DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, BUREAU OF ROOMING AND BOARDING HOUSE STANDARDS VS. HANSEN HOUSE, LLC(DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS)

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court."
Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the
parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R.1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-5141-13T2
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY
AFFAIRS, BUREAU OF ROOMING
AND BOARDING HOUSE STANDARDS,
Petitioner-Respondent,
v.
HANSEN HOUSE, LLC, THE
HANSEN HOUSE, and THE HANSEN
FOUNDATION, INC.,
Respondents-Appellants.
_____________________________________________
Argued September 20, 2016 – Decided August 30, 2017
Before Judges Messano, Espinosa and Guadagno.
On appeal from the New Jersey Department of
Community Affairs, Agency Docket No. RBHS-018-
09/0601-0058.
Steven G. Polin (Law Office of Steven G.
Polin) of the Washington, D.C. bar, admitted
pro hac vice, argued the cause for appellants
(Mr. Polin and Nehmad, Perillo & Davis,
attorneys; Mr. Polin and Michael R. Peacock,
on the brief).
Leonard Leicht argued the cause for respondent
(Morgan, Melhuish, Abrutyn, attorneys; John D.
North, of counsel and on the brief; Emily A.
Kaller and Irene Hsieh, on the brief).
PER CURIAM
The Randy Scarborough Serenity House (RSS House) provides
housing and support services to those recovering from drug and
alcohol addiction. RSS House is owned and operated by Hansen
House, LLC (HHLLC), a limited liability corporation that is a
subsidiary of the Hansen Foundation (the Foundation), a non-profit
organization created to help recovering addicts. Ole Hansen and
Sons, Inc., another affiliated entity, is the mortgagee of the
property.1
RSS House is a three-story building with eight bedrooms,
housing eight to twelve residents, along with a shared kitchen,
living room and laundry room. The residents pay a security deposit
and monthly rent to HHLLC, and enter into individual leases for
the occupancy of their room and use of the common areas. The
Foundation pays the utilities, real estate taxes and other
operating expenses for the property. There are a limited number
of staff members at RSS House who provide supportive services,
such as driving residents to meetings, assisting in administering
their medication, supervising visitors and facilitating
interaction with other service providers.
1
Except when distinctions are necessary, we refer to these related
entities collectively as "Hansen House" throughout this opinion.
2 A-5141-13T2
Responding to a complaint lodged by the Department of Human
Services, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) conducted a
field inspection of RSS House. DCA concluded RSS House was a
rooming/boarding house subject to licensure under the provisions
of the Rooming and Boarding House Act of 1979, N.J.S.A. 55:13B-1
to -21 (the Statute). DCA issued a notice of violation and imposed
a $5000 penalty. Hansen House objected and requested a hearing,
which was conducted before an administrative law judge (ALJ) in
the Office of Administrative Law over four non-consecutive days
spanning eight months.
Hansen House asserted that RSS House operated as a single
housekeeping unit and the relationship among its residents was
akin to a family. Hansen House also argued DCA's enforcement
action violated the federal Fair Housing Act (the FHA), 42 U.S.C.A.
§§ 3601-3619, because DCA refused Hansen House a reasonable
accommodation, but nonetheless accommodated another entity, Oxford
House, which provided similar services in a similar setting to
recovering addicts.
Before the ALJ issued his initial decision, a member and
former member of RSS House filed suit against DCA in federal
district court alleging various statutory and constitutional
3 A-5141-13T2
violations that are essentially the same statutory arguments
presented to DCA.2 That action is still pending.
In his initial decision, the ALJ found it was undisputed that
residents at RSS House received certain assistance from paid staff
members. He also concluded RSS House residents were permitted
under their leases to use, and were using, "keyed door locks" on
their individual rooms.
The ALJ accepted the testimony of Angelo Mureo, DCA's
Enforcement Field Supervisor, who inspected RSS House. Mureo
described various features that distinguished RSS House from
Oxford House. For example, the charter for the Oxford House entity
prohibited it from owning any residential property and, therefore,
it signed a lease with the property owner; the individual residents
in Oxford House did not sign leases. Additionally, the residents
themselves interviewed applicants and selected their fellow
residents in an Oxford House. Furthermore, there was no paid
staff in an Oxford House, and residents managed their own
collective finances from a single checking account.
The ALJ also cited the testimony of Michael Briant, DCA's
Supervisor of Enforcement, Bureau of Rooming and Boarding House
Standards (BR&BHS). Briant explained that RSS House was not a
2
Schoenstein v. Constable, No. 3:13-CV-06803 (JAP), 2014 U.S.
