Verona, Inc. v. Mayor and Council of Borough of West Caldwell

• Decision Date: 08 May 1967
• Docket Number: No. A--93,A--93
• Parties: VERONA, INC., a New Jersey Corporation, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. The MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF the BOROUGH OF WEST CALDWELL, in the County of Essex, Board of Adjustment of the Borough of West Caldwell and Joseph Marziale, Building Inspector and Zoning Officer of the Borough of West Caldwell, Defendants-Appellants.
• Court: New Jersey Supreme Court

Page 274

49 N.J. 274

229 A.2d 651

VERONA, INC., a New Jersey Corporation, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. The MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF the BOROUGH OF WEST CALDWELL, in the County of Essex, Board of Adjustment of the Borough of West Caldwell and Joseph Marziale, Building Inspector and Zoning Officer of the Borough of West Caldwell, Defendants-Appellants.

No. A--93.

Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Argued March 21, 1967.

Decided May 8, 1967.

John J. McDonough, Newark, for appellants (Darby & McDonough, Newark, attorneys, Andrew W. Kleppe, Newark, on the brief).

Joseph A. Weisman, Newark, for respondent (Hannoch, Weisman, Myers, Stern & Besser, Newark, attorneys, Joseph A. Weisman and Ralph M. Lowenbach, Newark, on the brief).

The opinion of the court was delivered by

PROCTOR, J.

This case arises under the zoning ordinance of the Borough of West Caldwell. Plaintiff sought permission to extend its parking lot into an adjoining area zoned for residence and also sought a variance from the rear yard requirements applicable to its commercial building. The Board of Adjustment after public hearing recommended approval of both requests. The Mayor and Council by resolution denied both applications. Plaintiff brought this action in lieu of prerogative writ challenging the denial of its requests. However, at the pretrial conference the application for a variance from the rear yard requirements was expressly withdrawn. The trial judge found for plaintiff and ordered that plaintiff be granted a special exception for parking as requested. We certified the appeal to this Court before argument in the Appellate Division.

When the plaintiff made application to the Board of Adjustment it was the contract purchaser of some nine acres of land in West Caldwell, part of the tract being in a B--3 Highway Business District Zone fronting on Passaic Avenue near the intersection of that street and Bloomfield Avenue, and the remainder of the tract being in an R--3 Residence Zone. Plaintiff had received a building permit authorizing it to construct on its property in the Business Zone a large building designed for use as a Shop-Rite Market together with a lot designed to provide parking for 192 cars. Plaintiff desired to extend its parking lot 77 feet to the south and 100 feet to the east into the adjoining land which it owned that was zoned for residence use. ¹ The residential land to the east which plaintiff wanted to use for parking was already bordered on its northerly side by a parking lot for a large shopping center which fronts on Bloomfield Avenue.

At the hearing before the Board of Adjustment, due notice of which had been given to interested parties, plaintiff offered testimony to support its request. A stenographic record was made of the proceedings. Section 601(d)(7) of the West Caldwell zoning ordinance reads:

'Parking areas for business use shall be permitted in adjoining residential zones for a distance not exceeding 100 feet, provided said area is contiguous to the lot upon which the main business building is located; and provided an application is made to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a special variance and recommendation after hearing upon notice to adjoining property owners as provided by statute in such case made and provided.'

The president of plaintiff corporation testified that the application was designed to meet the requirements of this section. ² The architect who designed the building gave his opinion that a supermarket of the size for which the building permit had been issued should have parking for some 330 cars as would be provided by the requested extension. He said that the smaller lot originally planned, though it might meet the legal minimum for issuance of a building permit, would cause congestion and back-ups in the lot and on the street. Plaintiff's next witness, an expert parking and traffic consultant, gave his opinion that the larger parking lot would not increase the number of cars coming to the market but would relieve traffic problems which would be caused by congestion because of the smaller lot. An expert city planner, who was acquainted with the zoning ordinances of West Caldwell, then testified that the proposed parking lot extension would not have any detrimental effect on the public good or to the intent and purpose of the zoning plan. Finally, a qualified real estate expert gave his opinion that the extension as proposed would not adversely affect the value of nearby residential property.

