84 N.Y.S. 18 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1903
Lead Opinion
This is a proceeding instituted by the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of New York to acquire title to the land necessary to open East One Hundred and Sixty-eighth' street, in the twenty-third ward of the city of New York. The proceeding was commenced in the year 1896, and on the 8th day of October, 1896, commissioners of estimate and assessment were appointed by the Supreme Court. The commissioners duly qualified, and while engaged in the performance of their duties on the 15th .day of April, 189.7, the appellants presented a petition to the Supreme Court which alleged that the appellants Deering and - Brown were the owners .of a piece of property abutting on One Hundred and Sixty-eighth street, a portion of which was taken for the opening; of'
Hpon the presentation of this petition an order of the Special Term was entered on the 30th of April, 1897, by which the commissioners of estimate and assessment were authorized and directed to ascertain and determine the compensation to which the petitioners were entitled in consequence of the discontinuance and closing of a portion of Gerard avenue, and the said commissioners were also-directed to further and separately appraise and report the value of the right, title and interest of the city of Hew York in and to the fee of the land on Gerard avenue, discontinued and closed in front of the petitioners’ land. Pursuant to this order the commissioners, of estimate and assessment in this proceeding took the testimony offered by the petitioners in support of their claim for the damages sustained by them in consequence of the closing of Gerard avenue,
The appellants, insist, that the commissioners were bound to include in one report their estimate of damage and benefit allowed for the acquisition of the property required for the benefit of One Hundred and Sixty-eightli street, and the estimate of the damage sustained by the appellants in, consequence of the closing- of a portion of Gerard avenue. The counsel for the corporation insists that, as these were separate' proceedings, instituted under separate statutes, the commissioners properly refused to include both in one report. This question does not seem to have been presented in any case that, has been reported/ These two proceedings have no particular relation to each other. One of the appellants has no relation or interest in the opening of One Hundred and Sixty-eighth street, as no property of his is taken for that purpose, and the property - for which. he claims, to be entitled to damage does not abut upon that stréet. ¡The amount of the award to the appellants; has no relation to the opening of One Hundred and Sixty-eighth -street.- The amount, if any, ■ to which they are entitled in consequence of the closing - of Gerard
The distinction between these two proceedings is illustrated by the opinion of Mr. Justice Patterson on an appeal from the order authorizing the commissioners in this proceeding to take proof of the ■ damage sustained by the discontinuance of Gerard avenue
The whole object, therefore, of a proceeding to determine the value of the portion of Gerard avenue that was closed is to determine what amount the abutting owners should pay to the city of Hew York to acquire title to the land in. front of their property, .and what sum should be paid to the abutting owners for the damage ca'used by closing the street-,, and that certainly has no possible relation to the proceedings to acquire title to the land necessary to open One Hundred and Sixty-eighth street.
By chapter 213 of the Laws of 1818 provision was first made for the payment, to owners of property abutting on a public street which had been closed or discontinued, of damages sustained by such abutting property owners in consequence of the discontinuance of the street. Section 1 of that act provides that it shall be lawful for the mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of Hew York to apply to the Supreme Court for the appointment of commissioners to make .■a just and true estimate of the loss and damage to the respective owners, lessees, parties and persons respectively entitled unto or interested in any lands, tenements, hereditaments or premises by or in consequence of closing any road, street, lane or alley, or any part of any voad, street, lane or alley, and converting the same to the use of •the said mayor, aldermen. and commonalty, and report thereon to the said Supreme Court. Section 3 provides that the mayor, ■aldermen and commonalty of the city of Hew. York shall, .within .four months after the confirmation by the court of. the report of the commissioners in the premises, pay to the respective, persons and parties mentioned or referred to in said report, in whose .favor any sum or sums of money shall be estimated and reported by ■the said commissioners, the respective sum or sums so estimated and veported in their favor respectively. By section 8 it was provided .that whenever the mayor, aldermen and commonalty, of the-city of
There was here prescribed two methods of ascertaining the loss to abutting owners by the closing of a street. The municipality was • entitled to apply to the Supreme Court for commissioners to appraise the value of the easement of the abutting owners in the street closed, and were then-required to pay the amount awarded to
Prior to the' passage of the act of 1895, under which this application is made, many streets and avenues, in the city of New York had been discontinued, or Were inconsistent with the plans of the city of New York which had been adopted by the municipal authorities. By chapter 1006 of the laws of that- year, provision is made for closing streets and avenues that were inconsistent with the plans of the city as finally adopted. Section 2 of that act provides that after the final adoption of the map of the city of New York the streets shown thereon should be the only lawful streets or avenues in the city, and all other former streets or avenues not shown thereon should cease to be or remain for any purpose whatever public streets or avenues. Section 3 of the act authorizes the public authorities to discontinue or close any street or avenue laid out upon such general plan; and by sections 4 and 5 provision is then made for ascertaining the damage sustained by any person interested in property abutting on such street or avenue so closed; and upon such application the court is required to appoint 'commissioners of estimate and assessment for the purpose of performing the duties prescribed by sections 4 and 5 of the act. Section 6 prescribes the proceeding for the appointment of such commissioners. That section contemplates the appointment of independent commissioners, -and a report in relation to- the damage caused by the closing of any street or avenue, and that the damages which may be allowed by said commissioners and all expenses incurred in the proceeding to ascertain such damage shall' be assessed by the commissioners upon the property benefited thereby, to the extent of the benefit so received, in the same manner as. assess
We have thus come to the conclusion that the Special Term correctly refused to interfere with the report of the commissioners in relation to the opening of East One Hundred and Sixty-eighth street, and it follows that the order appealed from should be affirmed, with ten dollars costs and- disbursements.
