreciation Net Income or (Loss)

1953 $3,367.14 $1,882.45 $1,484.69 $24,745.00 $1,401.61 $ 82.08

1954 2,942.50 1,824.79 1,117.71 18,628.00 1,401.61 (283.90)

1955 2,986.25 1,658.20 1,328.05 22,136.00 1,401.61 ( 73.56)

1956 3,162.40 1,611.82 1,550.58 25,843.00 1,149.05 401.53

1957 3,136.00 1,465.713 1,670.29 27,838.00 840.87« 829.42 $25,838.00

Average

1. Includes income produced by furniture.

2. An item for the expense of management is not included.

3. Listed as 10/11 of total expenses.

4. This figure represents 10/11 of the total figure, $924.95.”

Appellee testified in the hearing before the Special Commissioners that the gross income for the apartment house was $3,400 per annum. By deposition she testified that her net income was over $200 per month.

Appellee claimed property owned by her on West Avenue as her homestead for the years 1955 and 1956. In 1957 the property in suit was claimed by her as a homestead.

The telephone directory for the City of Austin showed the address of appellee for the years 1955 and 1956 to be on West Avenue and for 1957 to be the subject property.

The following sales of comparable property are shown:

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Related

City of Garland v. Stevener
462 S.W.2d 67 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
State v. Weidel
385 S.W.2d 625 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
State v. Hartman
338 S.W.2d 302 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1960)

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Bluebook (online)
338 S.W.2d 302, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2487, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hartman-texapp-1960.