HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Min 1990-04-25
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CITY OF SEAL BEACH
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 25, 1990
ADJOURNED MEETING
The adjourned meeting of the Seal Beach Planning Commission was
called to order on Apr1l 25, 1990 at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Sharp.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. McCurdy.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Cha1rman Sharp
Commissioners Rullo, F1fe, McCurdy, Forsythe
Also
Present:
Lee Whittenberg, D1rector, Dev. Srvcs. Dept.
Barry Curt1s, Admin. Asst., Dev. Srvcs. Dept.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1.
MINUTES OF APRIL 18, 1990
MOTION by Rullo; SECOND by McCUrdy to approve the Minutes
of April 18, 1990 as presented.
MOTION CARRIED 5 - 0
AYES: Rullo, Fife, McCUrdy, Sharp, Forsythe
PUBLIC HEARINGS
2. VARIANCE 1-90
242 FIFTH STREET, SEAL BEACH
Staff Report
Mr. Curtis presented the staff report. Var1ance 1-90 is a request,
by applicants Rory and Andrew Hitchcock and Kurt DeMeire, to vary
from Sect10n 28-801(1) of the Code. At the Planning Commiss1on
meeting of March 21, 1990 the question was posed whether these
applicants would be requ1red to pay Park and Recreat10n fees.
Staff conferences with the City Attorney's Office determined that
the proposed subdivision would require the ded1cat1on of park land
or an 1n-lieu fee payment. If granted, Variance 1-90 would require
the applicants to pay a fee of $150,000 to subd1vide two parcels
from the existing three parcels. Staff recommended the Planning
Commission request the city Council undertake a Code amendment to
Section 21-32 to provide for minor subdiv1sions. Staff recommended
the applicants withdraw their request for the present time.
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Page 2 - Planning Commiss1on M1nutes of April 25, 1990
If the zoning text amendment is adopted, this variance request
would become unnecessary. Mr. Curtis presented two letters for the
Record from Michelle A. Brendel and Larry Peters (attached).
commission Comments
Mr. Sharp asked if the Code amendment would be City-wide? Mr.
curtis said it would be specif1c to the Old Town area where the
maJority of the eX1sting lots are already 25' wide and noted
problems arise when a half lot is attached to another lot.
Mr. Sharp asked how many lots are 1nvolved on First Street where
the boat lot is? Mr. Curtis sa1d it's one lot to be subdivided for
condominiums. Theoret1cally it could be subd1vided down to three
to four lots if 1t were in D1strict 1 but it's not in District 1.
Mr. Rullo asked staff how could th1S situat1on, where the two homes
are built now, be considered as part of a future zoning text
amendment? Mr. curtis expla1ned that the two homes at 242 Fifth
Street are built as two units on a single lot and meet the set-back
requ1rements for two separate lots.
Public Hearing
Kurt DeMe1re * 321 8th Street
Mr. DeMeire sa1d they cannot pay the $150,000 park fees and
withdrew their application for Variance 1-90. He hopes the City
Council amends the QQgg to allow eventual sub-division of the lot.
He sa1d these houses are their homes and are not speculat10n houses
for re-sale.
Bruce Stark * Old Town
Mr. Stark commented that h1S w1fe, Michelle Brendell, was a prior
owner of the property at 242 Fifth Street and not a prospect1ve
purchaser. She sold it to a party who then sold it to the present
owners. He questioned why the Planning Commission was considering
the 1ssue now, after these houses have been bU11 t. Mr. Stark
pointed out that a 25'x 117' lot in Old Town sells today for about
$300,000. He said he thought th1S property sold for about $388,000
for 50' frontage.
No one w1shed to speak further and the Public Hearing was closed.
Mr. Wh1 ttenberg responded to the question of why the fee was
discussed at this time rather than at the time the un1ts were built
by saying that these fees are applicable at the time a subd1v1s1on
of the property is proposed. When the 1nitial permits for the
homes were issued there was no subdivision proposed and therefore
no fees were required at that time.
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Page 3 - Planning Commission M1nutes of April 25, 1990
Commission Comments
MOTION by F1fe; SECOND by Forsythe to accept the request by the
applicant to withdraw the application.
MOTION CARRIED 5 - 0
AYES: Rullo, Fife, Mccurdy, Sharp, Forsythe
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MOTION by Rullo; SECOND by Fife to ask staff to investigate a
zoning text amendment and bring a report back to the Planning
Commission as soon as possible. Staff is instructed to investigate
how many of these similarly situated properties are in town so the
commission can estimate the potential loss of Quimby fees.
MOTION CARRIED: 5 - 0
AYES: Rullo, Fife, Mccurdy, Sharp, ForSYthe
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3. HELLMAN RANCH/MOLA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Chairman Sharp announced that this 1tem will be postponed until the
regularly scheduled meeting of May 2, 1990.
Chairman Sharp asked Mr. Whittenberg if the meeting of May 2, 1990
could be started earlier due to the anticipated length of that
meeting? Mr. Whittenberg said the meeting must be at its regular
time ... 7:30 p.m.
MOTION by Rullo; SECOND by Fife to continue the item as specified
on the Agenda to the meeting of May 2, 1990.
MOTION CARRIED: 5 - 0
AYES: Rullo, Fife, Mccurdy, Sharp, ForsYthe
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ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Bruce Stark * Old Town
Mr. Stark sa1d, assuming a zoning text amendment passes (permitt1ng
25' x 100' lots in Old Town as a m1nimum size) ... it seemed to him
that a lot split or sub-division of a parcel would generate Quimby
Act fees regardless of whether the Code approved 2500 or 25,000
square foot lots. Mr. Sharp sa1d we are trying to see if a fee
structure could be set up where the fees would not be as high for
a small sub-division as they are for a large sub-d1v1sion.
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Page 4 - Planning Commission Minutes of April 25, 1990
Mr. Stark asked if he assumed that the ZTA reducing the minimum
lot size from 5000 square feet to 2500 square feet also encompasses
a reduction 1n the Quimby Act fees that would be generated?
Mr. Whittenberg said, as he understood the Commiss1on, there are
two separate areas of consideration: (1) to research and
1nvestigate whether it makes sense to reduce the minimum lot size
in the Old Town area down to a minimum lot width of 25' and [a
separate 1 tern to be considered concurrently] ( 2) the concern
regarding Quimby Act fees. Staff is to prepare an impact report
for the Commiss1on identifying the eX1sting numbers of lots in the
community that could possibly be sub-divided under the proposed
25' lot size and estimate the number of 1ncoming dollars under the
exist1ng provisions of the Code (under Quimby Act fees). Plus a
d1SCUSS1on as to what other c1ties currently use for their Quimby
fees based on small sub-divisions as opposed to a large sub-
d1vis1ons. The report is to 1nclude a consideration of a differing
fee structures between, for example, a four lot sub-division or
less and a different fee structure for a five-lot sub-div1sion or
more.
Mr. Fife asked staff if, since the Quimby Act is State legislation,
the City Attorney would comment on whether or not we could wa1ve
whatever benefits the State legislat10n was intended to confer?
Mr. Whittenberg said yes.
