43 A.D.2d 739 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1973
In a proceeding pursuant to article 78 of the CPLR inter alia to review a determination of the appellant Board of Standards and Appeals of the City of New York which denied a request to reopen and reconsider the grant of a variance to allow the appellant estate of Dave Simon to construct a six-story multiple dwelling on certain property located in Queens County, the appeals (by permission) are from so much of an order of the 'Supreme Court, Queens County, dated September 5, 1972 and made on resettlement, as (1) denied a motion by said board, in which the estate of Dave Simon joined, to dismiss the petition and (2) extended the time for answering the petition. Order reversed insofar as appealed from,' with $20 costs and disbursements jointly to appellants appearing separately and filing separate briefs, and petition dismissed. We direct dismissal of the proceeding as to the petitioner Douglaston Civic Association Inc. because that petitioner is not a property owner and hence has no standing to bring the proceeding (see Matter of Moore v. Burchett, 14 A D 2d 572, mot. for iv. to opp. den. 10 N Y 2d 709; Matter of Manor Woods Assn. v. Randol, 29 A D 2d 778). We reverse as to the two individual petitioners on the merits. On the issue of standing, we conclude they come within the provision of subdivision a of section 668e-1.0 of the New York City Administrative Code which states that “any person or persons, jointly or severally aggrieved by any decision of the board” may present a duly verified petition in certiorari to the Supreme Court. The petition alleges that the individual petitioners own property and reside in Douglaston, Queens, which is the area involved in this case. It is further alleged that the proposed apartment house would greatly increase motor traffic in a block already congested by double parking and would block off the last bit of open area at the entrance to Douglaston. There is no allegation of pecuniary damage, but that is not the sine qua non for standing (see Bloom v. Town Bd. of Town of Oyster Bay, 41 A D 2d 533, 534 [dissenting opn.], revd, on dissenting opn. in App. Div., 32 N Y 2d 930). The allegations asserted were sufficient in our opinion, to allow the individual petitioners to show that their property was “ affected ” and that, therefore, they were “ aggrieved ” by the board’s decision (see Schapiro v. Town of North Hempstead, 35 A D 2d 596; Daum V. Meade, 35 A D 2d 598). There still remains the question whether petitioners showed any basis for overturning the board’s decision not to reopen