Summit School v. Neugent

82 A.D.2d 463, 442 N.Y.S.2d 73, 1981 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 11381
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedAugust 24, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 82 A.D.2d 463 (Summit School v. Neugent) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Summit School v. Neugent, 82 A.D.2d 463, 442 N.Y.S.2d 73, 1981 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 11381 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gibbons, J.

In 1973 Gail-Stan Corporation, predecessor in interest of the petitioner 346 Broadway Associates, on behalf of itself, as the prospective vendee of the subject real property, and for and with the active participation of the petitioner Summit School, its prospective lessee, applied to the respondent zoning board of appeals for a variance and a special permit to use the subject property, located in the Village of Upper Nyack, as a private school for handicapped children with learning disabilities.

The petitioner Summit School was duly chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York “to establish, conduct, operate and maintain a private school for the education of brain injured, emotionally disturbed and physically handicapped children of elementary and secondary school ages.” The petitioner Summit Children’s Center, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation which operates a residence center for the education of physically handicapped, brain damaged and emotionally disturbed children of elementary and secondary school ages on a portion of the property, and in conjunction with the Summit School.

The subject property is situated in an R-2 zoning district, which permits private and public schools. However, under the village zoning ordinance, a private school may not be erected in a residential district without a special permit issued by the board of appeals (Zoning Ordinance of Village of Upper Nyack, § 14A).

After hearings were held, the board of appeals voted to grant “a variance from the definition of ‘School, Private’ as set forth in * * * the Zoning Ordinance” and a special [465]*465permit to the Summit School to use the property as a year-round private school for day and/or resident students with learning disabilities. The variance and special permit were granted subject to 14 “conditions subsequent,” therein designated from A to N. The board also declared that it could revoke the variance and special permit if the conditions were violated. The petitioners Summit School and Gail-Stan Corporation agreed in writing to comply with the conditions.

In July, 1976 petitioners sought and obtained a modification of the special permit and variance, to permit the use for school purposes of another building on the premises.

In July, 1978 the zoning board advised Summit School and Gail-Stan Corporation that a hearing was to be held to determine whether the conditions of the special permit and variance had been violated. In November, 1978, after these hearings were concluded, the zoning board found that some of the “conditions subsequent” had been violated and, thereupon, revoked the variance and special permit.

Thereafter, petitioners brought this proceeding, challenging the board’s determination and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief.

After annulling the determination revoking the variance and special permit upon the ground that the board of appeals was without jurisdiction to render the same since the exclusive remedy to prevent zoning violations and unlawful uses was by appropriate actions at law or in equity under section 7-714 of the Village Law and section 18:2 of the village’s zoning ordinance, Special Term found, inter alia, that the petitioners had waived their right to object to the conditions and upheld the constitutionality of section 14A of the village zoning ordinance.

The following three questions are presented for resolution on this appeal: (1) may a municipality enact a zoning ordinance authorizing it to impose conditions in granting a variance or special use permit to a petitioner seeking to conduct a private school to teach handicapped children with learning disabilities; (2) what is the legitimate scope of such conditions; and (3) may such private school be precluded from later attacking such conditions upon constitu[466]*466tional or other grounds by reason its waiver to do so contained in its prior agreements to accept them?

At the outset, it should be noted that in Matter of Diocese of Rochester v Planning Bd. of Town of Brighton (1 NY2d 508, 522), it was held that “a zoning ordinance may not wholly exclude a church or synagogue from any residential district” and “[a]n ordinance will also be stricken if it attempts to exclude private or. parochial schools from any residential area where public schools are permitted”. The court also held (p 526): “That is not to say that appropriate restrictions may never be imposed with respect to a church and school and accessory uses, nor is it to say that under no circumstances may they ever be excluded from designated areas.” (Emphasis added.) While there is no question that an educational use is, by its very nature, in the furtherance of public morals and general welfare (Matter of Wiltwyck School for Boys v Hill, 11 NY2d 182; Matter of Diocese of Rochester v Planning Bd. of Town of Brighton, supra), municipalities may place reasonable zoning restrictions upon such uses carried on by private educational institutions (Matter of New York Inst. of Technology v Le Boutillier, 33 NY2d 125). Thus, it is clear that, as a general propositen of law, a municipality may properly enact a zoning ordinance authorizing it to impose reasonable conditions in granting a special use permit. Section 14A of the zoning ordinance herein constitutes a permissible legislative expression of the board of appeals right to exercise that power, and Special Term correctly concluded that it was not unconstitutional.

In determining what restrictions may properly be attached to a variance and special use permit for a private school use, as posed by the second question above, the inquiry, of necessity, must turn, in general, to the nature of the zoning power, and, in particular, to the extent to which it may be exercised in relation to a private school operation. When does the legitimate concern of those charged with enforcing zoning ordinances as a measure of municipal control over the use of real property for private school purposes end, and at what point do their actions impermissibly impinge on the details of the teaching operation of a school facility?

[467]*467The power of a board of appeals to impose conditions in granting a special permit is not unlimited. The conditions so established must relate directly to, and be incidental to, the proposed use of the real property and not to the manner of the operation of the particular enterprise conducted on the premises which are the subject of the special permit (Matter of Community Synagogue v Bates, 1 NY2d 445; Matter of Schlosser v Michaelis, 18 AD2d 940; Matter of Oakwood Is. Yacht Club v Board of Appeals of City New Rochelle, 32 Misc 2d 677; Matter of Long Is. Light. Co. v Voehl, 27 Misc 2d 943, affd 15 AD2d 512; Matter of De Ville Homes v Michaelis, 201 NYS2d 129; Bernstein v Board of Appeals of Vil. of Matinecock, 60 Misc 2d 470, app dsmd 31 AD2d 650, mot for lv to app den 23 NY2d 646).

Where, as here, the special permit contains specific conditions which have been the subject matter of an agreement between the board of appeals and the applicant, such conditions must also pertain exclusively to the zoning use of the land and not to the details of the operation

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Bluebook (online)
82 A.D.2d 463, 442 N.Y.S.2d 73, 1981 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 11381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/summit-school-v-neugent-nyappdiv-1981.