Mr. Stark noted land is unique and wondered why Seal Beach would
care what other cities were doing? Mr. Whittenberg said the City's
area of concern would be directed toward how cities handle the
Quimby Act fees for small vs. large sUbdiv1sions, not to lot sizes.
The lot sizes in Old Town are unique to the community. Mr. Stark
said staff should explore the numbers of acres of parks in other
cities because Seal Beach is very short of parks. Do they require
one acre of parks for every 5000 people? Seal Beach has few City-
owned parks the greenbelt is not City-owned, it's a
Redevelopment Project, the City leases Edison Park and the park in
College Park East 1S s1tting on borrowed land from the air station.
Kurt DeMeire * 321 8th Street
Mr. DeMeire commented that 1f one of the concerns is income
generated for the City, he thought the City would want to demolish
the high density income units which generate little income due to
Proposition 13 and encourage new housing.
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Page 5 - Planning Commission Minutes of Aprl1 25, 1990
STAFF CONCERNS
Mr. Whittenberg said he would be conductlng a public workshop to
get input on the Housing Element. It wll1 be held on Monday,
April 30, 1990 at 7:00 p.m. in City Councl1 Chambers. This is for
all persons wishing to discuss the Housing Element proposals before
the Planning Commission. Copies of the Housing Element with
revisions will be available to the public on Friday, Aprl1 27th.
COMMISSION CONCERNS
Chairman Sharp said that Mr. McCurdy will be on a previously
scheduled cruise which will take place during the 5-2-90 Planning
CommlSSlon meeting.
Mr. Fife asked staff about 320 Coastline, where Mr. Dutton had
built a spa into his side yard setbacks. Mr. Whittenberg replied
that in March nOlse studies were done by the Orange County
Environmental Management Agency along Paciflc Coast Hlghway and
Seal Beach Blvd. They did nOlse measurements in the rear yards
where the walls were six foot in some yards and eight foot in other
yards. Staff wanted to see lf the lncreased height of a wall
actually made any difference in noise levels. The results of those
measurements have not come back to the Planning Department; it is
anticipate they wll1 be back to staff by mid-May. Once staff has
looked at those numbers they will then begln formulating some ideas
and will report back to the Commission.
Mr. Fife asked what the status was on 1733 Crestview where the
patio encroaches into Gum Grove Park. Mr. Curtis said this matter
was forwarded to the City Attorney last week. Staff has been
unable to reach the property owner for the last month and he has
exceeded the deadline put on this matter by staff.
Mr. Rullo asked is staff had gotten any further with ticketing
offenders for varlOUS violatlons. Mr. Whlttenberg said he met with
the City Attorney on 4-24-90 and they are still doing research and
background work on this matter. Staff hopes to have some more
information on thls at the end of June.
ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Sharp adJourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
c\o~~'"'
Joan Fillmann
Secretary
Department of Development Services
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Page 6 - Planning commission Minutes of April 25, 1990
These Mlnutes are tentative and are subject to Planning Commission
approval.
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The Planning Commission Minutes of April 25, 1990 were approved by
the Planning Commission on 5-q -'10
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Mr. Lee Wh1ttenberg
D1rector, Dept. of Development
C1ty of Seal Beach
211 8th Street
Seal Beach, Ca. 90740
219 Seal Beach Bl. #A
Seal Beach,Ca. 90740
Apr11 25, 1990
Serv1ces
Re: 242 & 242-1/2 5th Street, Var1ance 1-90 & Zon1ng Text Amendment
Dear Mr. Wh1ttenberg:
I am a pr10r owner of the above property. The parcel cons1sts of one 25'
lot down the m1ddle and a half lot or 12-1/2' on e1ther s1de. I was told by
the C1ty I would have to pay 1n-11eu park land ded1cat10n fees to subd1v1de
th1s'lproperty so that two s1ngle fam11y homes could be bU11 t and sold. I
understand others have been told the same 1nformat10n.
The property has been sold for cons1derably less than the pr1ce for two
s1de-by-s1de 25' lots due to these fees. The cost of the parcel plus the
1n-11eu fees for subd1v1s10n more closely approx1mates the cost of purchase
of two s1de-by-s1de 25' lots wh1ch th1s property 1S not at th1s t1me.
The current owners bought th1s parcel at s1qn1f1cantly below market 1f you
want to cons1der th1s 2 s1de-by-s1de 25' lots wh1ch 1t 1S not. I understand
the property sold for approx1mately $388,000. Current tax rolls show a full
value of $395,760 for th1s property wh1ch probably reflects the sel11ng pr1ce
of some $388,000 x 1.02% per Prop. 13.
Wouldn't everyone love to purchase property far below market that carr1es
. a cloud on the property and have C1ty cooperat10n 1n substant1ally ra1s1ng
the1r property values through Zon1ng Text Amendments, etc? Your own staff
report of 4-25-90 shows that 25% of a s1ngle fam11y lot has a fa1r market
value of $75,000 and therefore 1t follows that you accept that a lot has at
least a fa1r market value of $300,000 wh1ch 1S most 11kely conservat1ve.
Forg1v1ng the 1n-11eu fees, or allow1ng subd1v1s10n w1thout the fees by
enactment of a Zon1ng Text Amendment 1S s1mply g1v1ng these owners a g1ft
of $300,000 or more.
I be11eve there has never been ~n 1ntent to bU11d the two condos on th1s
property and I be11eve the C1ty 1S cooperat1ng w1th th1s decept1on. The
C1ty f11e on the property shows a letter from the Coastal Comm1SS1on dated
10-3-88 and descr1bes the proposed development as "construct10n of 2 s1ngle
fam11y dwel11ngs, 23 feet h1gh, w1th 6 parkIng spaces." Var1ance App11cat10n
s1gned by owner DeMe1re states"Two condos attached at the garage have
already been approved. We are applY1ng for two totally separate condos."
Pub11c not1ce 1n the Journal 4-6-89 referred to, "Request to construct two
separate condom1m1ums 1n 11eu of the approved plans wh1ch call for two
attached condom1n1ums at 242 and 242-1/2 5th Street,Sedl Beach. II
Var1ance 3-89 also allowed for wa1ver of a ten foot setback between dwel11ng
un1ts on the same lot. However, th1s wa1ver 1S not noted 1n the pub11shed
not1ce of pub11c hear1ng and appears 1nappropr1ate w1thout not1ce.
The bU11d1ng perm1t #1331 dated 10-26-89 1S for "2 Apts.", but on the
copy the word "condos" 1S 1nserted before"Apts." and then scratched out.
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Var1ance 1-90 1S be1ng- heard at an "adJourned" Plimn1ng Comm1SSIon meet1ng
wh1ch appears to be an InapproprIate forum. I be11eve 1t should be heard
at a regularly scheduled meet1ng of the Plann1ng Comm1ss10n when res1dents
regularly expect the Plann1ng Comm1ss10n.
4.:l..5.qo &bm;mcL Fol<. THe lCeCt>e/) *
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Any wa1ver of the park fees and/or the proposed Zon1ng Text Amendment to
decrease the m1n1mum lot Slze 1n D1str1ct 1 1S slmply a glft to the current
owners and may subJect the C1ty to Ilt1gat1on from others who d1d not rece1ve
such spec1al prlvllege. Spec1f1cally, In add1t1on to the property at
242 & 242-1/2 Flfth Street, another lndlvldual in town known to be a C1ty
"favorlte" stands to ga1n between several hundred thousand and several
m1ll1on dollars In econom1C advantage by the proposed ZTA.