Dist. LEXIS 165508 (D.N.J. Nov. 26, 2014) (the federal suit).
4 A-5141-13T2
single-family dwelling, i.e. it was not occupied as a "single
housekeeping unit," and therefore it required a license. He
acknowledged that in order to secure the license, Hansen House
needed to install a sprinkler system.
Briant stated that RSS House might be eligible for exemption
from code requirements applicable to rooming and boarding houses
if the residents were self-governing and autonomously operated RSS
House. Briant claimed that creating a new exemption for RSS House
would run contrary to the legislative purposes of the Statute,
because DCA would then need to exempt other facilities where the
owner of the property controlled the operation of the "recovery
house."
The ALJ concluded RSS House operated as an unlicensed boarding
house in violation of the Statute. He explained that DCA had
"allowed one type of sober recovery facility to avoid regulation"
under the Statute, and that was "the Oxford House model." The ALJ
referenced various DCA memoranda, in particular, a 2004 memorandum
by Raymond A. Samatovicz, DCA's former Director of the Bureau of
Rooming & Boarding House Standards (the Samatovicz Memo), setting
forth key features of the Oxford House program, and approving
exemptions because, as the ALJ summarized, "Oxford House residents
are really operating like a family while [Hansen House] is
exercising the control of a boarding house operator."
5 A-5141-13T2
Although the ALJ found it "difficult to see how fire safety
[was] an issue" at RSS House, he rejected Hansen House's argument
that the FHA required DCA to "carve out a new waiver," noting
"where a regulation is not using some other requirement as a proxy
for disability, the fact that it happens to cost a particular
entity more than another entity does not rise to discrimination."
The ALJ affirmed DCA's decision and imposed a $5000 penalty on
Hansen House.
The DCA Commissioner adopted the ALJ's initial decision and
filed the agency's final decision in May 2014. Hansen House
appealed. In October 2014, we granted Hansen House's request to
stay all proceedings based on the pending federal lawsuit. When
that stay expired, and after the district court judge denied DCA's
motion to dismiss the federal suit, Hansen House again sought a
stay of the enforcement of DCA's penalty, which we denied by order
in February 2015. We heard argument in September 2016, at which
time the parties acknowledged the pending federal suit presented
the same issues regarding DCA's alleged failure to reasonably
accommodate RSS under the FHA. On January 30, 2017, we sua sponte
ordered the parties to appear before Judge Joseph A. Lisa (Ret.),
as part of the Civil Appeals Settlement Program. At the time, we
noted the federal lawsuit was continuing and presented "issues
that are inextricably related to the issues raised on appeal."
6 A-5141-13T2
The parties apparently could not reach consensus regarding any
further stay of this appeal. We therefore turn to the arguments
raised by Hansen House.
Hansen House argues the FHA applies to RSS House, which serves
individuals with a "handicap," 42 U.S.C.A. 3602(h); Hansen House
made a reasonable request for an accommodation from DCA that was
necessary to the residents' continued recovery; DCA had both the
duty and authority to grant the accommodation requested; yet, it
failed to do so in violation of the FHA. Additionally, Hansen
House contends DCA violated the Administrative Procedure Act
(APA), N.J.S.A. 52:14B-1 to -15, by adopting the standards set out
in the Samatovicz memorandum, and not granting exemptions unless
an organization fit the "Oxford model."
We have considered these arguments, in light of the record
and applicable legal standards. We affirm, but also remand the
matter to DCA for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
I.
"The scope of appellate review of a final agency decision is
limited." In re Carter, 191 N.J. 474, 482 (2007) (citing Aqua
Beach Condo. Ass'n v. Dep't of Cmty. Affairs, 186 N.J. 5, 15-16
(2006)). "An appellate court affords a 'strong presumption of
reasonableness' to an administrative agency's exercise of its
statutorily delegated responsibilities." Lavezzi v. State, 219
7 A-5141-13T2
N.J. 163, 171 (2014) (quoting City of Newark v. Natural Res.
Council, Dep't of Envtl. Prot., 82 N.J. 530, 539, cert. denied,
449 U.S. 983, 101 S. Ct. 400, 66 L. Ed. 2d 245 (1980)).
An agency decision should not be overturned unless there is
"a showing that it was arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable, or
that it lacked fair support in the evidence." In re Carter, supra,191 N.J. at 482.
To determine whether an agency decision "is
arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable," an
appellate court must determine
(1) whether the agency's action
violates express or implied
legislative policies, that is, did
the agency follow the law; (2)
whether the record contains
substantial evidence to support the
findings on which the agency based
its action; and (3) whether in
applying the legislative policies
to the facts, the agency clearly
erred in reaching a conclusion that
could not reasonably have been made
on a showing of the relevant
factors.
