DocketNumber: C.A. No. 09-1565
Judges: McGUIRL, J.
Filed Date: 6/16/2011
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 7/6/2016
*Page 3"1. The Town of Scituate Zoning Ordinance was approved on December 30, 1965 and included the written ordinance and the plat maps as of that date. The subject property was depicted as a single, nine-acre lot in those plat maps.
2. On October 21, 1971 Joseph A. and Victoria D. Iadevaia, husband and wife, purchased a landlocked piece of land consisting *Page 2 of 9.09 acres. (Joseph Victoria Iadevaia are the Applicant's parents and predecessors-in-title.)
3. On October 25, 1983 Serafino F. and Anna E. Raponi requested a Dimensional Variance to sell a 50' strip of land to Applicant. The strip of land would be from Chopmist Hill Road to Applicant's land. Applicant's testimony at this hearing was this 50' strip of land was to access his 9.09 acre landlocked piece of land.
4. On June 21, 2006 and again on September 19, 2006, the Applicant appeared before the Plan Commission and requested that a subdivision of his 9.09 acre parcel into two parcels. The resulting subdivision created a landlocked lot, which is the subject of Case # 1040 and 1041.
5. On August 26, 2008, the Applicant requested a Dimensional Variance for lot width and a Dimensional Variance for building height; the Applicant withdrew his application without prejudice following a hearing.
6. On October 21, 2008, the Applicant submitted plans and a building permit application to Mr. Provonsil for approval for the construction of a single-family home on the subject parcel.
7. Mr. Provonsil denied Applicant's request for a Building Permit in October 28, 2008 correspondence to Applicant.
8. In Case #1040, Applicant sought an appeal of Mr. Provonsil's denial of a building permit. In Case # 1041, Applicant sought Dimensional Variances for Lot Width and Building Height.
9. Applicant requested, in essence, approval to construct a single-family home on a landlocked lot in the Town of Scituate. Applicant submitted a proposed easement and maintenance agreement for the subject property. During the proceedings, Applicant was represented by counsel. . . .
10. Attorney . . . presented the Applicant's case asserting that the Applicant sought to use the property as a single-family residence, a use permitted by right. Applicant also set forth a challenge to the Town's definition of lot width, asserting that the subject property meets the definition. The Applicant, through counsel, argued that the Ordinance does not require lot frontage, nor does it mandate frontage. Applicant asserted that the Ordinance does mandate "lot width" and argued that the Applicant met the definition of lot width.
11. Mr. Provonsil responded . . . that he denied Applicant's request for a building permit on three (3) additional grounds: 1) Lack of a driveway permit application (not likely an issue under the Board's jurisdiction); 2) No legal means of access to the subject property was submitted; and 3) The subject parcel has no street frontage, and is therefore ineligible for a building permit under Article IV-Section 3 of the Zoning Ordinance.
12. No one spoke for or against the application (either the appeal or the application for variance) during the public comment portion of the hearing." (Dec. at 1-3.)
Additionally, the Administrative record contains the deeds of the property dating back to 1929. Plaintiff acquired the property from his parents, Joseph and Victoria Iadevaia in February 26, 1982, pursuant to a deed that described the property as:
"A certain lot or tract of woodland situated in said Town of Scituate and State of Rhode Island, and lying easterly of the Chopmist Hill Road, so-called, and is bounded and described as follows:-Northerly by land formerly of Harley Phillips, but now or lately of Serafino P. Raponi et ux; Easterly by land formerly of James Aldrich, but now or lately of Rhode Island Episcopal Convention The Diocese of Rhode Island; Southerly by land formerly of Russell Arnold, but now or lately of Rosciti Construction Inc.; and Westerly by land formerly of Frank A. Capwell et ux, but now or lately of Nick DelVicario et ux, and contains about nine (9) acres of land.
However otherwise bounded and described, said lot is comprised of those two certain lots of land on the easterly side of Chopmist Hill Road as are numbered 1 (one) and 2 (two) in the Division of the Estate of Ezekiel Bishop, late of the Town of Scituate, deceased, and recorded in Scituate Land Records in Plat Book 1 at page 19.
Being the same premises conveyed to these grantors by deed from Vesta M. Fenner, dated October 1971, second parcel, and recorded in the Land Records of said Town of Scituate in Book 81 at page 247." (R. Ex. 3.)