Owners of 242 & 242-1/2 F1fth Street have appeared at the Plann1ng COffiM1ssion
and compla1ned that they are hav1ng problems gettlng permanent f1nanclng
and therefore need C1ty ass1stance. Flrst, th1s 1S not the C1ty'S problem
as many property owners have f1nanc1ng problems due to the part1cular
character1st1cs of the1r property, and secondly, I have spoken wlth a number
of lenders and f1nd that f1nanc1ng 1S easlly ava1lable on condos up to
2 m1ll1on dollars WhlCh should certa1nly cover the needs of these owners.
Th1S 1S my protest as to any wa1ver of the 1n-l1eu fees and obJect1ons to
the proposed Zon1ng Text Amendment to decrease the m1n1mum lot Slze 1n
D1str1ct 1. Please see that th1S letter lS conta1ned 1n packets on both
these tOp1CS. For conven1ence, e1ght coples attached for 4-25-90 meet1ng.
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M1C elle A. Brendel, Ph.D.1
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To: Clty of Seal Beach
211 8th St
Seal Beach
Plannlng Co~~ and Clty Cou~cll
Dear Slr or Madam,
On the Zonlng Text Amendments to create s~aller lots
there are a number of 1ssues ralsed.
1.The reference to D1str1ct I 1n the papers reportlng the ZTA and Var1ance 1-90
1S unclear and fuzzy. Do you mean Councll D1str1ct I or Plannlng
Dlstrlct I?
2.If the lot S1zes downtown are made smaller, 1.e. 25XIOOft or 2500 sq ft
what happens for lots that are 25 X 1l7.5ft 1n s1ze? It appears that the
back 17.5 ft of the lot 1.n the RHO area gets "non-conformed". Also the
'tak1ng' of that port10n off the leglt1mate lot Slze could be used for
re-development purposes. For example, a common rede~elop~ent trlck 1S to
take prlvate property for a street 1mprovement. Very easlly,then, a flfty
foot wlde roadway can be constructed where the alleys are In the RHD
Resldentlal Hlgh denslty -zoned areas. That lS, 17.5ft off the backs of
each propert; along wlth the 15ft aIle:' 17 5+.17 5ft + a~le; "'ldth of 15ft
equal~ 50 ft
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P.O. B~;; ;;~:2lS ;~a 0> fs
Seal B :\'
4-25-90 /\
EIGHT COPIES ARE ATTACHED. PLEASE GIVE ONE
~O EACH PLANNING COMMISSIONER FOR MEETING 4-25-90
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3.The creatlon of 2500 sq ft lot~ an)w~ere ln town at thl~ 1990 date could
be used as precedent -settlng and be requested by OthEl~ In the lssue
of wldenlng Bolsa, the Clty ltself could be the requestor The scenarlO
for Bolsa lS that there lS a strlng of Hlgh TenSlon Ilnes runnl~g along
Bolsa to Seal Beach Blvd. The) Slt on an easment. The c ler of record
1S the key here and as al most half of the 66ft wlde ea5e~ent lays
on the street and sldewalk, the Clty lS 'owner of record Tnat lS 30ft
of the easement lS pub11d land and 36ft 1.n the back yard of the home-
owners. The tak1.ng of the 36ft off the length of the prlvate homeowners
property would create lots of....2500 sq ft. So the Zonlng Text Amendment
WhlCh lS an amen~ent of the general Plan,the Clty'S operatlng document,
could well be applled here and be hard to avold such reS~est for appllcatlon
Perhaps thlS wldenlng of Bolsa lssue lS the reason then ~I) the ZTA comes
up now and Var 1-90 lS smokescreen
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4.In the Land Use Plan the Resolutlon 3735 shows that there are eXlstlng
low denslty areas.1they lnclude Marlna H1Il ColI pk East and West and are
mentloned as be1ng stable and not changlng much. Further Resolutlon 3735
dated recently as passed in Dec 1987 states that "NO ADDIDITIONAL LOW
DENSITY RESIDENTIAL USE IS PROPOSED FOR THE CITY" (emphasls added).
Therefore one can only conclude that the Mola proJect on the Hellman ranch
1.S to be cons1dered as Med1urn dens1ty development. Med1um Dens1ty 1.S
descr1.bed as m1n1mum lot area of 2500 sq ft per dwell1.ng unlt. Also ment1.oned
separately 1.5 2500 sq ft per dwel11ng un1.t 1n D1.st I so of PCH. Med denslty
allows for s1.ngle fam11vhous1ng in clusters,townhouses, two-famlly houslng
on a lot etc. If no add1t10nal low density was and 1.S proposed for the Clty
then lS the Hellman Ranch to be medlum denslty? And wlth lots of 2500 sq ft?
Perhaps then the Zon1.ng Text Amendment consldered for reductlon of lot
S1zes 1.S to empower thlS part of the Land use Element belng clted as backgrou
for hous1ng. element stud1es updated to comply w1.th Wetlands Soc1.ety laWsult.
What 1S good fOr gQose...and the Mola can c1te th1.s to allow smaller lot
sizes out there. That is the 130+ homes of 50 X 100 ft lots Ban be Spllt
to create 260 lots and all reslde on the hlgh area between the Hlll and pollce
Station.
ThlS Zonln9 Text ammendrnent creates more non-conformlng property andfuakes for
bad planning by creat1ng problems 1n other areas of Seal Beach J
Larry Peters
a;~?yrc
4- 2.5. C[o --.suh~cL +ole.. The ~ecoec::, ~
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WHAT CAN PUBLIC AGENCIES DO TO PROTECT
THE PUBLIC INTEREST AFTER FIRST ENGLISH
AND NOLLAN?
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HAS THE SUPREME COURT CAST AN INSTANT
PALL ON LAND USE CONTROLS?
The edltors of the Los Angeles Times characterlzed
the Supreme Court's declslon ln Flrst Engllsh Evangeli~
Lutheran Church of Glendale v. County of Los Angeles _
("First English Church") that the Constltution requires Just
compensation for over-regulatlon, as castlng an "lnstant
pall on state and local land use controls at a tlme when
such controls are crltlcal to tS~ orderly development and
protectlon of the environrnent."_1 The Times edltorial
worrled that planning agencies may be paralyzed by fear of
facing huge monetary judgments and suggests that the
validlty of routlne land use regulations may be put ln doubt
br the Supre~e C~4rt's rullng. Other newspapers echoed the
Tlmes pesslmlsm._1
Developers' attorneys j~bllantly pronounced Nollan
v. Callfornla Coastal Comrnlsslon_/ the death knell to the
Comrnlssion's beach access program and predlcted an end to
"extortlons" for development permits. Michael Berger,
comrnentlng on Flrst English Church and Nollan, wrote ln the
Dally Journal liThe recent declsions represent merely the tlp
of a large lceberg; much of the Supreme Court's land use
attention during the past decade has focused on
California." Mr. Berger says prop~7[ty owners want the
recent land use decislons applied._ At the same time
publlC officials, particularly ln Callfornla's coastal
areas, are faced wlth development pressures that threaten to
overwhelm and destroy our quality of life. For example,
over 80% of Callfornlans llve wlthln a one hour drlve of the
coast. As observed by the L.A. Times "If coastal protectlon
lS relaxed rather6than strengthened, the hour's drlve mlght
not be worth It."_1
In the last lssue of the Callfornla Real Property
Journal, Marsh and Rosenthal correctly observed that lithe
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constltutlonal and analytlc tools of the CO~7t are far too
llmlted to brlng about the needed balance."-
ThlS wrlter agrees wlth the above pOlnt, but
respectfully dlssents from Marsh and Rosenthal's suggestlon
(WhlCh echoes that of developers' attorneys), that Flrst
Engllsh Church and Nollan rePa~sents a dramatlc break wlth
flfty years of ]urlsprudence.-/
The Supreme Court's Recent Declslons
Should Not Inhlblt Reasonable Land Use
Regulatlon.
