Learn About the Law
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
IN RE: NORTH SHORE F.C.P., INC., appellant, v. David MAMMINA, etc., et al., respondents.
In a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 to review a determination of the Board of Zoning Appeals of the Town of North Hempstead, dated March 24, 2004, denying the petitioner's application for a conditional use permit, the petitioner appeals from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Covello, J.), entered July 30, 2004, which denied the petition and dismissed the proceeding.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed, with costs.
The determination of a local zoning board is entitled to great deference, and will be sustained as long as it has a rational basis, is not arbitrary and capricious, and is supported by substantial evidence (see Matter of Pecoraro v. Board of Appeals of Town of Hempstead, 2 N.Y.3d 608, 613, 781 N.Y.S.2d 234, 814 N.E.2d 404; Matter of Ifrah v. Utschig, 98 N.Y.2d 304, 308, 746 N.Y.S.2d 667, 774 N.E.2d 732; Matter of Sasso v. Osgood, 86 N.Y.2d 374, 384, 633 N.Y.S.2d 259, 657 N.E.2d 254; Matter of Blattner v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Town of Mount Pleasant, 17 A.D.3d 360, 791 N.Y.S.2d 846). In this case, the Board of Zoning Appeals of the Town of North Hempstead (hereinafter the Board) determined that the petitioner's proposal to operate a sandwich shop at the subject location failed to satisfy all of the requisite criteria for the issuance of a conditional use permit (see generally Matter of Wegmans Enters. v. Lansing, 72 N.Y.2d 1000, 1001, 534 N.Y.S.2d 372, 530 N.E.2d 1292; Cummings v. Town Bd. of North Castle, 62 N.Y.2d 833, 835, 477 N.Y.S.2d 607, 466 N.E.2d 147; Matter of Tandem Holding Corp. v. Board of Zoning Appeals of Town of Hempstead, 43 N.Y.2d 801, 802, 402 N.Y.S.2d 388, 373 N.E.2d 282), as the proposal would negatively impact traffic, parking, and safety conditions on an adjacent dead-end residential street that provides the only means of vehicular access to the parking area of the proposed establishment. Contrary to the petitioner's contention, the Board did not disregard its purported uncontroverted evidence, submitted in favor of the application, nor did the Board rely upon generalized objections and community pressure (cf. Matter of Crystal Pond Homes v. Prior, 305 A.D.2d 595, 596, 759 N.Y.S.2d 366). Rather, the evidence submitted by the petitioner was contradictory in several key respects, and the determination was supported by some of the petitioner's own evidence as well as by the specific, particularized concerns raised by area residents (see Matter of Samek v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Town of Ballston, 162 A.D.2d 926, 558 N.Y.S.2d 257; see also Brick Hill Constr. Corp. v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Town of Somers, 53 N.Y.2d 621, 622, 438 N.Y.S.2d 776, 420 N.E.2d 968) and by the common-sense judgments and personal familiarity with the area possessed by members of the Board (see Matter of Market Sq. Props. v. Town of Guilderland Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 66 N.Y.2d 893, 498 N.Y.S.2d 772, 489 N.E.2d 741; Matter of Cowan v. Kern, 41 N.Y.2d 591, 599, 394 N.Y.S.2d 579, 363 N.E.2d 305; Matter of Il Classico Rest. v. Colin, 254 A.D.2d 418, 420, 680 N.Y.S.2d 107). Accordingly, the determination had a rational basis, was not arbitrary and capricious, and was supported by substantial evidence (see Matter of Sasso v. Osgood, supra; Matter of Dries v. Town Bd. of Town of Riverhead, 305 A.D.2d 596, 759 N.Y.S.2d 367).
The petitioner's claim that the Board's determination is impermissibly inconsistent with another determination recently issued on a similar application (see Matter of Field Delivery Serv. [Roberts], 66 N.Y.2d 516, 498 N.Y.S.2d 111, 488 N.E.2d 1223; Matter of Frisenda v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Town of Islip, 215 A.D.2d 479, 626 N.Y.S.2d 263) is unavailing, since the locations of the premises and the foreseeable impacts of the proposals were dramatically different and the determinations therefore were not based on essentially the same facts (see Matter of Spandorf v. Board of Appeals of Vil. of E. Hills, 167 A.D.2d 546, 562 N.Y.S.2d 215; Matter of Pesek v. Hitchcock, 156 A.D.2d 690, 549 N.Y.S.2d 164).
Similarly, the petitioner's contention that the Supreme Court erred in considering the Board's findings issued shortly after the commencement of this proceeding is unpersuasive (see Matter of Efraim v. Trotta, 17 A.D.3d 463, 792 N.Y.S.2d 621; Matter of Warren v. Harris, 179 A.D.2d 660, 579 N.Y.S.2d 892; Matter of Berka v. Seltzer, 170 A.D.2d 450, 565 N.Y.S.2d 234).
The petitioner's remaining contention is without merit.
Thank you for your feedback!
A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law.
Decided: October 24, 2005
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)
Harness the power of our directory with your own profile. Select the button below to sign up.
Learn more about FindLaw’s newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy.
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)