No expert testimony was presented to contradict the evidence offered by plaintiff. However, several persons owning property in the vicinity voiced their objection to the supermarket generally and to any extension of its effects.

The extension of the parking lot as proposed contained many factors designed to minimize the effects of the lot on adjoining property. Some of these factors were required by the zoning ordinance itself. ³ In addition, plaintiff agreed to set aside as a buffer the last 50 feet of the 150 feet it owned in the residence zone to the east of its property in the business district. This buffer area would keep its trees and other growth in a natural state.

The Board of Adjustment found that under the proposed expansion the number of cars using the facilities would not be substantially increased; the flow of traffic on Passaic Avenue and inside the parking area would be substantially improved; and the amount of light and air surrounding the building would be increased. The board determined that the relief requested could be granted without substantial detriment to the public good and without substantial impairment of the intent and purpose of the Borough's zone plan and zoning ordinance because: 1) the zoning ordinance in section 601(d)(7) envisioned such parking areas in adjacent residential zones; 2) the proposed plan with its buffer area would not substantially affect property owners to the east; 3) the flow of traffic would be greatly improved; and 4) the 150 feet to the east of the Business District would be virtually unusable for any residential development. The board recommended the approval of the application on conditions which, added to those conditions required by ordinance, would further minimize any effect the increased parking lot would have on the neighboring properties. ⁴

The Mayor and Council by resolution denied the application of plaintiff as recommended by the Board of Adjustment. They based this denial on findings that the proposed extension would be an encroachment in an area zoned against such use and would be detrimental to the public good and the spirit, purpose and intent of the zoning plan and ordinance. ⁵ The defendants admitted by stipulation that the Mayor and Council in denying plaintiff's application did not predicate their determination on the testimony given at the proceedings before the Board of Adjustment and did not have available the transcript of those proceedings. They did not purport to take evidence in reaching their decision.

Plaintiff then brought the present action in lieu of prerogative writ in the Superior Court, Law Division. The trial judge determined that plaintiff's application to extend its lot was for a special exception and came under N.J.S.A. 40:55--39(b). The trial judge held that on the evidence presented to the Board of Adjustment the plaintiff was entitled to the relief requested under section 601(d)(7) of the zoning ordinance. He therefore set aside the decision of the Mayor and Council and ordered the building inspector of the Borough to issue a building permit to plaintiff to construct and use the proposed parking lot under the conditions set forth in the recommendation of the Board of Adjustment.

On this appeal defendants argue: 1) that plaintiff's request in substance was for a use variance and not a special exception under the zoning ordinance; and 2) even if it was a special exception, the Mayor and Council properly exercised their discretion in denying the application.

The basic difference between a use which is a special exception and one which requires a variance is that the former is legislatively Permitted in a zone subject to controls whereas the latter is legislatively Prohibited but may be allowed for special reasons. See the comprehensive discussion of this distinction by Justice (then Judge) Hall in Tullo v. Millburn Tp., 54 N.J.Super. 483, 490--491, 149 A.2d 620 (App.Div.1959); see also Cunningham, 'Control of Land Use in New Jersey,' 14 Rutgers L.Rev. 37, 79--80 (1959), and 1 Metzenbaum, Law of Zoning, Ch. IX--f--2--b, 813--838 (2d ed. 1955). The West Caldwell zoning ordinance in section 601(d) expressly authorizes parking lots in residence zones where the lot will service a contiguous commercial property and other conditions are met. The ordinance thus legislatively recognizes that parking lots may be a proper use of property zoned for residence. This legislative decision that a particular use is to be permitted in a zone subject to controls is a procedure authorized by N.J.S.A. 40:55--39(b). Plaintiff's request to extend its parking lot is therefore properly considered under the standards applicable to special exceptions to zoning ordinances. The inartistic term 'special variance' appearing in section 601(d)(7) to describe the nature of the application does not negative the crucial fact that the use is legislatively permitted.

An applicant for a special exception must show that the requested exception can be granted without...