In contrast to the two well publlclzed oplnlons
noted above, a thlrd land use case declded by the Supreme
Court thlS term went almost unnotlced. In Ke,~tone
Bltumlnous Coal Assoclatlon v. De Benedlctls,- ("Keystone
Coal") the court upheld a regulatlon almost ldentlcal to the
one struck d~~q Slxty flve years ago In Pennsylvanla Coal
Co. v. Mahon--/, where Chlef Justlce Ollver Wendell Holmes,
Jr. lnvoked a constltutlonal debate by statlng "If
regulatlon goes too far lt wlll be recognlzed as a
tak1ng".
The "taklng" debate has pltted the reserved power
of state and local government r~/exerclse the pollce power
for health, safety and welfare__ agalnst the Just
compensatlon clause of the fifth amendment to the United
States Constltution. For the last slxty-flve years
government lawyers have argued that a sufflclent remedy for
a land use regulatlon that goes too far 1S 1nvalldatlon of
the regulatlon under the due process clause of the
Constltutlon. First Engllsh Church has settled that
debate. Developer and landowner attorneys have now
persuaded a maJorlty of the court that Just compensatlon lS
requ1red by the f1fth amendment for even a temporary tak1ng.
Whlle the constltutlonal debate has ended, the h1gh
court's oplnlons thlS term do not In any way suggest that
reasonable land use regulat10ns wlll subJect local
government to damages or that government should refra1n from
condltlonlng development on the provlslon of land
dedlcatlons, 1mpact fees, and other exactlons.
On the contrary, government may stlll proht~7t
cltlzens from ra1sing livestock 1n thelr backyards,--
proh1bt~/cltlzens from runn1ng buslnesses In res1dent1al
areas,-- requ1re exactlons to m1tigate 1mpacts of
development and put a temporary hold on deYi7opment. The
court's prlor decls10n In Aglns v. Tiburon-- limltlng a
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developer to one house for everyone, two or f1ve acres was
not overruled, but aff1rmed in F1rst Engl1sh Churc~5,nd
Nollan. Government may st1ll proh1b1t at~/use of,-- or
even destroy property that is dangerous.-- But 1f a
regulat10n den1es a landowner all use of h1S or her property
w1thout val1d ]ust1f1cat1on, or 1f a ded1cat1on cond1t1on 1S
not reasonably related to the 1mpacts caused by the develop-
ment, the government may be requ1red to pay compensat1on.
It 1S 1nterest1ng to note that none of the cases
1nvolved the typ1cal local regulat10n of a developer's
des1re to bU1ld a h1gh dens1ty proJect on sens1t1ve coastal
property. Each of the cases 1nvolved un1que facts Wh1Ch
cannot be app11ed across the board to all res1dent1al and
commerc1al development of v1rg1n land.
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The Rul1ng In F1rst Engl1sh Church Is No B1g
Surpr1se.
It lS not surpr1s1ng that the Un1ted States Supreme
Court ~~~ ruled that the f1fth amendment Just compensat1on
clause--I of the Un1ted States Const1tut1on obl1gates the
payment of 1nter1m damages 1f a government regulat10n
amounts to even a temporary tak1ng of property. Before
ta79, when the Cal1forn1a Supreme Court in Ag1ns v. T1buron
__I held that "lnverse condemnat1on lS an 1nappropr1ate and
undes1rab1e remedy 1n cases in which unconst1tut1onal
regulat10n lS alleged," most government lawyers assumed
damages m1ght be awarded 1n a proper case. Slnce at least
1981, when f1ve ]Ust1ces of the Un1ted StateI Supreme Court
1n San D1ego Gas & Electric Co. v. San D1ego~/ 1nd1cated
compensation might be constitutionally required and Just1ce
Brennan stated "[alfter all, 1f a poliS8man must know the
Const1tut1on then why not a p1anner?,"--1 we have been
expect1ng a rul1ng to that effect from the h1gh court.21/
What lS surpr1s1ng lS the veh1cle the court chose
to make 1tS pronouncement--a case where the regulat10n
appears to be clearly ]ust1f1ed on 1tS face. In F1rst
Engl1sh Church, Ch1ef Just1ce Rehnqu1st, ]olned by Just1ces
Brennan, White, Marshall, Powell and Scal1a, reached the
remedy without f1nd1ng a wrong. The Court expressly dld not
dec1de whether Los Angeles County's inter1m flood ord1nance
(enacted as an urgency measure after a f1re and flash flood
destroyed ten llves and a camp for hand1capped ch1ldren)
actually den1ed the church "all use of 1tS property or
whether the county m1ght avo1d the conclus1on that a
compens1ble tak1ng had occurred by establ1sh1ng that the
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den1al of all use was 1nsulated as a pa2~ of the State's
author1ty to enact safety regulat1ons.,,_1 As stated by
Just1ce Stevens, d1ssent1ng:
"[I]t 1S 1mperat1ve to stress that the
court does not hold that appellant 1S
ent1tled to compensat1on as a result of
the flood protect1on regulat10n that the
county enacted. No matter whether the
regulat10n 1S treated as one that
depr1ves appellant of 1tS property on a
permanent or temporary bas1s, the court's
precedents demonstrate the type of
regulatory program at23~sue here cannot
const1tute a tak1ng."_1
Also 1t is 1mportant to stress that the Court d1d
not hold, as suggested by some developers' attorneys, that
all (or any) temporary morator1ums are per se a tak1ng. The
term temporary tak1ng refers to the t1me when an otherw1se
permanent regulat10n was 1n effect before be1ng 1nvalidated
by a Court or w1thdrawn by a publ1C agency. Temporary
regulat10ns for rezon1ng or other land use purposes would
not ord1narily const1tute a tak1ng -- as stated ~~/the
Un1ted States Supreme Court In Ag1ns v. T1buron._
Only A Narrow Issue Was Dec1ded In First
English Church
The 1ssue dec1ded by the Supreme Court 1n F1rst
Engl1sh Church 1S very narrow:
"Where the government's act1v1t1es have
already worked a tak1ng of all use of
property, no subsequent action by the
government can relieve 1t of the duty to
prov1de compensat1on for the perlod
dur1ng WhlCh the ~glung was effective."
