Bos. Redevelopment Auth. v. Nat'l Park Serv., Civil Action No. 14–12990–PBS
| Decision Date | 26 August 2015 |
| Docket Number | Civil Action No. 14–12990–PBS |
| Citation | 125 F.Supp.3d 325 |
| Parties | Boston Redevelopment Authority, Plaintiff, v. National Park Service and Sally Jewell, as Secretary of the Interior, Defendants. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — District of Massachusetts |
Denise A. Chicoine, Edward S. Englander, Shannon F. Slaughter, Englander Leggett & Chicoine, P.C., Boston, MA, for Plaintiff.
Christine J. Wichers, United States Attorney's Office MA, Boston, MA, for Defendants.
Plaintiff Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is the owner of Long Wharf Pavilion, an open-air structure built in 1988 on Long Wharf in Boston Harbor. BRA seeks to convert Long Wharf Pavilion into a restaurant. But the National Park Service (NPS) insists that the pavilion is protected because of a federal grant awarded to BRA from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in 1981. In support of its position, NPS relies on a map of Long Wharf in its records dated March 27, 1980. BRA now challenges NPS's reliance on this 1980 map under the LWCF Act, Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Declaratory Judgment Act, and the judicial estoppel doctrine. The parties have filed cross-motions for summary judgment. (Docket Nos. 35, 46). After a hearing and review of the record, Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 46) is DENIED . Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 35) is ALLOWED .
In 1965, Congress passed the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCF Act), which established a funding source for state and local governments to plan, purchase, and develop public outdoor recreation spaces. In exchange for the funding, state and local governments agree to the following restriction under Section 6(f)(3) of the LWCF Act:
No property acquired or developed with assistance under this section shall, without the approval of the Secretary, be converted to other than public outdoor recreation use.
54 U.S.C. § 200305(f)(3). LWCF applicants must submit a "project boundary map" as part of their grant application to establish the area that will be protected by Section 6(f). (AR 604); Docket No. 45 ¶¶ 15-17. NPS then reviews and approves this so- called "6(f) restricted area" before awarding the grant.
This case concerns the boundaries of the 6(f) restricted area at Boston's Long Wharf. Specifically, the question presented is whether an open-air structure known as Long Wharf Pavilion falls within the restricted area. Plaintiff Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) applied for funding from the LWCF in 1980. BRA's application, dated March 24, 1980, stated that the proposed project was the "first phase reconstruction of Long Wharf and the construction of a portion of a Long Wharf Park by the Boston Redevelopment Authority." (AR 6). A fifteen-page narrative in the application further described the project as: (1) repairing and rebuilding Long Wharf's granite seawall; (2) repairing and rebuilding the wood piling and decking around the perimeter of Long Wharf; and (3) construction of new pavement and platforms, with a park and public open space on the seaward end of the wharf. (AR 14-15). NPS's records include a map of Long Wharf titled "PROJECT AREA MAP" and a matching "METES AND BOUNDS DESCRIPTION." (AR 56-57). Based on this map, almost all of Long Wharf is designated as "TOTAL PARK PROJECT AREA." Additionally, the seaward tip of the wharf is designated "PHASE I—PARK AREA." A notation on this map reads: "6f boundary map 3/27/80."
BRA's application for a LWCF grant was a two-step process. BRA first submitted its application to the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services (DCS), which is the state agency responsible for reviewing LWCF proposals and performing on-site inspections. After approving BRA's application, DCS then forwarded it to NPS, which administers the LWCF program on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior.1 NPS awarded the grant to BRA in May 1981.
Relevant here, a public open-air structure on the seaward tip of Long Wharf was also part of BRA's redevelopment efforts. Shortly after the LWCF grant was approved, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) approached BRA about funding and building the structure if it included an emergency stairwell and ventilation shaft for the MBTA subway tunnel underneath. The MBTA also requested easements for maintenance and emergency egress. In 1983, BRA requested permission from NPS before moving forward, mindful of a potential violation of the 6(f) restricted area. (AR 182-85). NPS found that the project would not constitute a conversion of any 6(f) restricted area and approved the construction of the structure. It reasoned:
It is apparent from the documentation submitted that the easements will not have a significant impact upon the recreational utility of the wharf and recreation opportunity will be increased by the addition of the pavilion which will provide shade and protection from the weather on the otherwise open facility.