The complete facts and travel of this case can be found in this Court's prior Decision, Iadevaia v. Town of Scituate Zoning Boardof Review, No. PC 09-1565,
The Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure, similar to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, do not specifically provide for motions to reconsider. School Comm. of City of Cranston v.Bergin-Andrews,
However, Rule 60(b) is not "a vehicle for the judge to reconsider the previous judgments in light of later-discovered legal authority that could have and should have been presented to the *Page 5
court before the original judgment entered." Jackson v. MedicalCoaches,
Our Supreme Court has addressed the issue of the Superior Court's power to reconsider decisions rendered after a nonjury trial in a civil matter. Corrado v. Providence Redevelopment Agency,
The Zoning Act defines "zoning maps" as "the map or maps which are a part of the zoning ordinance and which delineate the boundaries of all mapped zoning districts within the *Page 7
physical boundary of the city or town." G.L. 1956 §
"For the purpose of this ordinance, the Town of Scituate is hereby divided into eight (8) zoning districts as follows: . . . The boundaries of such districts are hereby established as shown on a map entitled "Scituate Zoning Map" filed at the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Scituate. Such map is hereby adopted and made part of this ordinance." (Ord. of 1-8-04.)
The map filed with the Office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Scituate at the time of the implementation of the Town of Scituate Zoning Ordinance in 1965 was the Tax Assessor's Map. The Zoning Board noted this fact in its minutes, stating in part that "[w]hen the Town Ordinance was written; out of the Ordinance was [sic] the plat maps. The plat maps showed one lot and the ordinance became the rule as of that date." (R. Ex. 7.) Plaintiff's allegation that this Court committed a critical error in its factual findings when it relied on the zoning map is without merit. It is well settled that both a zoning board and this Court may take notice of an ordinance without its being placed into evidence. SeeWeaver v. United Congregational Church,
While the Tax Assessor's Map and the Scituate Zoning Map have separate names, and are used for different purposes, they are identical documents. See id. This is due to the fact the Tax Assessor's Map was implemented as the Scituate Zoning Map in 1965 when the Scituate Zoning Ordinance was adopted. Id. It is clear from the record that the Zoning Map was *Page 8 produced and relied upon by the Board in its deliberations and in consideration of the Zoning Board's Decision. See Zoning Board's Dec. at 1. The Zoning Board noted that on the date the Zoning Map was enacted pursuant to the Zoning Ordinance, "the subject property was depicted as a single, nine-acre lot in those plat maps." (Zoning Board's Dec. at 1.) The mere fact that the Zoning Map considered by the Board was previously a "Tax Assessor's Map" has no bearing. These documents are identical. Therefore, this Court committed no error by considering the 1965 Scituate Zoning Map when rendering its Decision.
A reviewing court may not substitute its judgment for that of the board if it "can conscientiously find that the board's decision was supported by substantial evidence in the whole record." MillRealty Assocs. v. Crowe,
Rhode Island law recognizes the principle of judicial estoppel.See D H Therapy Associates v. Murray,
Plaintiff asserts that the Court's reliance on the Zoning Map merged his two lots as a matter of law. This is an incorrect interpretation of both the Zoning Board's and this Court's Decision. None of the evidence the Zoning Board relied on, including the Zoning Map, merged Plaintiff's lots as a matter of law. Rather, this evidence supported the Board's finding that the Plaintiff had treated his land in an inconsistent manner. The issue of merger was not a basis *Page 11 upon which the Zoning Board or this Court rendered its Decision. In the Zoning Board's Decision, the Zoning Board noted that:
"While the record of evidence is not clear as to whether or not the two smaller lots were merged by the Applicant or his predecessors in title, (there is no municipal merger ordinance/requirement), the Applicant clearly believed that he had a single 9.09 acre parcel in 1983 when he applied for Zoning relief to build his residence. The relief granted to Applicant in 1983 was based on the Applicant's testimony that he had a 9.09 acre woodland lot which was landlocked (hence the request for the 50' strip of land for access). Therefore, the issue of merger is not dispositive to the Board's decision." (Zoning Board Dec at 7.)
The facts on the record are clear. In 1983, Plaintiff requested relief from the Town of Scituate Zoning Ordinance and was granted permission (a variance) to access his 9.09 acre parcel in order to construct a home. The Town of Scituate Zoning Ordinance states in part that after December 30, 1965, all lots must conform to the provisions of the Ordinance. Article IV-Section 3 of the Ordinance states:
"After the effective date of this ordinance (December 30, 1965), no land shall be used and no building structure or sign shall be used or erected unless it conforms to the provisions of this ordinance. Uses and structure, existing on the effective date of this ordinance (December 30, 1965), and used in a manner not conforming to this ordinance, shall be permitted to continue under the provisions of article IV of this ordinance. Structures which have not been built or completed on the effective date of this ordinance (December 30, 1965), but for which a building permit has been issued by the Town of Scituate prior to the effective date of this ordinance (December 30, 1965), for use in a manner not conforming to this ordinance, shall be permitted to continue under the provisions of article IV of this ordinance. (Ord. of 1-8-04).
