Vito v. Garfield Heights City

200 N.E.2d 501, 94 Ohio Law. Abs. 21, 31 Ohio Op. 2d 530, 1962 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 210
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedJune 12, 1962
DocketNo. 756728
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 200 N.E.2d 501 (Vito v. Garfield Heights City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vito v. Garfield Heights City, 200 N.E.2d 501, 94 Ohio Law. Abs. 21, 31 Ohio Op. 2d 530, 1962 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 210 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1962).

Opinion

Ammer, J.

This is an action for injunctive relief in which the plaintiff seeks an order for the issuance of a building permit in the City of Garfield Heights, Ohio.

The facts in the case are not in dispute. The plaintiff, Joseph Vito, is the owner of Sublot No. 107 on the west side of Turney Road in the City of Garfield Heights, Ohio.

On July 14, 1961, he secured a building permit to erect an addition to his home to be used as a funeral parlor. The plaintiff testified that he contracted with a company for such construction, had building plans drafted and revised to meet the specifications of the fire department and the building commissioner; secured a loan commitment, and the contractor proceeded to raze the front of the home by removing the front porch and digging up shrubbery around the home.

On July 31, 1961, the plaintiff received a letter from the defendant Law Director of the City, advising him that his building permit was revoked and not to proceed with further construction. The plaintiff testified that he had expended thus far approximately $1,000 toward said construction prior to the revocation of the permit.

The City of Garfield Heights became a Charter City on January 1st, 1957.

Ordinance No. 9-1954 purportedly rezoned the land in question from 2-A Retail to 1-A Residential. It appeared that this Ordinance was introduced in Council on January 25, 1954, and the minutes show that it was passed on first reading and referred to the Ways and Means Committee, and ordered a notice of public hearing to be published, said hearing to be held on March 8, 1954.

[23]*23Tbe evidence indicates that a notice of public hearing appeared in tbe Garfield Heights Leader, a local newspaper wbicb was used for legal advertising, in said city, and tbe said notice appeared on joint Exhibit A in tbe issue of January 28, 1954. Tbe notice in tbe case stated there were to be two publications of tbe same, however tbe publisher of tbe paper testified that he was instructed to cancel tbe second publication, wbicb was to be on February 25,1954.

Tbe minutes of Council indicate that tbe ordinance was passed on its second reading on March 8, 1954, but tbe minutes do not show any report of tbe Planning and Zoning Commission or of tbe Ways and Means Committee to wbicb tbe ordinance was referred and tbe minutes fail to show that there was any public bearing on said date. It further appears that on July 1st, 1954, tbe ordinance was unanimously passed by Council on third reading with a certification in tbe ordinance that it was posted. There is also a notation on tbe pbotostatic copy of tbe ordinance introduced in evidence and reading as follows: “Referred to Zoning and Planning Commission and tbe City Solicitor.” This ordinance was passed as an emergency measure.

It appears that at tbe time tbe plaintiff made application for a building permit a search was made as to notice being published of tbe ordinance in question and at that time a check of tbe newspapers failed to reveal any notice having been made of a public bearing.

Pursuant to this tbe defendant Law Director gave an opinion that tbe ordinance was invalid and therefore tbe building permit could be granted. It was later brought to tbe attention of tbe defendant Law Director that there was one notice of public bearing on January 28, 1954, and in view of that tbe defendant Law Director wrote to tbe plaintiff revoking tbe permit.

Michael Cmok, tbe building commissioner, testified that he bad not revoked tbe permit.

Issue 1. Was Ordinance No. 9-1954 legally enacted pursuant to tbe provisions of Ohio Revised Code?

Issue 2. If tbe Ordinance was properly enacted would tbe doctrine of equitable estoppel prevent tbe city officials from [24]*24revoking a building permit previously granted in tbe face of an opinion that the Ordinance was not legally enacted?

LAW

In a determination of the issues herein it must be remembered that the City of Garfield Heights operated under the Revised Statutes of Ohio at the time of the enactment of the Ordinance in question and did not become a Charter City until January 1st, 1957.

It is thus necessary to determine if the Ordinance No. 9-1954 was legally enacted by the requirements of enactment of zoning ordinances under the Ohio Revised Code.

1. The first question as to whether the Ordinance was legally enacted is whether it is mandatory that ordinances seeking zoning changes must be referred to the Planning and Zoning Commission before the municipal council may enact the same. The procedure for enactment of zoning legislation is set forth in Sections 713.06 to 713.14, Revised Code.

It is necessary that a check be made of the cases in Ohio to determine whether the provision as to referring a proposed zoning ordinance to the Planning Commission is a mandatory requirement and the effect of the failure to do so as to the validity of said ordinance.

Where a municipality has a city charter and the city charter sets forth a procedure governing the steps necessary to effect a change in existing zoning classifications, to a different zoning classification, the procedure set forth in such city charter will govern, Bauman v. State, ex rel. Underwood, 122 Ohio St., 269 (1930).

In the absence of a charter provision setting forth the procedure for changing the zoning classification, Sections 713.06 to 713.12, Revised Code, govern. State, ex rel. The Fairmount Center Co. v. Arnold, 138 Ohio St., 259 (1941).

In State, ex rel. The Fairmount Center Co., v. Arnold, supra, the Ohio Supreme Court was faced with a change in zoning classification, where the city charter in the municipality did not set forth a procedure for the city council and Planning Commission to follow with respect to rezoning. The Supreme Court of Ohio reasoned in part that in the Bauman case, supra, all proceedings were governed by the Akron Charter, Section 100, [25]*25which provided for a City Planning Commission, and the duties of the City Planning Commission were set forth in Sections 101 and 102 of that charter. At page 264 the court stated:

“As the Akron Charter fully covered the powers exercised by the council in that case, and as the provision of Section 4366-12, General Code, exempts the application of Sections 4366-7 to 4366-11, General Code, to legislation under the Akron Charter, there could be no question but that the provisions of the charter controlled.
“In the instant case, the procedure being under Section 4366-7 to 4366-11, General Code, compliance with such statute was necessary.”

At p. 265, the Court further stated:

“The matter thus resolves itself to the question whether, by the so-called stop-gap ordinance, council may dispense with the requisite steps provided by Section 4366-11, General Code, and thus put into effect the anticipated legislation not only earlier than otherwise permitted but contrary to the plain mandate of the statute that no such change or amendment shall be made without first submitting the proposed change or amendment to the planning commission for report and giving notice by publication and holding a public hearing on whether the change or amendment should be made.”

Finally, the law is clearly set forth in the more recent case of State, ex rel.

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Bluebook (online)
200 N.E.2d 501, 94 Ohio Law. Abs. 21, 31 Ohio Op. 2d 530, 1962 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vito-v-garfield-heights-city-ohctcomplcuyaho-1962.