Asa S. Davis, III v. Town of Exeter ( 2022 )

December 1, 2022
Supreme Court
No. 2021-81-Appeal.
(WC 19-228)
Asa S. Davis, III :
v. :
Town of Exeter et al. :
NOTICE: This opinion is subject to formal revision
before publication in the Rhode Island Reporter. Readers
are requested to notify the Opinion Analyst, Supreme
Court of Rhode Island, 250 Benefit Street, Providence,
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Supreme Court
No. 2021-81-Appeal.
(WC 19-228)
Asa S. Davis, III :
v. :
Town of Exeter et al. :
Present: Suttell, C.J., Goldberg, Robinson, Lynch Prata, and Long, JJ.
OPINION
Justice Goldberg, for the Court. This case came before the Supreme Court
on October 4, 2022, pursuant to an order directing the parties to appear and show
cause why the issues raised in this appeal should not be summarily decided. The
plaintiff, Asa S. Davis, III (plaintiff), appeals from a Superior Court judgment
entered in favor of the defendants, the Town of Exeter (Exeter or town); Martina E.
Baligian a/k/a Martina E. McKenna, or her successor, Trustee of the Living Trust
Agreement of Martina E. Baligian-1996, as the same may be amended; and Mark R.
Iannuccilli and Rosemary J. Iannuccilli, following the grant of summary judgment
in accordance with Rule 56 of the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure. The
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town is the only defendant who responded to the plaintiff’s appeal.1 For the reasons
set forth herein, we affirm the judgment of the Superior Court.
Facts and Travel
On May 23, 1997, plaintiff purchased in excess of one hundred acres of real
property designated as AP 36, Block 2, Lot 2 in Exeter. This property fronts on Ten
Rod Road (Route 102) with no driveway or other access from the public road.
The plaintiff is a member of DuTemple Solar LLC (DuTemple). In October
2018, plaintiff, along with DuTemple, filed a master plan application seeking to
install a solar voltaic field on the property, to be known as DuTemple Solar. On
April 11, 2019, the Town of Exeter Planning Board (planning board) denied the
application, citing, in part, a lack of “adequate, permanent and safe physical
vehicular access to a public street,” as mandated by the town’s code of ordinances.
The plaintiff appealed this decision to the Town of Exeter Zoning Board (zoning
board), which denied the appeal unanimously on July 1, 2019.
In his application for master plan review, plaintiff proposed access to the site
by way of Estate Drive, an improved, paved road with Cape Cod berms,2 that was
constructed in conjunction with a subdivision known as “Exeter Village.” The
plaintiff’s property abuts Exeter Village, but is not a part of the subdivision; nor does
1
The remaining defendants are abutting landowners to Estate Drive.
2
A berm is a type of curb at the edge of the paved area.
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plaintiff’s deed make reference to the Exeter Village plat map. The record discloses
that Estate Drive runs in a southerly direction beginning at Ten Rod Road, with the
improved portion terminating at a cul-de-sac. None of plaintiff’s property abuts the
Estate Drive terminus.
Estate Drive was officially accepted as a public road by the town council in
November 2001. During the planning stage, the developer and the town planning
board agreed that Estate Drive would end in a “temporary” cul-de-sac and that a
“paper street”3 between the cul-de-sac and plaintiff’s property was to be reserved for
possible future development. This land was designated on Map 273,4 the subdivision
map for Exeter Village, as a “future roadway extention [sic].” The area between the
cul-de-sac and plaintiff’s property line consists of unimproved woodland.
In order for plaintiff to gain access through Estate Drive, he was directed to
apply for a road opening permit by the Town of Exeter Director of Public Works,
Stephen Mattscheck (Mattscheck). The town has consistently asserted that the
portion of land running from the terminus of the cul-de-sac to plaintiff’s property is
3
A “stub street” is defined as “[a] portion of a street reserved to provide access to
future development * * *.” G.L. 1956 § 45-23-32(49). “A paper street is a street
which appears on a recorded plat but which in actuality has never been open,
prepared for use, or used as a street.” Robidoux v. Pelletier, 120 R.I. 425, 438 n.2,
391 A.2d 1150, 1157 n.2 (1978).
4
Map 273 includes several maps filed with the town in connection with the “Exeter
Village” subdivision and the creation of Estate Drive.
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a paper street and that plaintiff did not make a proper application to open the road to
the town’s standards, nor has the paper street been certified and accepted by the town
council as a public road. The plaintiff was directed by Mattscheck to apply for a
proper road opening permit, which he refused, instead applying for a curb cut, which
was denied by Mattscheck.5
Undaunted, plaintiff excavated a dirt passageway from the cul-de-sac to his
property line in the approximate location of the paper street. The town became aware
of the excavation of this pathway in January 2019, when plaintiff called to complain
about a tree that had fallen on the area. In response, the town caused jersey barriers
to be erected south of the cul-de-sac, blocking any access from Estate Drive. The
plaintiff was undeterred. On March 7, 2019, plaintiff undertook efforts to move the
concrete barriers and was served with correspondence from Francis DiGregorio,
town council Vice President, ordering him to cease and desist removing concrete
barriers “from public property at the end of Estate Drive” and “operating private
equipment on [the] same public property.”
