Town of Fallsburgh v. Silverman

260 A.D. 532, 23 N.Y.S.2d 65, 1940 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4647
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedNovember 13, 1940
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 260 A.D. 532 (Town of Fallsburgh v. Silverman) 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
Town of Fallsburgh v. Silverman, 260 A.D. 532, 23 N.Y.S.2d 65, 1940 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4647 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

Bliss, J.

Subdivision (a) of section 7 of article 1 of the New York State Constitution provides “ private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.” The Fifth Amendment to the Federal Constitution similarly states that private property shall not be taken for public use without “ just compensation.” [533]*533Where a portion of a parcel of real estate is taken by condemnation for the public use the owner is entitled not only to the value of the portion thus taken, but also to the consequential damages to the remainder including the results of the use to which the portion taken is to be put. (South Buffalo Railway Co. v. Kirkover, 176 N. Y. 301.) This rule has been approved by our court of last resort in numerous instances. The right of the property owner is measured by the depreciation in value which his land sustains, including such depreciation as will be sustained by reason of the use to which the railroad put its property, the difference in value between his land with and without the railroad in operation.” (Flynn v. N. Y., W. & B. R. Co., 218 N. Y. 140.) “ Where land is acquired for public use without the consent of the owner, he is entitled to recover the market value of the premises actually taken and also any damages resulting to the residue, including those which will be sustained by reason of the use to which the portion taken is to be put by those acquiring it.” (County of Erie v. Fridenberg, 221 N. Y. 389.) “ Just compensation is reasonable and adequate

compensation and the equivalent for the actual loss that the owner sustains by reason of the public taking his private property. The rights of the parties in this case are not controlled by the rule relating to the rights of adjoining owners in the legitimate use of their respective properties.” (County of Erie v. Fridenberg, supra.) “ The Constitution (Art. I, § 6) prohibits the taking of private property for public use without just compensation. Just compensation has been measured in cases of this kind by the fair market value of the property taken as of the date of taking. (Orgel on Valuation under the Law of Eminent Domain, § 16; Matter of Van Etten v. City of New York, 226 N. Y. 483, 489; Brooks-Scanlon Corp. v. United States, 265 U. S. 106, 123.) It includes the market value of the premises actually taken and also any damages resulting to the residue, including those which will be sustained by reason of the use to which the portion taken is to be put by those acquiring it.” (Matter of Board of Water Supply of New York, 277 N. Y. 452, 456.)

This is also the Federal rule. “ If the remaining land had been part of the same tract which the government seeks to condemn, then the damage to the remaining portion of the tract taken, arising from the probable use thereof by the government, would be a proper subject of award in these condemnation proceedings.” (Sharp v. United States, 191 U. S. 354.)

“ Whenever there has been an actual physical taking of a part of a distinct tract of land, the compensation to be awarded includes not only the market value of that part of the tract appropriated, [534]*534but the damage to the remainder resulting from that taking, embracing, of course, injury due to the use to which the part appropriated is to be devoted.” (United States v. Grizzard, 219 U. S. 180.)

The Kirkover and Flynn cases involved the construction and operation of a railroad on the preempted lands, the County of Erie case, a condemnation for public highway, and the Van Etten and Board of Water Supply cases, a public water supply system. The Sharp case was a taking for military fortifications while United States v. Grizzard involved the condemnation of lands for navigation improvements. Other cases which cite with approval or apply the rule that the owner of the remainder of a parcel is entitled to the consequential damage to that remainder caused by the use to which the part appropriated is to be devoted are Archer v. United States (53 Ct. Cl. 405; affd., 251 U. S. 548), involving an appropriation for the construction of a levee; Adirondack Power & Light Corp. v. Evans (226 App. Div. 490), where an easement was acquired for a power transmission line; Matter of City of Rochester (234 App. Div. 583), an appropriation of lards for approaches to a bridge; Matter of Board of Public Improvements (99 App. Div. 576), a talcing for bridge pier purposes, and Matter of Jaquino Realty Corp. v. Ormond (217 App. Div. 76; affd., 247 N. Y. 528), in which the location of a board walk was held to be an element of consequential damage. In Haggard v. Independent School Dist. (113 Iowa, 486; 85 N. W. 777) it was held that the inconvenience due to the proximity of a school house was properly taken into consideration in estimating the damage suffered by the owner as affecting the market value of the remaining tract. The erection of an embankment on the lands taken is an element of damage to the remainder (Matter of Board of Supervisors, Herkimer County, 140 Misc. 894) and the destruction of a sylvan setting by taking a portion of lands for highway purposes is also a proper element of damage. (Board of Supervisors of Hamilton County v. Brook Corp., 245 App. Div. 892.) An examination of the foregoing authorities, as well as many others, will show that the rule allowing the consequences of the use to which the portion taken is to be put as an element of damage has been applied to appropriations for a variety of purposes and is not confined to instances of physical invasions of the remaining portions. When part of a tract of land is taken, just compensation includes all damages to the remainder caused by the public use.

In the case at hand the respondent obtained a judgment of condemnation of portions of the lands of the appellants for the i purpose of erecting thereon a sewage disposal plant and a pipe fine and right-of-way to the same. This disposal plant was to serve a [535]*535considerable area and population. The premises of the appellants Silverman contained about ten acres of land with a frontage at one end of about 500 feet upon the Neversink river. Across the other end of the premises ran a State highway and upon the upper side thereof stood a hotel which would accommodate about 250 people. It was operated the year around. The lands between the highway and the river were used as a recreational area. They contained a swimming pool, picnic sites, benches and similar opportunities for health, entertainment and rest. A fine view of the Neversink river and the wooded countryside could be had from the front porch of the hotel and from many portions of the recreational area. For years this view had been advertised as one of the attractions of the hotel.

The Sher property ran from the highway to the river with a frontage of about 125)4 feet on the State highway. It was 560 feet deep and with a two-story residence used as a summer home, with all modern improvements. The portion near the river provided a retreat from the noise and activity of the highway and was used for games, sunbathing and similar purposes.

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Bluebook (online)
260 A.D. 532, 23 N.Y.S.2d 65, 1940 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4647, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-fallsburgh-v-silverman-nyappdiv-1940.