At the time of the adoption of the Ordinance, the subject property was depicted in the Zoning Map as a single, nine-plus acre lot. In 1983, Plaintiff acquired the subject property from his parents. Thereafter, on October 25, 1983, neighbors Serafino F. and Anna E. Raponi requested a Dimensional Variance from the Board to sell a 50' strip of their adjoining land to Plaintiff. The *Page 12
strip of land would run from Chopmist Hill Road to Plaintiff's landlocked parcel and would allow Plaintiff to gain access to the subject property to construct a single-family home. During the 1983 Board Hearing, Plaintiff represented his land as a single parcel. The deed showed one parcel of land, Plaintiff referenced the subject property as a single parcel, and the Zoning Maps indicated Plaintiff had a single lot. Therefore, Plaintiff's contention that his property has always contained two lots is irrelevant. Whether or not the 9.09 acre parcel actually consisted of one or two separate lots dating back to 1848, is of no important to the instant matter, because Plaintiff was granted relief as to the whole property, represented as a single lot (the entire 9.09 acre parcel) to use as a single family residence. See D HTherapy,
Plaintiff then created a substandard lot (a self-created hardship) when he appeared before the Plan Commission in 2006 to request that the existing lot (AP 35, Lot 24) be divided ("administratively") into the improved lot and the unimproved lot.1 When Plaintiff again came before the Zoning Board in 2009 for a Dimensional Variance, he was in essence requesting relief from the hardship he created in 2006 when he appeared before the Plan Commission. Relief *Page 13
from a self-created hardship is not an appropriate or recognized basis for zoning relief. See Sciacca v. Caruso,
"Except for lots on recorded plats which have received final approval from the plan commission pursuant to the ordinance and rules and regulations governing and restricting the platting and other subdivision of land, no lot area shall be reduced below the dimensional requirements prescribed for the district in which the lot is located."
However, the term "lot width" is defined as "[t]he horizontal distance between the side lines of a lot measures at right angles to its depth along a straight line parallel to the front lot line at the minimum, front setback line." (Ord. Article IX. Definitions (45)). Additionally, the term "front lot line" is defined as "the lot line separating a lot from a street right of way." Id. at 43(a). Reading these provisions of the Scituate Zoning Ordinance in conjunction with one another, it is clear that a lot must possess frontage for development.See id. The Plan Commission's authority to re-draw the lot line was not an issue before the Zoning Board, or this Court. *Page 1
Cashner v. Freedom Stores, Inc. , 98 F.3d 572 ( 1996 )
United States v. Michael D. Williams , 674 F.2d 310 ( 1982 )
Gross v. Glazier , 495 A.2d 672 ( 1985 )
Keystone Elevator Co. v. Johnson & Wales University , 850 A.2d 912 ( 2004 )
MAY-DAY RLTY. CORP. v. Board of Appeals of Pawtucket , 92 R.I. 442 ( 1961 )
American Federation of Teachers Local 2012 v. Rhode Island ... , 477 A.2d 104 ( 1984 )
Apostolou v. Genovesi , 120 R.I. 501 ( 1978 )
Weaver v. United Congregational Church , 120 R.I. 419 ( 1978 )
Lischio v. Zoning Board of Review of North Kingstown , 818 A.2d 685 ( 2003 )
Laudati v. Zoning Board of Barrington , 91 R.I. 116 ( 1960 )
Sciacca v. Caruso , 769 A.2d 578 ( 2001 )
Carbone v. Planning Board of Appeal , 702 A.2d 386 ( 1997 )
Crystal Restaurant Management Corp. v. Calcagni , 732 A.2d 706 ( 1999 )
Jackson v. Medical Coaches , 734 A.2d 502 ( 1999 )
Mill Realty Associates v. Crowe , 841 A.2d 668 ( 2004 )
D & H THERAPY ASSOCIATES v. Murray , 821 A.2d 691 ( 2003 )
Astors' Beechwood v. People Coal Co. , 659 A.2d 1109 ( 1995 )
Corrado v. Providence Redevelopment Agency , 110 R.I. 549 ( 1972 )