State v. Superior Court

222 P. 208, 128 Wash. 79, 1924 Wash. LEXIS 973
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 10, 1924
DocketNo. 18305
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 222 P. 208 (State v. Superior Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Superior Court, 222 P. 208, 128 Wash. 79, 1924 Wash. LEXIS 973 (Wash. 1924).

Opinion

Mackintosh, J.

Lloyd Garretson Company owns a warehouse in one of the fertile and déveloping fruit districts of the Yakima valley. Its warehouse is approximately 141 feet in length by 109 feet in width, and is used for dry and cold storage. The Garretson company also conducts a mercantile business for the accommodation of the fruit growers in that vicinity, supplying them especially with the things necessary to fruit growing. The basement of the warehouse is the portion used for cold storage and is reached through a doorway on the northeast corner of the building. The warehouse is served by a spur extending from the Cowiche branch of the Northern Pacific Railway, which passes to the southeast of the building. At the present time a county road passes on the westerly side of the building and it is the purpose of the state highway department to convert this county road into a state highway, known as state highway number 5, which necessitates the widening, straightening and permanent improvement of the road, and in this suit the highway department is attempting to condemn a right of way 60 feet in width, passing northeasterly of the warehouse and in close proximity thereto. This selection eliminates curvature and runs the road on a tangent past the warehouse. The state, being unable to secure a right of way through the Garretson property, resorted to condemnation. Upon the hearing on the question of public use and necessity, the trial court denied the application for an order of public use and necessity, [81]*81and the matter is now before us on a writ of certiorari to review the court’s action in this regard.

The evidence shows that, as already stated, the proposed highway would be straight, and from an engineering standpoint is not to be criticized. The evidence, however, shows that a road constructed on that location would so seriously interfere with the operation of the warehouse as to render it largely impracticable to continue the cold storage feature, and also would seriously impair the usefulness of the warehouse in its other particulars. It appears that, on account of the peculiar contour of the country at this place, the location of the warehouse cannot be changed, and that, if an entrance could be effected into the cold storage plant, its use would make hazardous the travel on the highway, for the reason that the trucks would have to come up an abrupt grade straight across the roadway and interfere with traffic. It also appears that it is not only convenient for the people of the community surrounding this warehouse to have dry and cold storage but it is nearly imperative, and that the location selected for this purpose is especially convenient. These are matters, of course, not sufficient to prevent the state from constructing a highway; but if it appears that, with very little change in the state’s plan, these objections may be removed, an inquiry should be engaged in as to the feasibility of such changes.

An alternative plan is proposed by the Garretson company which will remove the highway to a distance of forty feet from the warehouse doorway referred to, which would allow the use of the warehouse to its full potentiality and interfere in no way with the loading and unloading of fruit and merchandise, and would thus allow the warehouse to continue to serve the community. This change also would lessen to a small extent, [82]*82for the traffic on the new highway,, some of the dangers attendant upon crossing the branch line of the Northern Pacific at grade near the warehouse, as by removing the road, further from the warehouse, a less obstructed view could be obtained by the drivers of approaching vehicles. This change in the road adds, no appreciable curvature, the amount of curve under the proposed plan being less than two degrees, and it. cannot on that account be seriously objected to by the highway department, one of whose principal considerations in. the laying out of roads is the elimination of curves. The proposed change adds but 2 and 3/5ths feet to the length of the road and, of course, this is not of any importance. The change does, however, necessitate the straightening out of an irrigation ditch lying to the east of the roadway, to accomplish which it would be necessary to procure a right of way for the ditch from the Northern Pacific Bailway and to secure the consent of the- ditch, company.

There is a good deal in the record showing that these matters may be accomplished without difficulty, and the Garretson company offers to procure the right of way from the Northern Pacific and the consent of the ditch company. It also offered to donate the right of way for the highway through its own property.

Altogether it would seem that, under the highway proposed by the Garretson company, the expense to the state would not be as great as that entailed by construction under its plan. The matter of cost only enters into this hearing on use and necessity in determining whether the location is properly made, and the question. of the amount of damage to the property owner appears at that time for the same purpose only, the law contemplating that, when the question of damages is. submitted to the jury, the property owner will receive full compensation.

[83]*83The record shows that the highway, as proposed by the state, was located by a district engineer, and that in his location he paid little or no attention to any factor other than the securing of the straight highway; that he was not interested to any extent in what the result of the location might be upon the surrounding property, and that his recommendations received the approval of the superior officials of the department without their special attention being called by anyone to the result that would occur to the warehouse and its patrons. The testimony produced by the Garretson company that the present entrance to the cold storage space is the only available one was not met by any evidence of the state to the contrary, and must therefore be taken as portraying the actual situation. So much for the facts.

• The legislature by Laws of 1921, ch. 32, p. 116 (§6766, Rem. Comp. Stat.) [P. C. §6786], has established the law relative to this situation, where this appears :

. . and in such action the selection of the lands by the supervisor of highways shall, in the absence of bad faith, arbitrary, capricious or fraudulent action, be conclusive upon the court and judge before which the action is brought that said lands are necessary for the purpose sought.”

Prior to the passage of this act, this court had in effect said as much in State v. Superior Court, 111 Wash. 542, 191 Pac. 413, and State ex rel. Urquhart v. Superior Court, 112 Wash. 34,191 Pac. 416, and, after the passage of the act, in State ex rel. Hanson v. Superior Court, 117 Wash. 399, 201 Pac. 1, affirmed the law, and there is nothing in the statute or decisions from which the court at this'time has any inclination to depart.

[84]*84Nor is there anything in the record of this case to show any actual bad faith, arbitrary, capricious or fraudulent conduct. But the question remains whether, under the circumstances, the selection of such a highway route is not in law arbitrary. The plaintiff seeks to have us lay down the rule that the arbitrary, fraudulent, capricious action or bad faith must enter into the determination of the route, urging that:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
222 P. 208, 128 Wash. 79, 1924 Wash. LEXIS 973, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-superior-court-wash-1924.