{Emphasis added).__/
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It is apparent that Ch1ef Just1ce Rehnqu1st was
frustrated w1th the Court's repeated fa1lure to reach the
tak1ng question. Four t1mes 1n the last SlX years, after
assum1ng ]ur1sd1ction, the Court ruled that e1ther the
regulat2~~ d1d not constitute a tak1ng, as in Ag1ns v.
T1buron__l, or that factual disputes might still lead to the
conclus1on that no taking had oS9urred, as in MacDonald,
Sommer & Frates v. Yolo County,_ Will1amson County Reg10nal
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Plannlng Comm'n. v. Hamllt~~ IBank~/ and San Dlego Gas &
Electrlc Co. v. San Dlego.--I
ThlS term the Court accepted three land use cases
where a taklng was clalmed: Flrst Engllsh Church, Nollan
and Keystone Coal. As none of the cases presented facts
sufficlent to actually constltute a compenslble taklng, the
Chlef Justlce had to declde38~e remedy In a vacuum, or
"leave lt for another day."-
Curlously, the Court selected from the three
potentlal taklng cases before lt thlS term the case WhlCh
most observers vlewed as the least llkely to constltute a
taklng. Flrst Engllsh Church lnvolved a challenge to Los
Angeles County's lnterlm flood ordlnance adopted as an
urgency measure after a devastatlng flood destroyed llves
and property, lncludlng a retreat and a camp for handlcapped
chlldren owned by the Flrst Engllsh Church. The camp was
sltuated along Mlll Creek, a natural dralnage channel In Los
Angeles County. Only the low lYlng portlon of the Church's
property was affected by the ordlnance.
The ma]Orlty of the Court 1n First Engllsh Church
llmlted ltS dlScusslon and 1tS holdlng to the remedy
avallable lf a temporary taklng 15 found. The Court
speclflcally dld not address whether the ordlnance In
questlon actually effected a taklng. Nor dld it alter the
tests generally employed by the Court for determlnlng
whether a taklng has occurred.
Chlef Justlce Rehnqulst emphaslzed that for
purposes of hlS oplnlon only, the Court assumed that the
moratorlum had deprlved the church of all use of ltS
property for a conSlderable perlod of time. He also
emphaslzed that even lf thlS were true, compensatlon would
not be rj~41red lf the regulatlon was ]ustlfled for safety
reasons._/ As examples of such ]ustlflcatlon, the Chlef
Justlce referred to cases upholdlng the exerClse of the
pollce power prohlbltlng ex~,/vatlons below two feet above
maxlmUID/ground water leve1477 brlck yards In certaln
areasll and a dlstlllery.~1
Justlce Rehnqulst repeatedly emphaslzed hlS
assumptlon that the church was deprlved of all use of ltS
property, and dld not suggest that somethlng less would
amount to a taklng. Slgnlflcant1y, the court stated that
the regulatlon In Agln~, where property was dow~~qned to 1-5
unlts per flve acres" ld not effect a taking."_/
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Slnce at least 1926 ~hen the Supreme Court declded
Euclld v. Ambler Realty Co.,1-1 lt has been establlshed that
(1) a regulatory program does not constltute a taklng unless
lt destroys all reasonable use of the property; (2) state
law deflnes property rlghts; and (3) government may, ln a
proper exerClse of ltS pollce power, substantlally lnterfere
wlth even vested property rlghts to prevent harm. The
Court's declslon ln First English Church does not change
these established land use rules.
The Nollan Case Old Not Slgniflcantly Alter
Land Uses Rules
In Nollan, a 5-4 declslon authored by Justice
Scalia, JOined by Rehnqulst, White, Powell and O'Connor, the
Court held lnvalid as applled to the Nollan's property the
Coastal Commlsslon's requirement that a permit to bUild a
new beachfront house be condltloned on provid1ng publlC
access along that beach. Although the Court stated that 1n
th1S c1rcumstance, 1f the State wanted to prov1de for publ1C
access lt would have to pay for 1t, there was no tak1ng
because the Nollans had bUllt the1r house without complYing
with the cond1t1on.
The Court observed that condlt1on1ng development on
ded1cation of land lS constltutlonal 1f the cond1t1on 1S
designed to serve the same purposes for Wh1Ch the Commission
could deny the permit, but ruled:
"The eVident constltutlonal propriety
disappears, however, 1f the cond1tlon
Subst1tuted for the prohlb1tlon utterly
falls to further the end advanced a1 the
Just1flcation for the prohlbitlon."-1.1
The Court recognized that the Comm1ssion's goal to
ensure adequate publiC access to the publiC tidelands was
valld, but held that there was an 1nsufflclent "nexus"
between th1S purpose and the condit1on imposed. In other
words, the Commisslon did not show that the new house would
burden publiC access to the beach. Nor did the eVidence
show that the dedication conditlon would relieve the 1mpacts
the Commission advanced as Justlflcation for the condition
lnterference with the publiC'S Vlew of the ocean. The Court
dld say, however, that assumlng the Commisslon could have
exercised itS police power to deny the permit because of
lmpacts caused by the development, alone or ln conJunction
wlth other slmilar developments, cond1tlons related to those
visual impacts such as height llmitations, Wldth
restrictions, a ban on fences, or even requlrlng a "view1ng
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spot" on the NO~a,nls property for passersby would be
const1tut1onal.__
L1ke the dec1s1on ln F1rst Engllsh Church, the
Court's hold1ng 1n Nollan lS narrow and reafflrmed trad1-
tlonal land use rules. The maJor1ty c1ted to the downzon1ng
ln Aglns v. Tlburon as an example of a val1d land use regu-
latlon, as 1t had ln F1rst Engllsh Church.
The pract1cal effect of the Nollan dec1s1on 1S to
requlre state and local governments to artlculate clear
flndlngs that 11nk cond1t1ons requlrlng ded1catlons and
other exact10ns to the burdens caused by the development.
The Court Reaff1rmed Government Power
To Control Land Use In Keystone Coal
.
State and local governments' power to enact and
enforce reasonable land use regulat10ns w1thout 11ablllty
for damages was reafflrmed earl1er thlS term ln Keystone
Coal. The case arose out of a challenge to a Pennsylvanla
statute Wh1Ch requlres coal mlne operators to leave a cer-
ta1n amount of coal 1n the ground to prevent land SUbS1d-
ence. The Pennsylvan1a State Leg1slature based 1tS dec1s1on
to 1mplement the support requ1rement on deta1led f1nd1ngs
that the leglslat10n was 1mportant for the protect1on of
publ1C health and safety, preservatlon of ~ffected mun1Cl-
palltles' tax bases and land development.~1
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~67ty-flVe years ago, ln Pennsylvanla Coal Company
v. Mahon,__ the Supreme Court held that a similar
regulation was not properly Just1f1ed. ThlS tlme, however,
ln an oplnlon wr1tten by Just1ce Stevens a maJor1ty of the
Court held that the regulat10n was a valld exerClse of the
pollce power and not a taklng of property wlthln the meanlng
of the flfth amendment tak1ng clause. The Court held that
the m1ne operators had not sustalned thelr heavy burden of
show1ng that the statute on its face effects a taklng. The
Court emphas1zed that the record showed that (1) the state
had acted to arrest what it perceived to be a slgnlf1cant
threat to the common welfare; and (2) the statute d1d not
make lt lmposslble for the mlne operators to prof1tably
engage ln the1r bus1ness or unduly 1nterfere w1th the
operator's 1nvestment-backed expectatlons.