[Lavezzi, supra, 219 N.J. at 171-72 (quoting
In re Stallworth, 208 N.J. 182, 194 (2011)).]
We "defer to an agency's expertise and superior knowledge of
a particular field." Greenwood v. State Police Training Ctr., 127
N.J. 500, 513 (1992). Furthermore, we "presume that the
regulations they pass are valid because 'agencies have the
specialized expertise necessary to enact regulations dealing with
8 A-5141-13T2
technical matters and are "particularly well equipped to read and
understand the massive documents and to evaluate the factual and
technical issues that . . . rulemaking would invite."'" In re
Adoption of N.J.A.C. 7:15-5.24(b), 420 N.J. Super. 552, 564 (App.
Div.) (quoting N.J. State League of Municipalities v. Dep't of
Cmty. Affairs, 158 N.J. 211, 222 (1999)), certif. denied, 208 N.J.
597 (2011). However, we are not "bound by [an] agency's
interpretation of a statute or its determination of a strictly
legal issue." Norfolk S. Ry. Co. v. Intermodal Props., LLC, 215
N.J. 142, 165 (2013)).
The Statute is "remedial legislation . . . necessary to
provide for the health, safety and welfare of all those who reside
in rooming and boarding houses in this State." N.J.S.A. 55:13B-
2. The Statute defines a "rooming house" as "a boarding house
wherein no personal or financial services are provided to the
residents." N.J.S.A. 55:13B-3(h). A "boarding house," in turn,
is defined as "any building . . . which contains two or more units
of dwelling space arranged or intended for single room occupancy
. . . and wherein personal or financial services are provided to
the residents." N.J.S.A. 55:13B-3(a).
Regulations promulgated under the Statute ensure "the
protection and care of the residents of rooming houses, [and]
boarding houses." N.J.S.A. 55:13B-2; see also N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.1
9 A-5141-13T2
to -14.1 ("Regulations Governing Rooming and Boarding Houses").
Those regulations require every rooming and boarding house to be
licensed, N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.6(a), and impose general requirements
for every building in which a rooming or boarding house operates.
N.J.A.C. 5:27-4.1 to -4.10.
DCA argues, and we agree, that RSS House fits the statutory
definition of a "boarding house." Hansen House may have asserted
otherwise before the ALJ, but it makes no argument on appeal to
the contrary. An issue not briefed is deemed waived on appeal.
N.J. Dept. of Envtl. Prot. v. Alloway Twp., 438 N.J. Super. 501,
505-06 n.2 (App. Div.), certif. denied, 222 N.J. 17 (2015). As a
result, we conclude that RSS House was a boarding house that
operated without a license, and the Commissioner had the authority
to impose sanctions.
Instead, Hansen House contends the ALJ, and DCA in turn,
misapplied precedent developed under the FHA, which requires a
reasonable accommodation from the strictures of the Statute and
regulations based upon an individualized assessment. We disagree.
The FHA is broadly construed to effect the goal of eradicating
discrimination in housing based upon handicap status. Helen L.
v. DiDario, 46 F.3d 325, 333 n.14 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 516
U.S. 813, 133 L. Ed. 2d 26, 116 S. Ct. 64 (1995). Under the FHA,
"a refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies,
10 A-5141-13T2
practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary
to afford [a handicapped] person equal opportunity to use and
enjoy a dwelling," constitutes illicit "discrimination." 42
[U.S.C.A.] §3604(f)(3)(B). The Third Circuit has said that "the
plain language of the statute requires [a court] to focus on all
three factors, i.e., whether the requested accommodation is '(1)
reasonable and (2) necessary to (3) afford handicapped persons an
equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing.'" Lapid-Laurel v.
Zoning Bd. of Adjustment, 284 F.3d 442, 457 (3d Cir. 2002) (quoting
Bryant Woods Inn, Inc. v. Howard Cty., 124 F.3d 597, 603 (4th Cir.
1997)). See id. at 459 ("[T]he initial burden is on the plaintiff
to demonstrate that the accommodations that it requested are
'necessary to afford [handicapped] persons an equal opportunity
to use and enjoy a dwelling,' 42 U.S.C.A. § 3604(f)(3)(B), at
which point the burden shifts to the defendant to show that the
requested accommodations are unreasonable.").