The plaintiff filed this action, seeking a declaratory judgment that Estate Drive
is a public road that runs to the boundary of plaintiff’s property, that plaintiff has the
right to use the full length of Estate Drive and the right of access to his property. He
5
Plaintiff has made representations to this Court that he has made numerous proper
applications, but he failed to provide further explanation or documentation. We
decline to address these purported efforts.
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also sought injunctive relief to prevent the town from denying his use of Estate Drive
for development projects, from blocking a portion of Estate Drive so that it cannot
be used as a road, and from restricting access to his property by way of Estate Drive.
The town filed a motion to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction and/or
failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
The town’s motion to dismiss was converted to one for summary judgment
and considered in accordance with Rule 56 of the Superior Court Rules of Civil
Procedure. On January 13, 2021, summary judgment was granted, and final
judgment was entered on January 25, 2021. On appeal, plaintiff contends that the
trial justice erred in ruling that the disputed land was a paper street and in finding
that he had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies.
Standard of Review
“[T]his Court reviews a grant of summary judgment de novo.” Sullo v.
Greenberg, 68 A.3d 404, 406 (R.I. 2013) (quoting Sacco v. Cranston School
Department, 53 A.3d 147, 149-50 (R.I. 2012)). “Examining the case from the
vantage point of the trial justice who passed on the motion for summary judgment,
‘[w]e view the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, and if
we conclude that there are no genuine issues of material fact and that the moving
party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law[,] we will affirm the judgment.’” Id.
at 406-07 (quoting Sacco, 53 A.3d at 150). “Although summary judgment is
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recognized as an extreme remedy, * * * to avoid summary judgment the burden is
on the nonmoving party to produce competent evidence that ‘prove[s] the existence
of a disputed issue of material fact[.]’” Id. at 407 (quoting Mutual Development
Corp. v. Ward Fisher & Co., 47 A.3d 319, 323 (R.I. 2012)). “However, summary
judgment should enter against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to
establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case * * *.” Correia v.
Bettencourt, 162 A.3d 630, 635 (R.I. 2017) (quoting Newstone Development, LLC
v. East Pacific, LLC, 140 A.3d 100, 103 (R.I. 2016)).
Analysis
Estate Drive
The heart of this matter is whether the undeveloped land between the cul-de-
sac on Estate Drive and plaintiff’s property line is a public roadway. The plaintiff
contends that the property in dispute is part of a contiguous public road that begins
at Ten Rod Road, ends at his property line, and was properly dedicated to the town
for public use.
“In order for there to be an effective dedication” of private property for public
use, “two elements must exist: (1) a manifest intent by the landowner to dedicate the
land in question, called an incipient dedication or offer to dedicate; and (2) an
acceptance by the public either by public use or by official action to accept the same
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on behalf of the municipality.” Robidoux v. Pelletier, 120 R.I. 425, 433, 391 A.2d
1150, 1154 (1978).
A determination of whether an incipient dedication of a road has been made
by a property owner requires a careful review of the plat upon which the designated
area is depicted. Cases involving disputed ownership or access to a roadway or right
of way “should be decided in accordance with our settled jurisprudence and should
rise or fall by reference to the plat” itself. Newport Realty, Inc. v. Lynch, 878 A.2d
1021, 1042 (R.I. 2005). “Only after a finding that the lines and figures drawn on the
development plan ‘may be unclear as to their intended purpose,’ * * * or capable of
more than one meaning,” should a factfinder undertake a careful scrutiny of “‘all
lines, figures, and letters that appear on the map as well as whatever pertinent
evidence may be adduced by the litigants.’” Id. (quoting Robidoux, 120 R.I. at 434,
391 A.2d at 1155) (emphasis omitted). Significantly, “the fact-finder should
examine the words or conduct on the part of the dedicator that reasonably tend to
demonstrate his wishes” when making this conclusion, while assigning meaning to
each element of the plat map. Robidoux, 120 R.I. at 433, 434, 391 A.2d at 1154,
1155 (emphasis added).