The Court further held that the coal left 1n the
ground 1S not a separate segment of property for purposes
the tak1ng clause, and that the requ1rement tha~ the coal
left 1n place d1d not effect a physlcal tak1ng.~1
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THE CASES SHOULD NOT INHIBIT REASONABLE
LAND USE REGULATION
Although as a practical matter the Flrst English
Church and the Nollan cases may temporar1ly have a Ch1ll1ng
effect on local land use plann1ng, the Supreme Court's
op1n1ons th1S term do not ln any way suggest that reasonable
land use regulatlons w1ll subJect local government to
damages. Th1S lS eVldenced by the Keystone Coal dec1s1on,
WhlCh applled the trad1tlonal tak1ng analysls and upheld the
Pennsylvan1a statute, and the Nollan dec1s1on where the
Court stated:
"Our cases have not elaborated on the
standards for determ1n1ng what con-
st1tutes a 'leg1tlmate state 1nterest' or
what type of connectlon between the regu-
lat10n and the state 1nterest satlsf1es
the requ1rement that the former 'sub-
stant1ally advance' the latter. They
have made clear, however, that a broad
range of governmental purposes and reg~-
lations sat1sfles these requ1rements."....1/
The Court then c1ted as examples of vall~ land use
regulat10n c~~~s uphold~ng s~en1c z~n1n~~/, landmark
preservat1on--1 and res1dent1al Zon1ng.~1
Thus, although the Court's three "taking" dec1s10ns
th1S term may result 1n closer Jud1cial scrut1ny of land use
regulat1ons, local government may cont1nue to enact
morator1ums, rezone property, proh1b1t development ln
setback areas and greenbelts, control growth, preserve
historlcal landmarks, prevent nOX10US uses of property and
requ1re land ded1cat1ons and other exactlons to m1t1gate the
lmpacts of development, so long as the regulat10n does not
amount to a compens1ble "taking" under the trad1t1onal
tak1ng analys1s.
QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED BY THE COURT'S
DECISIONS
What Is A Taklng?
Th1S term the Supreme Court d1d not add any new
1ns1ghts on what m1ght constitute a taking. The Court has
often stated that there are no hard and fast rules for
determ1n1ng when a taking has occurred, and that such a46/
dec1s1on must be made on an ad hoc, ca~;-by-case basis.--
In PruneYard ShOPP1nq Center v. Robins--/, the Court stated:
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"It 1S well establ1shed that not every
destruct10n or In]Ury to property by
governmental actlon has been held to be a
taklng 1n the const1tutlonal sense.
Rather, the determ1nat1on whether state
law unlawfully lnfrlnges on a landowner's
property 1n vlolatlon of the tak1ng
clause requlres an exam1nat1on of whether
the restr1ct1on on pr1vate property
forces some people alone to bear publ1C
burdens Wh1Ch, 1n all fa1rness and
]Ust1ce, should be borne by the publlC as
a whole."
In Nollan, the ma]Orlty relled on the Court's
op1nlon 1n Agins v. Tlburon as expresslng the test for a
tak1ng as follows:
.
lOA land use regulat10n does not effect a
taklng lf 1t 'substantlally advancers]
leg1t1mate state 1nterests' and does not
'den[y] an owner econom1cally v1able use
of h1S land', ~~ ,v. T1buron, 447 U.S.
2 5 5, 2 6 0 (1980)." _I
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In analyz1ng a tak1ng cla1m the Court has trad1-
t10nally focused on two pr1mary factors. The f1rst 1S the
character of the state act1on. As a rule, 1t 1S more d1ff1-
cult to establ1sh a tak1ng when the lnterference w1th prop-
erty 1S character1zi~/as regulatory as opposed to actual
phys1cal occupat1on_ , and harder st1ll when the
1nterference lS necessary for ths Qromot1on of the health
and safety of the general publ1C~7. The more substantlal
the publ1C 1nterest, the less llkely 1t 1S that a tak1ng
w1ll be found. Local ent1t1es have broad d1scret1on to
el1m1nate nOX10US uses of property, or uses Wh1Ch constltute
a publ1C nU1sance, even 1f the exerC1se of such d1scret1on
substantially tqterferes with an 1nd1vldual's use of h1S or
her property.~1 In Flrst Engl1sh Church, the Court
recognlzed that even all use might be proh1blted 1n a flood
zone for safety reasons.
The second pr1mary factor lS the l~~qCt of the
regulat10n on protected property 1nterests._1 In Keystone
Coal, the Court noted that the statute d1d not make 1t
rmposs1ble to engage 1n the coal m1nlng bus1ness or unduly
1nterfere w1th 1nvestment-backed expectat1ons. When
analyz1ng these k1nds of factors 1t lS 1mportant to remember
that property 1nterests are 37reated and def1ned by state
laws, not the Const1tut1on.~
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Any "taklng" analysls should start wlth the
questlons: (I) what alleged property interest has been
"taken"; and (2) lS lt a protected lnterest under Callfornla
law? For example, ln Callfornla development lS a prlvllege,
not a rlght, and a developer cannot have a reasonable
1nvestment-backed expectatlon (a protected property
1nterest) 1n a ~art1cular development untll he has ga1ned a
vested r1ght.~7
The rlght to develop a partlcular proJect generally
does not vest untll there has been substantlal detr1ment ln
good fa5~' reI lance on a valldly lssued bUlldlng
permlt.-- There lS no rlght tQ6q hlgher or even to the
eX1stlng zonlng class1ficatlon.~1 It lS not unt1l a
protected property rlght has been "taken" that the questlon
of compensatlon ar1ses, and before a landowner can clalm a
denlal of ,11 use he must apply for a "reasonable use" of
the land.~1 These well-establlshed rules have not been
affected by the Court's decislon ln First Engllsh Church or
Nollan, and are reaff1rmed ln Keystone Coal. It lS
lmportant to be aware, however, that S7ghts may vest earlier
pur~~qnt to a development agreement,~ a vestlng tentatlve
ma~~/or automatlc approval under the Permlt Streamlinlng
Act.--
If A Taklng Has Occurred, When Did It
Start?
In Flrst Engllsh Church, Justlce Rehnqulst assumed
that the county's moratorlum had denled the church of all
use of 1tS property from the outset for a substant1al per10d
of t1me, and 1ncluded llt1gatlon delays 1n the calculat1on.
Th1S lS dlsturblng because lltlgat10n delays can be
substantlal, and such delays are often beyond the control of
defendant government agencles.
The opinlon dld not explaln when such delays mlght
become a taklng, but stated:
"We . . . do not deal w1th the qU1te
different questlons that would arlse in
the case of normal delays in obtainlng
bUllding permlts, changes in zoning
ordinances, varlancgI/and the llke, which
are not before us."--
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Just a ~~ar ago, 1n C1ty of Renton v. Playt1me
Theatres, Inc.,~/ Just1ce Rehnqu1st wr1t1ng for the
ma]Or1ty stated "the C1ty must be allowed a reasonable
opportun1ty to exper1ment w1th Solut1ons to adm1ttedly
ser10US problems." Prev1ously, 1n W1ll1amg~~ County
Reg10nal Plann1ng Comm'n v. Ham1lton Bank,-- the Court held
that even an e1ght-year appl1cat1on process d1d not present
a "r1pe" tak1ng cla1m. Before a r1pe tak1ng 1ssue could be
presented the landowner must reapply for a development
perm1t and make a "mean1ngful a~il1cat1on." In MacDonald,
Sommer & Frates v. Yolo County,--I the Court requ1red the
developer to seek a var1ance before cons1der1ng the tak1ng
cla1m.