It is not disputed that the residents of RSS House suffer
from a handicap as defined by the FHA. 42 U.S.C.A. §3602(h); see
also 24 C.F.R. 100.201(a)(2); see also Oxford House, Inc. v. Twp.
of Cherry Hill, 799 F. Supp. 450, 459 (D.N.J. 1992) (holding
recovering alcoholics and substance abusers are handicapped for
purposes of the FHA); Cherry Hill Twp. v. Oxford House, Inc., 263
11 A-5141-13T2
N.J. Super. 25, 52 (App. Div. 1993) ("[A]lcholism is a handicap
covered by the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination . . . .").
Hansen House argues its request for an exemption from the
Statute and its regulations is reasonable. For a requested
accommodation to be "reasonable" under the FHA, it must be shown
that the accommodation does not (1) impose undue financial or
administrative burdens on the regulatory agency; (2) impose an
"undue hardship" on DCA; or (3) require a fundamental alteration
in the nature of the regulatory program. Lapid-Laurel, supra, 284
F.3d at 462.
Here, the ALJ specifically noted there were no particular
fire safety concerns at RSS House, implying a core public purpose
of the Statute — "protecting the health, safety and welfare of the
residents of rooming houses [and] boarding houses" — was not
compromised by the request for an exemption. Further, although
the DCA raised the specter of having to grant numerous exemptions
to programs similar to RSS House if it granted an exemption in
this case, the ALJ did not make any specific finding in that
regard. Moreover, DCA granted an exemption to Oxford House and,
the record reflects, other recovery programs.3 As a result, at
least on the record before us, it is difficult to conclude the
3
A DCA memo in the record reflects that the exemption applied to
Oxford House also applied to two other facilities, "Last Chance
Recovery and Half Measures."
12 A-5141-13T2
accommodation, i.e., exemption, would significantly alter the
regulatory scheme any more than it already has been altered.
However, Hansen House failed to demonstrate that exemption
from the Statute and its regulations was "necessary to afford [the
residents of RSS House an] equal opportunity to use and enjoy a
dwelling." 42 U.S.C.A. § 3604(f)(3)(B). As the Third Circuit
said in Lapid-Laurel, supra, 284 F.3d at 459, "The key . . . is
that the plaintiff in an [FHA] reasonable accommodations case must
establish a nexus between the accommodations that he or she is
requesting, and their necessity for providing handicapped
individuals with an 'equal opportunity' to use and enjoy housing."
(Emphasis added). "The 'necessary' element . . . requires . . .
a direct linkage between the proposed accommodation and the 'equal
opportunity' to be provided to the handicapped person." Bryant
Woods, supra, 124 F.3d at 604.
The facts in Lapid-Laurel, supra, are demonstrative of this
"necessary" nexus. There, the plaintiff argued a use variance was
necessary to achieve equal opportunity for elderly handicapped
individuals to live in a residential area of Scotch Plains, which
zoning ordinance did not permit healthcare facilities. 284 F.3d
at 460. Plaintiff produced evidence that the elderly handicapped
who need skilled nursing care usually are unable to live in their
own homes and must live in an institutional setting in order to
13 A-5141-13T2
receive the assistance and health care they need. Ibid. Plaintiff
proffered expert testimony indicating that one of the objectives
of the proposed facility was to allow the elderly to live in a
predominately single-family residential zone to normalize their
care. Ibid.Here, Hansen House contends that residents of RSS House will
be denied the equal opportunity to live there unless DCA grants
an exemption. However, the Statute and applicable regulations
requiring licensure do not prohibit Hansen House from operating
RSS House. There was, for example, no proof at the hearing
regarding the financial impact upon the facility if it had to
secure the license. While licensure may require renovations,
Hansen House has not demonstrated that the financial burden of
compliance would undermine RSS House's therapeutic operations or
cause the facility to close.
We also note that the Statute's regulations specifically
permit requests for "exception[s] waiving, modifying or postponing
the application of any regulation to any owner's rooming or
boarding house." N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.9(a). However, Hansen House did
not request an exception as required by the regulations. N.J.A.C.
5:27-1.9(c). Nor did it seek an exception from a specific
requirement imposed by regulation upon all rooming and boarding
houses. For example, Hansen House never sought an exception from
14 A-5141-13T2
Subchapter 4's regulations regarding general building
requirements. N.J.A.C. 5:27-4.1 to - 4.10. Instead, Hansen House
defended against the proposed penalty by claiming it was not
subject to the statutory and regulatory regime at all, or that its
exemption from that regime was a required reasonable accommodation
under the FHA.
As a result, we conclude that RSS House was subject to the
Statute and its implementing regulations. We therefore affirm
DCA's final agency decision.
II.