(AR 182). In 1988, the MBTA completed the structure today known as Long Wharf Pavilion.
Fast-forward twenty years. In 2006, BRA began exploring the possibility of converting Long Wharf Pavilion into a restaurant. BRA issued a Request for Proposal to developers and obtained a construction license from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. This is when the Long War for Long Wharf began. Concerned Boston residents contacted NPS headquarters, asking about potential LWCF restrictions on the pavilion.
(AR 277-82). NPS forwarded these questions to DCS, where a state employee found in its records a 1983 map of Long Wharf with "Long Wharf 6-F" in red handwriting. (AR 297). Based on this map, DCS e-mailed NPS in February 2009 and stated that Long Wharf Pavilion was not located in the 6(f) restricted area. An NPS employee in Philadelphia replied via e-mail that he concurred with DCS's findings. (AR 277). As a result, DCS informed BRA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection that it could move forward with converting Long Wharf Pavilion into a restaurant, assuming certain minor accommodations.2 (AR 284).
But that is not the end of the story. In 2012, NPS changed its position after being contacted by two retired NPS employees. The employees had read an article about citizens appealing the Department of Environmental Protection's decision to issue BRA its construction license. They then contacted NPS, recalling that the Long Wharf Pavilion was inside the 6(f) restricted area established by the 1981 LWCF grant. In response, NPS asked DCS to send over the 1983 map from its file. NPS also dug into its own records and uncovered the 1980 map. (AR 288-96). It saw the notation on the map: "6f boundary map 3/27/80." It also found the metes and bounds description of the project area. Based on these documents, NPS changed its mind in December 2012 and found that Long Wharf Pavilion was part of the 6(f) restricted area. (AR 301). An NPS official stated: "The darken shaded area associated with the Phase I proposed development at this site is the limit of the 6(f) boundary area." (AR 301).
BRA met with NPS at Boston City Hall in April 2014 to convince NPS that it should rely on the 1983 map instead of the 1980 map. But BRA was unsuccessful. (Docket No. 58-3:49). NPS issued its final decision in June 2014, reiterating that "the map dated March 27, 1980 is the original Section 6(f)(3) map." (AR 303). BRA now challenges the decision under the LWCF Act, APA, Declaratory Judgment Act, and the judicial estoppel doctrine.
BRA argues that Long Wharf Pavilion does not fall into the 6(f) restricted area established by the 1981 LWCF grant for two reasons: (1) NPS's decision to rely on the 1980 map to define the 6(f) restricted area is arbitrary, capricious, not in accordance with law, or without observance of procedure required by law; and (2) NPS should be judicially estopped from relying on the 1980 map after initially taking the position in 2009 that the Long Wharf Pavilion did not fall into the 6(f) restricted area. Both of these arguments miss the mark.
The first issue is whether NPS violated the APA when it concluded that Long Wharf Pavilion falls into the 6(f) restricted area. BRA argues that: (1) the parties never agreed to the 1980 map defining the 6(f) restricted area; (2) the 6(f) restricted area in the 1980 map is inconsistent with other documents in NPS's records; (3) many areas in NPS's alleged 6(f) restricted area have been used for purely commercial purposes since 1980; (4) NPS has taken different positions regarding the scope of the 6(f) restricted area; (5) BRA did not have the authority to assent to the expansive 6(f) restricted area listed in the 1980 map; (6) the 1980 map did not conform to the requirements set forth in the LWCF manual; and (7) NPS would have discovered the flaws in the 1980 map if it had properly conducted closeout procedures when the Long Wharf grant was closed in 1986. But none of these attacks on NPS's decision succeed.
The appropriate scope of review is set forth in the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Under the APA, courts may set aside agency actions, findings, and conclusions if they are "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law." 5 U.S.C. § 706(2). An agency decision fails this test "if the agency relies on improper factors, failed to consider pertinent aspects of the problem, offered a rationale contradicting the evidence before it, or reached a conclusion so implausible that it cannot be attributed to a difference of opinion or the application of agency expertise." Massachusetts v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comm'n , 708 F.3d 63, 73 (1st Cir.2013) (quotation marks omitted).
Ordinarily, APA review is limited to the administrative record. Lovgren v. Locke , 701...
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