These cases show that what const1tutes a
substant1al per10d of t1me 1n the V1ew of the Supreme Court
needs clar1f1cat1on.
What Is Just Compensat1on?
.
The Court only br1efly d1scussed the quest10n of
the measure of damages for regulatory tak1ngs 1n F1rst
Engl1sh Church. In 1tS d1Scuss1on, the Court relied on
phys1cal tak1ng cases ar1s1ng out of the government's tem-
porary appropr1at1on of pr1vate property dur1ng World War
II. The Court noted that 1n these cases, the measure of
damages was based on the value of the use of the land dur1ng
the per10d of t1me the land was used by the government.
"'It 1S the owner's loss, not the taker's ga1g~/wh1Ch 1S the
measure of the value of the property taken.'''__
Questions rema1n as to the standard for measur1ng
the owner's loss. It would appear that only the m1n1mum
const1tutional use m1ght be compens1ble for a temporary
tak1ng, not the h1ghest and best use. Other 1ssues such as
the owner's duty to m1t1gate, offsets for 1ncreases 1n value
and many other well-recogn1zed rules for valu1ng property
damage remaln to be Iltlgated. Normally, 1n Cal1fornla, a
temporary depr1vatlon of all use wlll be offset by 1ncreases
1n land value.
What Nexus Is Const1tutlonally Requ1red
For Development Condit1ons?
The ded1cat1on condlt1on 1n Nollan was held 1nval1d
because the ma~g7r 1 ty fel t 1 t "utter ly falls to fur ther the
end advanced."__ But the Court d1d not clar1fy what type
of connect1on 1S const1tut1onally requ1red. It has always
been the rule 1n Cal1forn1a and elsewhere that there must be
a reasonable relat1onsh1p between the development 1mpacts
and exact1ons.
The landowner 1n Nollan argued that there must be a
d1rect connect1on between the cond1t1on and the burdens
created by the development. The Un1ted States Supreme Court
d1d not accept th1S argument. Nor did the Court address the
1ssue of whether thg ~xact1on was d1sproport1onate to the
benef1ts conferred.-ZI
Slnce Assoc1ated Homebu1lders v. Walnut Creek,68/
Cal1forn1a courts have held that only an indirect nexus 1S
requ1red. The Coastal Commlsslon cases p;gqr to Nollan have
all rel1ed on thlS "lndlrect nexus" test.-I Although the
Court characterlzed the Callforn1a rule as the mlnor1ty
pos1tlon, lt d1d not accept the pla1ntlff's proffered dlrect
nexus test. Instead the ma)Or1ty used the terms
"substantlally advanc1ng a leg1tlmate s18te lnterest" and
"serves the same governmental purpose."_1 The ma)Or1ty
also recogn1zed that the cumulat1ve 1mpacts of slm1lar
developments could 9I/a leg1tlmate government bas1s for
1mpos1ng exact10ns._ Just1ce Brennan, dlssent1ng,
lnterpreted the standard artlculated by the ma]Or1ty to be
the fam1l1ar rule that there must be a "reasonable
relatlonshlp" between the lmpacts of the development and the
condit1on 1mposed.
After the Supreme Court's decis10n in Nollan, 1t 1S
somewhat uncertaln precisely what sort of nexus will pass
constltutional muster. As a pract1cal matter, th1S 1S gen-
erally not a problem because statutes such as Government
Code Sect10n 65959 requlre a close nexus for monetary exac-
t10ns lmposed as condltlons of development approval. Exac-
t10ns lmposed under the Subd1vis10n Map Act also requ1re a
fa1rly close nexus. More exotlC condlt10ns are generally
only 1mposed on larger developments as a result of negot1a-
t10ns.
CONCLUSION
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Although the Unlted States Supreme Court has held
that compensat1on may be requlred for a regulatory tak1ng 1n
certaln clrcumstances, the lower federal courts and the
Cal1fornla courts have seldom found that a local land use
regulat10n on 1tS face or as applied const1tutes a tak1ng,
and to date no appellate court has awarded compensat10n for
over-regulation of land. It 1S 1mportant to remember that
government has a duty to govern especlally 1n tlmes such as
these where development pressure~ threaten lrrevers1ble
harm.
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FOOTNOTES
1. 482 U.S.
, 107 S.Ct.
, 96 L.Ed.2d 250 (1987).
2. Los Angeles T~mes, June 11, 1987, Part II, p. 4.
3. The Los Angeles Herald Exam~ner op~ned that "The
effect of the rul~ng could be far reach~ng. Off1c1als
who prev~ously would have taken the broad publ1C
~nterest ~nto account 1n enact1ng new regulat~ons
m~ght now back off for fear of be~ng sued by
landowners. Zon~ng, health and safety regulat~ons and
other rules curb1ng the use of property for publ~c
~nterest are essent~al ~n modern soc~ety. Unt~l the
court puts some sharper boundar~es on ~ts dec~s~on,
necessary controls may be put on hold." (Repr~nted ~n
the Los Angeles Da~ly Journal, June 22, 1987, Part I,
p. 4, col. 1.)
4. 483 U.S.
, 107 S.Ct. 3141, 97 L.Ed.2d 677 (1987).
5. Da~ly Journal, September 28, 1987, p. 4.
6. Los Angeles T~mes, September 15, 1987, Part II, p. 4.
7. Cal~forn~a Real Property Journal, Vol. 5, No.2, p. 7.
8. Id. at p. 1.
9. 480 U.S. ____, 107 S.Ct. 1232, 94 L.Ed.2d 472 (1987).
10. 260 U.S. 393, 415 (1922), 43 S.Ct. 158, 67 L.Ed.2d
322.
11. See,~, Eucl~d v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365
(1926), 47 S.Ct. 114, 71 L.Ed.2d 303.
12. Re~nman v. L1ttle Rock, 237 U.S. 171 (1915), 35 S.Ct.
582, 59 L.Ed.2d 969.
13. Zahn v. Board of Publ~c Works, 274 U.S. 325 (1927),
47 S.Ct. 594.
14. 447 U.S. 255 (1980), 100 S.Ct. 2138.
15. Goldblatt v. Hempstead, 369 U.S. 590 (1962), 82 S.Ct.
987.
- .. "', I".. ......,., .... "'-- ~""r~" .u.;~_ "\............. "'-r.-~..-,=~...... ., ~ t" "," ',,, ,.....,'~ ',;r-.'f "-.':!'f!.~.,;
~~}.:J'~~lr:~~~7'F".'~~~""':,;.o""'~~tf"'~.:!I""~'~" I~ w "\.~r." i't f' .... ,
: .~.. t' , r "~J .~ : r!'<'.... ~.