The plaintiff argues that constructing the unimproved portion of the roadway
to plaintiff’s property is all that is required for him to acquire access to his property
by way of Estate Drive. It is plaintiff’s contention that Map 273 does not bifurcate
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Estate Drive into two sections, one portion accepted as a public roadway and the
other designated as a paper street, but instead creates a single public road accepted
by the town that ends at the southern border of plaintiff’s property. According to
plaintiff, the designation of “future roadway extention [sic]” on the map
demonstrated the developer’s intent that the undeveloped portion could be improved
at a later time, not that the right of way was to exist in the future. The plaintiff relies
on his position that solid lines run for the entirety of Estate Drive on Map 273,6
including the portion designated as “future roadway extention [sic],” while no
dashed lines appear on the map to signal designation for “future” or “temporary”
use. The plaintiff is mistaken.7
The owner’s intent at the time a plat is recorded and lots are sold controls
whether or not the streets defined on the plat are public thoroughfares. See Newport
Realty, Inc., 878 A.2d at 1033. However, “simply placing a line or a mark on a plat
or delineating a way or a street for boundary purposes is insufficient to establish
conclusively the original owner’s intent to offer the property for dedication.”
Donnelly v. Cowsill, 716 A.2d 742, 748 (R.I. 1998).
6
The map that plaintiff relies on was labeled by plaintiff as “Recorded Map Estate
Drive Detail,” but does not represent the entirety of Map 273 as filed on October 9,
1996, at Drawer 6.
7
We pause to note that the entirety of the cul-de-sac is surrounded by dashed or
broken lines.
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In the case at bar, the trial justice found that the developer intended the
unimproved property between the end of the cul-de-sac on Estate Drive and
plaintiff’s property line to be designated a paper street. While Map 273 displays
Estate Drive continuing a short distance past the cul-de-sac with solid single lines,
the improved portion of Estate Drive clearly is delineated with double lines,
including the cul-de-sac. The September 27, 1993 minutes of the town planning
board describe a paper road to be extended to the Exeter Village property line, while
the November 22, 1993 minutes indicate that expanding the road to the end of the
Exeter Village subdivision should be resolved with a temporary cul-de-sac and right
of way.
The record demonstrates that during the December 10, 1994 planning board
meeting, Lynne Harper, the developer’s civil engineer, discussed drainage structures
for Estate Drive and indicated that the road ended in a temporary cul-de-sac. We are
satisfied that, at the time Exeter Village and Estate Drive were established, it was
intended by the town and the developer that the public roadway was to extend from
Ten Rod Road to the cul-de-sac and no farther. Accordingly, we are of the opinion
that the trial justice was correct in concluding that the undeveloped land south of the
cul-de-sac was not intended to be a public roadway at the time Estate Drive was
developed.
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The second element of incipient dedication, public acceptance of the offer to
dedicate one’s land for public purpose, must be proven “by clear and convincing
evidence.” Ucci v. Town of Coventry, 186 A.3d 1068, 1072 (R.I. 2018) (quoting
Kilmartin v. Barbuto, 158 A.3d 735, 747 n.20 (R.I. 2017)). This is achieved by one
of two methods—“acceptance of the streets by official action or public user.”
Newport Realty, Inc., 878 A.2d at 1033 (citing Robidoux, 120 R.I. at 433, 391 A.2d
at 1154). The plaintiff contends that the disputed section of land between the end of
the cul-de-sac and his property was accepted by the town when Estate Drive was
accepted into the town road system by assent of the town council on November 5,
2001, after the Exeter Village subdivision was recorded. We disagree. Simply put,
there was no road built to town specifications for the town to accept.
This Court has held that “[t]he placing of any street or street line upon the
official map shall not in and of itself constitute or be deemed to constitute the
opening or establishment of any street or the taking or acceptance of any land for
street purposes.” Mill Realty Associates v. Zoning Board of Review of Town of
Coventry, 721 A.2d 887, 891 (R.I. 1998) (quoting G.L. 1956 § 45-23.1-1.1). The
land between the cul-de-sac and plaintiff’s property has never been used,
maintained, or improved as a roadway and consisted entirely of wooded vegetation
before plaintiff’s self-help excavation. The record discloses that the developer of
Exeter Village never performed any construction or clearing of land more than
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fifteen feet beyond the cul-de-sac, and a vehicle could not travel south beyond the
cul-de-sac without driving up and over the Cape Cod berms on the improved section
of the roadway. Further, the town has never opened, certified, or accepted the land
south of the cul-de-sac for public use, and has never maintained it. Thus, there has
been no acceptance of the undeveloped land between the cul-de-sac on Estate Drive
and plaintiff’s property.
The plaintiff alternatively argues that the disputed land was accepted as a
roadway by public user. Despite its unimproved state, plaintiff maintains that he and
other members of the public have used Estate Drive to access his property since
1997. Although the number of persons using this land to access plaintiff’s property
may be insignificant, plaintiff argues that it is only necessary to show “that those
persons who might naturally be expected to enjoy it have used it to their pleasure or
advantage.” City of Spokane v. Catholic Bishop of Spokane, 206 P.2d 277, 282
(Wash. 1949) (quoting Loose v. Locke, 171 P.2d 849, 852 (Wash. 1946)). The
plaintiff is mistaken.