Van Brunt, P. J., Patterson and McLaughlin, JJ., concurred; Laughlin, J., dissented,
Dissenting Opinion
This was originally a -proceeding for acquiring lands for opening East One Hundred and Sixty-eighth street, formerly Charles place, from River avenue to the Concourse, and the commissioners of estimate and assessment were appointed on the 8th day of October, 1896.
I am of opinion that the practice adopted cannot be sustained. It is unnecessary to determine at this time whether the order of the court made pursuant to the provisions of chapter 1006 of the Laws of 1895, extending this street opening proceeding to embrace damages and assessments for benefits on account of the closing of Gerard avenue, is necessarily an adjudication that all property benefited by the opening of the street is benefited by the closing of the avenue and is, therefore, assessable for the damages awarded on account of the latter , or whether, if this be the effect of the statute, it would be constitutional, or as to the extent to which the adjudication would be binding. The object and scope of the act of the Legislature in question was quite fully considered by this court and by the Court of Appeals on the appeal to which reference has been made. These questions do not require extended consideration now. It may. be stated generally that this act authorized the closing of streets and avenues and prescribed proceedings, independent of street opening proceedings, for the appointment of commissioners to determine the damages sustained thereby and for the payment of the awards by the city and for the assessment thereof so far as practicable upon the lands benefited. The Legislature then provided by section 11 of the act that when proceedings are instituted to acquire land for opening “ any street, avenue, public square or place laid upon the general or permanent map or plan of such city or district thereof which shall be contiguous to or in the neighborhood of any lot or parcel of ground fronting on any street, avenue, road, highway, alley, lane or thoroughfare which they have discontinued and closed as aforesaid, and proceedings have not been liad or completed to ascertain the damage caused by such discontinuance or closing, the court which shall appoint or has appointed
It is contended by the learned counsel for the city that the sole purpose of this section was to enable the property owners and the • cRy to have the benefit of the knowledge and experience acquired by the commissioners in the street opening proceeding in making the award of damages and assessments on account of the closing of a street or avenue. This reason seems quite insufficient for such legislation and the explanation is not satisfactory. In the first place
. This was the practice, more clearly defined, for embracing in one proceeding awards and assessments for a street opening and for the closing of an adjacent street under chapter 213 of the Laws of 1818 (§§ 8, 9), after which it is evident that section 14 of the act of 1895 was framed. (See, also, Matter of John & Cherry Streets, 19 Wend. 674.) Under the mandatory provisions of section 14 of the act . of 1895 I think that the only report that" the court is authorized to confirm is one embracing all. the awards and" all the assessments. While it is unnecessary, as has already been observed, to decide the question now, I incline to the opinion,' and such, I think, is the effect of the opinion of the Court of Appeals, that it would ■ be both constitutional and valid to embrace all the assessments in one roll without itemizing the amounts separately assessed upon each parcel on account of the street opening proceeding and for damages for closing the street or avenue. I think the Legislature contemplated that in such circumstances both proceedings became merged in or consolidated into one, and that the whole is but a single improvement, and that the damages sustained by the entire iniprove- . ment may be embraced in one award' and that likewise the benefits sustained by the entire improvement may be assessed in one item upon each parcel. But if this should be impracticable or would render the assessments invalid, then the legislative mandate for one assessment roll may still be constitutionally complied with by this court laying down a rule that the commissioners in making the award shall state in their report, separately, the amount awarded as damages to each parcel for lands acquired for opening the street and for damages sustained by closing the.street or avenue,. and shall
I, therefore, vote for a reversal of this order.
Order affirmed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements.
Sic. — [Rep.