16. Miller v. Schoene, 276 u.S. 272 (1928), 48 S.Ct. 246.
17. U.S. Const. amend. V (". . . nor shall pr1vate
property be taken for publ1C use, w1thout Just
compensat1on").
18. 24 Cal.3d 266, 275 (1979).
19. 450 U.S. 621 (1981), 101 S.Ct. 1287.
20. Id. at 661, n. 26.
21. An even earl1er 1nd1cat1on from the Court that damages
m1ght be ava1lable 1n regulatory tak1ng cases 1S d1cta
from Goldblatt v. Hempstead, 369 U.S. 590 (1962), 82
S.Ct. 987, where the Court stated that governmental
act10n 1n the form of regulat10n may "be so onerous as
to const1tute a tak1ng Wh1Ch const1tut1onally requ1res
compensat1on." Id. at 594.
22. F1rst EnglIsh Church, 96 L.Ed.2d at 262 (because the
case went up to the Supreme Court on a motIon to
strIke certa1n allegat10ns from the complaInt, the
facts were never cons1dered by either the tr1al court
or the appellate court).
23. Id. at 270.
24. 447 U.S. 255, 263 n.9
25. 96 L.Ed.2d at 268.
26. 447 U.S. 255, 100 S. Ct. 2138.
27. 477 U.S. 340, 106 S.Ct. 2561, 91 L.Ed.2d 285 (1986).
28. 473 U.S. 172, 105 S.Ct. 3108, 87 L.Ed.2d 126 (1985).
29. 450 U.S. 621 (1981), 101 S.Ct. 1287.
30. Williamson Co. v. Ham1lton Bank, 87 L.Ed.2d at 138.
3l. First EnglIsh Church, 107 S.Ct. , 96 L.Ed.2d 262.
32. Goldblatt v. Hempstead, 369 U.S. 590, 82 S.Ct. 987.
33. Hadacheck v. Sebast1an, 239 U.S. 394 (1915), 36 S.Ct.
- 143. /.
... II,
i! 34. Mugler Kansas, 123 U.S. 623 (1887), 8 S. Ct. 273. II
0< v. II
J
.
35. Flrst Engllsh Church, 107 S.Ct.
, 96 L.Ed.2d 261.
36. 272 U.S. 365 (1926), 47 S.Ct. 114.
37. Nollan, 97 L.Ed.2d 689.
38. Id.
39. Keystone Coal, 94 L.Ed.2d at 481.
40. 260 U.S. 393 (1922), 43 S.Ct. 158.
41. Keystone Coal, 94 L.Ed.2d at 498.
42. Nollan, 97 L.Ed.2d at 687-688.
43. Aglns v. Tlburon, 447 U.S. 255, 100 S.Ct. 2138.
44. Penn Central Transportatlon Co. v. Clty of New York,
438 U.S. 104 (1978), 98 S.Ct. 2646.
45. Euclld v. Ambler, 272 U.S. 365, 47 S.Ct. 114.
46. Penn Central, 438 U.S. 104, 98 S.Ct. 2646.
47. 447 U.S. 74, 82-83 (1980).
48. Nollan, 97 L.Ed.2d at 687.
49. Loretto v. Teleprompter Manhattan CATV Corp., 458 U.S.
419 (1982), 102 S.Ct. 3164.
50. Goldblatt v. Hempstead, 369 U.S. 590, 82 S.Ct. 987.
51. Mlller v. Schoene, 276 U.S. 272, 48 S.Ct. 246.
52. Penn Central, 438 U.S. 104, 98 S.Ct. 2646.
53. Board of Regents v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 577 (1972).
54. Inc. v. South Coast
785 (1976).
55. Id.
56. Oceanlc Californla, Inc. v. North Central Coast
Regional Comm'n, 63 Cal.App.3d 57 (1976).
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!"\UIIII"~";l>';lfw>~' '1""'\'" "'~.",">~,""'~".1" . ~'., . . '. ' . . : .
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.
57. MacDonald, Sommer & Frates v. Yolo County,
477 U.S. 340, 106 S.Ct. 2561, 91 L.Ed.2d 285 (1986).
58. Gov't Code S 65866.
59. Gov't Code S 66498.1 et ~.
60. Gov't Code S 65956.
6l. Flrst EnglIsh Church, 107 S.Ct. , 96 L.Ed.2d at
268.
62. 475 U.S. 41, 106 S.Ct. 925, 89 L.Ed.2d 29 (1986).
63. WIllIamson County RegIonal PlannIng Commlsslon v.
Hamllton Bank, 473 U.S. 172 (1985), 105 S.Ct. 3108.
64. 477 U.S. 340, 106 S.Ct. 2561, 91 L.Ed.2d 285 (1986).
65. FIrst EnglIsh Church, 107 S.Ct.
66. Nollan, 97 L.Ed.2d at 689.
, 96 L.Ed.2d at 267.
67. rd. at 684.
68. 4 Cal.3d 633 (1971).
69. See,~, Grupe v. CalIfornIa Coastal Comm'n,
166 Ca1.App.3d 148 (1985).
70. No11an, 97 L.Ed.2d at 687.
71. rd.
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E. WHEN HAS REGULATORY ACTION GONE TOO FAR: WHAT IS A
TAKING?
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The Test
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A land use regulat10n lS not a tak1ng 1f:
,,\
1. The regulat10n substant1ally advances a leg1t1mate
governmental 1nterest;
.
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and
.
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2. The regulat10n does not deny cla1mant econom1cally
v1able use of h1S land.
...
.;
(Nollan v. Cal1forn1a Coastal
Comm1ss1on, 483 U.S. , 97 L.Ed.2d
677, ___ S.Ct. ___(1987); Keystone
B1tum1nous Coal Assn. v.
DeBened1ct1s, 480 U.S. , 94
L.Ed.2d 472, 488 (1987);-Ag1ns v.
T1buron, 447 U.S. 255, 260 (1980).)
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Analys1s
1. Does the regulat10n substantially advance a leg1t1mate
governmental 1nterest?
(a) What lS the 1dent1f1ed governmental 1nterest beh1nd
the regulat1on?
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(b) How 1mportant lS the 1dent1f1ed state 1nterest: Is
1t health and safety related, or Just related to
the general welfare? For perm1ts, lS the
1dent1f1ed governmental purpose suff1c1ent to
]ust1fy den1al of the appl1cat1on?
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(c) Does the proJect or the act1v1ty sought to be
regulated 1mpose a burden on the 1dent1f1ed
governmental 1nterest?
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(1) D1rect
(11) Ind1rect/cumulat1ve
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(d) Does the regulat10n allev1ate the burden 1mposed on
the ident1f1ed state 1nterest?
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(e) To what extent does the regulatlon slngle out the
proJect to bear a dlsproportlonate share of the
burden?
2. Does the regulatlon deny clalmant economlcally vlable
use of hlS land?
Looklng at the speclflc facts on a case by case basls,
conslder the followlng factors:
(a) EconomlC lmpact of the regulatlon
Bundle of stlcks remalnlng
Parcel as a whole
(b) Interference wlth reasonable lnvestment-backed
expectatlons
- No reasonable expectation of a zonlng
classlflcatlon unless a vested rlght.
(c) Character of the governmental action.
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