Steel Hill Development, Inc. v. Town of Sanbornton

338 F. Supp. 301, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15050
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Hampshire
DecidedFebruary 17, 1972
DocketCiv. A. 3319
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 338 F. Supp. 301 (Steel Hill Development, Inc. v. Town of Sanbornton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Steel Hill Development, Inc. v. Town of Sanbornton, 338 F. Supp. 301, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15050 (D.N.H. 1972).

Opinion

OPINION

BOWNES, District Judge.

In this zoning ease, the plaintiff alleges that an amendment to the zoning ordinance of the defendant Town, enacted March 9, 1971, violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution because it constitutes a taking of its property without due process of law and without compensation. Jurisdiction is based on 28 U.S.C. § 1331, and declaratory relief is sought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201.

Before venturing into the thicket of facts, it is necessary to fix our position by the generally accepted legal principles that apply to zoning cases. The basic guideline was laid down in Euclid v. Ambler Co., 272 U.S. 365, 47 S.Ct. 114, 71 L.Ed. 303 (1926), in which the Court, in upholding the constitutionality of a zoning ordinance, said:

If these reasons, thus summarized, do not demonstrate the wisdom or sound policy in all respects of those restrictions which we have indicated as pertinent to the inquiry, at least, the reasons are sufficiently cogent to preclude us from saying, as it must be said before the ordinance can be declared unconstitutional, that such provisions are clearly arbitrary and unreasonable, having no substantial relation to the public health, safety, mor *302 ais, or general welfare. At page 395, 47 S.Ct. at page 121.

This principle was reiterated in Gorieb v. Fox, 274 U.S. 603, 47 S.Ct. 675, 71 L.Ed. 1228 (1927):

State legislatures and city councils, who deal with the situation from a practical standpoint, are better qualified than the courts to determine the necessity, character, and degree of regulation which these new and perplexing conditions require; and their conclusions should not be disturbed by the courts unless clearly arbitrary and unreasonable. At page 608, 47 S.Ct. at page 677.

In a recent federal case, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals noted:

Fairly debatable questions as to the reasonableness, wisdom and propriety of an ordinance are not for the deter-termination of the courts but for that of the legislative body on which rests the duty and responsibility of the decision. City of St. Paul v. Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Co., 413 F.2d 762, 767 (8th Cir. 1969).

A Federal Court when asked to declare a state or local ordinance unconstitutional must heed the admonition of Justice Black in Ferguson v. Skrupa, 372 U.S. 726, 730, 83 S.Ct. 1028, 1031, 10 L.Ed.2d 93 (1963):

Legislative bodies have broad scope to experiment with economic problems, and this Court does not sit to “subject the State to an intolerable supervision hostile to the basic principles of our Government and wholly beyond the protection which the general clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to secure.” [Quoting Sproles v. Binford, 286 U.S. 374, 388, 52 S.Ct. 581, 76 L.Ed. 1167 (1932)].

The plaintiff has the burden of proving that the Sanbornton zoning change was clearly unreasonable and arbitrary. McMahon v. City of Dubuque, Iowa, 255 F.2d 154, 159 (8th Cir. 1958); Bosse v. City of Portsmouth, 107 N.H. 523, 226 A.2d 99 (1968); Schadlick v. City of Concord, 108 N.H. 319, 234 A.2d 523 (1967).

This case reflects the current clash (between those interested in opening up new and hitherto undeveloped land for sale and profit and those wishing to preserve the rural character of Northern New England and shield it from the relentless pressure of an affluent segment of our society seeking new areas for rest, recreation and year round living. 1 The Town of Sanbornton has a year round population of 1,000 with about 330 regular homes, and a summer population of double that with approximately 400 seasonal homes. It is about 100 miles north of Boston and lies astride one of the main Interstate Highways from Boston to Northern New England, Interstate 93. It is located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, bordering Lake Winnisquam and within easy reach of Lake Winnipesaukee, both of which are large, attractive, and extensively used recreational lakes. Its location also affords easy access to most of the major ski areas of New Hampshire.

The zoning change enacted in March of 1971 increased the minimum lot size of plaintiff’s property from 35,000 square feet to three acres and six acres. The Town had enacted a zoning ordinance on March 13, 1965, pursuant to New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Chapter 31:60-89. During 1970 and until March 9, 1971, the zoning provisions in effect provided that the Town be divided into districts with minimum lot sizes as follows:

General Residence and Agricultural 35.000 square feet
Commercial District Recreational District 15.000 square feet
Highway Commercial 35.000 square feet
Historical Preservation Forest Conservation 6 Acres (261,360 square feet)

*303 The amendments enacted in March of 1971 enlarged the Forest Conservation area and the General Agricultural area and changed the minimum lot sizes as follows:

General Residence IV2 Acres
General Agricultural 3 Acres
Recreational IV2 Acres
Historical Preservation IV2 Acres
Forest Conservation 6 Acres

Plaintiff is the owner of a single tract of land of about 510 acres which includes an Inn, Golf Course, Guest Cottages, and a few other buildings. Prior to 1971, all of the plaintiff’s land was in the General Residence and Agricultural District with a minimum lot size of 35,000 square feet. As a result of the 1971 zoning change, all of the plaintiff’s land was included in the Forest Conservation District with a minimum lot size of six acres, except for that portion lying 600 feet on either side of Steel Hill Road which is in the General Agricultural District with a minimum lot size of three acres. A fair estimate would be that 70% of the plaintiff’s land is now zoned in the Forest Conservation District and approximately 30% in the three acre Agricultural District.

The plaintiff corporation was formed in November or December of 1965, and the property in question was purchased on December 23, 1969, for $290,000. Mr.

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Related

Cloutier v. Town of Epping
547 F. Supp. 1232 (D. New Hampshire, 1982)
M. J. Brock & Sons, Inc. v. City of Davis
401 F. Supp. 354 (N.D. California, 1975)
Steel Hill Development, Inc. v. Town of Sanbornton
392 F. Supp. 1134 (D. New Hampshire, 1974)
Steel Hill Development, Inc. v. Town of Sanbornton
469 F.2d 956 (First Circuit, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
338 F. Supp. 301, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15050, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/steel-hill-development-inc-v-town-of-sanbornton-nhd-1972.