Hansen House argues DCA used the factors set forth in the
Samatovicz Memorandum (the Memo) as a rule of general application
to all group recovery homes, while, at the same time, never going
through required agency rulemaking. See Metromedia, Inc. v. Dir.,
Div. of Taxation, 97 N.J. 313, 331-32 (1984). DCA argues the Memo
is exempt from rulemaking because it is an "intra-agency
statement." The governing provision of the APA is N.J.S.A. 52:14B-
2(e), which provides:
"Administrative rule" or "rule," when not
otherwise modified, means each agency
statement of general applicability and
continuing effect that implements or
interprets law or policy, or describes the
organization, procedure or practice
requirements of any agency. The term includes
the amendment or repeal of any rule, but does
not include: (1) statements concerning the
internal management or discipline of any
15 A-5141-13T2
agency; (2) intraagency and interagency
statements; and (3) agency decisions and
findings in contested cases.
[Emphasis added.]
The APA does not define what an "intraagency statement" is,
however, the Court defined an "intra-agency statement as (1) a
communication between agency members that (2) does not have a
substantial impact on (3) the rights or legitimate interests of
the regulated public." Woodland Private Study Grp. v. State, 109
N.J. 62, 75 (1987). We have held that
an agency order will be deemed an exempt
intra-agency statement to the extent (1) it
is intended to govern the conduct of agency
employees, as opposed to members of the
regulated public; (2) any impact on the
regulated public is incidental or
unsubstantial; and (3) that impact is on
interests or rights that do not rise to a level
needing the protection afforded by the APA
rule-making procedures.
[N.J. Builders Ass'n v. N.J. Dep't of Envtl.
Prot., 306 N.J. Super. 93, 102 (App. Div.
1997).]
The Memo, directed to BR&BHS staff, listed seventeen
informational items obtained from Oxford House's "Mission
Statement." However, attached to the Memo was a "Notice of Bureau
Decision," regarding an Oxford House property in Plainfield. In
that decision, DCA cites four particular reasons why it deemed
Oxford House was not a boarding or rooming house subject to the
Statute. Those factors, discussed in the testimony we cited above,
16 A-5141-13T2
involve the governance and financial aspects of the facility, and
its legal relationship with the property owner. The Memo instructs
BR&BHS staff that the decision applies to not only Oxford House,
but also two other recovery facilities.
The record also includes two bulletins issued by DCA's
Division of Fire Safety and Division of Codes and Standards. Both
discuss application of the FHA to Oxford House properties and
"Oxford House-like" properties. Each provides guidance for DCA
and municipalities to follow on a case-specific basis.
Here, we accept DCA's assertion that the Memo, and its
attached final agency decision, were initially "intended to govern
the conduct of agency employees, as opposed to members of the
regulated public." Ibid. However, it is quite clear from the
record before us that DCA has endorsed the factors listed in the
Oxford House decision attached to the Memo, as those it generally
applies to every recovery house.
Indeed, the record is replete with references to Oxford House
or Oxford House-like facilities, and that DCA's agents and
officials measured Hansen House's legal position against the
factors listed in the Memo and decision. The testimony was
essentially undisputed that DCA told Hansen House's
representatives it would exempt the property if it adopted the
Oxford House model. In other words, this is not like the record
17 A-5141-13T2
in Builder's Association, supra, 306 N.J. Super. at 103, where we
found the record failed to demonstrate the challenged intra-agency
order was used "as a dispositive basis for specific applications."
The Memo and its attached decision now seemingly govern "the
conduct of . . . members of the regulated public." Id. at 102;
see also Woodland Private Study Grp., supra, 109 N.J. at 73-76(acknowledging that interagency memo originally directed to agency
members had significant impact on regulated parties and required
public notice and hearing).
Based on the record before us, we have no way of discerning
whether this impact on recovery houses is "incidental or
unsubstantial," or if it impacts "interests or rights that do not
rise to a level needing the protection afforded by the APA rule-
making procedures." Builder's Ass'n, supra, 306 N.J. Super. at
102. We can state with certainty that Hansen House was not
afforded a case-specific evaluation of whether it should be exempt
from the Statute. In part, that was due to the procedural aspects
we noted above.
We therefore remand the matter to DCA for further proceedings,
the focus of which should be Hansen House's specific request for
"an exception waiving, modifying or postponing the application of
any regulation," including the regulation defining a boarding
house, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.9(a). In this regard, the
18 A-5141-13T2
parties are free to supplement the record as appropriate. We do
not foreclose consideration of additional evidence regarding the
impact of the Memo on DCA's consideration of other requests for
exemption.
Affirmed. Remanded for further proceedings consistent with
this opinion. We do not retain jurisdiction.
19 A-5141-13T2