In order for a purported roadway to be declared a public thoroughfare by
incipient dedication and public user, there must be a traveled roadway, whether a
lane or street. Thus, we need go no further in rejecting this contention. The property
in dispute has been inaccessible to vehicular access since the inception of Exeter
Village and has been covered by vegetation and trees until plaintiff’s unauthorized
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excavation, which came to the town’s attention in January 2019 and was stopped.
Accordingly, we are of the opinion the trial justice was correct in concluding that
the undeveloped property south of the cul-de-sac on Estate Drive is not a public road.
Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies
This Court has held that a plaintiff must first “exhaust administrative remedies
before bringing a claim in court.” Bellevue-Ochre Point Neighborhood Association
v. Preservation Society of Newport County, 151 A.3d 1223, 1231 (R.I. 2017)
(quoting Richardson v. Rhode Island Department of Education, 947 A.2d 253, 259
(R.I. 2008)). Futility, however, is an exception to the requirement that a plaintiff
obtain an agency’s final decision before seeking judicial review. See Cullen v. Town
Council of Town of Lincoln, 850 A.2d 900, 906 (R.I. 2004). While this Court has
recognized that futility is difficult to define, it has looked to the United States Court
of Appeals for the First Circuit, which has “explained that futility may be established
in special circumstances when a permit application is not a ‘viable option’ or where
the permitting authority has made it ‘transparently clear’ that a permit application
will not be granted.” Id. (quoting Gilbert v. City of Cambridge, 932 F.2d 51, 61 (1st
Cir. 1991)). “[T]he mere possibility, or even the probability, that the responsible
agency may deny the permit should not be enough” to establish futility, “the prospect
of refusal must be certain (or nearly so).” Id. (quoting Gilbert, 932 F.2d at 61).
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The planning board has the “authority to act on behalf of the town in all
matters of land development and subdivision regulation[.]” Town of Exeter Code
of Ordinances, Appendix B, § 1.5 (December 30, 2021). Development is defined as
“[t]he construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation, or
enlargement of any structure; any mining, excavation, landfill or land disturbance;
or any change in use, or alteration or extension of the use, of land.” Id. at § 2.2.
This Court has approved a town’s requirement that a road be constructed to
“town approved and established street construction standards,” absent any permitted
exceptions. Mill Realty, 721 A.2d at 892. In Mill Realty, the developer applied to
the town zoning board seeking a “reasonable exception” to the town’s established
street standards when attempting to convert an unimproved paper street to a private
driveway. Id. at 889. Although we held that the town erred in requiring the
developer to construct a road to the “highest grade of permitted town roadway,” the
developer nonetheless was required to construct the road in accordance with town-
approved standards. Id. at 892.
In the case at bar, plaintiff has failed to even apply for the necessary permits
that would allow him to excavate the undeveloped property between the cul-de-sac
and his property line. At best, the property south of the cul-de-sac is a paper street,
not a public road, and thus may be certified as a public road pursuant to town
standards, or abandoned, should the town elect to do so. The plaintiff applied for a
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curb cut permit to access his property by way of Estate Drive, which was the
incorrect path. The plaintiff was directed to apply for a road opening permit, which
he declined to do. Although the plaintiff contends that it would be futile to apply for
the appropriate permits because the town has issued no “driveway permits” for any
lots in Exeter Village since Map 273’s acceptance, including on Estate Drive, he has
failed to show that refusal would be a near certainty. Unlike Mill Realty, where the
plaintiff filed the proper permit application seeking an exception to the town’s
established street standards, the plaintiff in the case at bar has failed to follow the
procedures for a paper street to be certified as a public road and accepted by the
town. The plaintiff has thus failed to exhaust his administrative remedies.
Conclusion
For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we affirm the judgment of the
Superior Court. The papers in this case may be returned to the Superior Court.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
SUPREME COURT – CLERK’S OFFICE
Licht Judicial Complex
250 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903
OPINION COVER SHEET
Title of Case Asa S. Davis, III v. Town of Exeter et al.
No. 2021-81-Appeal.
Case Number
(WC 19-228)
Date Opinion Filed December 1, 2022
Suttell, C.J., Goldberg, Robinson, Lynch Prata, and
Justices
Long, JJ.
Written By Associate Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg
Source of Appeal Washington County Superior Court
Judicial Officer from Lower Court Associate Justice Sarah Taft Carter
For Plaintiff:
John O. Mancini, Esq.
Attorney(s) on Appeal
For Defendant:
James P. Marusak, Esq.
SU-CMS-02A (revised November 2022)