Blake Construction Co. v. District of Columbia
Blake Construction Co. v. District of Columbia
Opinion of the Court
The appellant seeks reversal of an order denying its motion for summary judgment and granting the appellees’ motion for summary judgment. Appellant contends, as a matter of law, that (1) the District of Columbia City Council may not rescind its conditional vote to close a public alley under D.C.Code 1973, § 7-401 et seq., (2) that such a recision works a “taking” of property for a public purpose and, under the Fifth Amendment,' requires the payment of compensation, and (3) that the Council employed statutorily impermissible criteria in determining to rescind the vote, thereby invalidating the recision. We affirm.
I
In 1966, and again in 1968, the appellant’s predecessor in interest
The sum was never paid and consequently no notice was ever given and the plats were never adjusted to reflect the alley closing. In April of 1970, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia held that a party, in a situation similar to that of the appellant’s predecessor in interest, was not lawfully bound to pay the fair market value of the land returning to private use. Carr v. District of Columbia, 312 F.Supp. 283 (D.D.C. 1970). Contending that Carr forecloses the District from requiring the payment of the fair market value, the appellant and its predecessor refused and continue to refuse to pay the amount specified in the resolution.
Although it is unclear from the record, apparently the Council was unaware of the negative NCPC recommendation at the time the Council voted, despite the recommendation having been made a month prior to the resolution. In October of 1970, an additional hearing was held to discuss the NCPC recommendation. In March of 1971, the Council voted to deny the application for closing, thus voiding the October 1968 resolution. Following the second vote, the appellant unsuccessfully sued for a judgment declaring' that the street was closed, and for compensation for deprivation of its property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. This appeal followed the grant of-summary judgment for the appellees.
II
The trial court did not err when it declined to declare the street closed. The
The appellant’s second argument, that it was denied its Fifth Amendment right to compensation, borders on frivolity. “It is not the alley which is the property Blake claims it is being effectively deprived of in connection with this theory of recovery, but the property upon which is contained Halcyon House.” Appellant’s Brief at 9. Although the record reflects that the appellant owns the parcel upon which Halcyon House is situated,
Appellant claims that the Council must not, as a matter of law, be swayed by historical considerations, quoting a “definition” of public interest from Chevy Chase Citizens Ass’n v. District of Columbia Council, D.C.App., 327 A.2d 310, 316 (1974) (en banc). The quotation terminates just short of the relevant portion of the case. Footnote 17 and the accompanying text indicate that an NCPC recommendation should be considered. The last proviso of D.C.Code 1973, § 7-401, expressly provides that any proposed closing be referred to the NCPC for its recommendation. The Council did not err in considering the recommendation.
Ill
There being no merit to the appellant’s contentions that the trial judge erred in not declaring the street closed and in not awarding the appellant compensation, we affirm.
Affirmed.
. Mr. Edward Dreyfuss was the original applicant and although it is unclear from the record how Dreyfuss and the appellant are related, we assume that Dreyfuss was Blake’s predecessor.
. The NCPC’s recommendation was motivated by a desire to encourage the preservation of a historical landmark, Halcyon House. Although Halcyon House has never received any official historical designation, the NCPC nevertheless maintains that it has significant historical value. Its preservation is encouraged by a negative recommendation because if the alley were to close, the parce
. Carr was affirmed, per curiam, without an opinion, on September 28, 1971 (No. 24,406). As the affirmance was subsequent to the effective date of the 1970 Court Reorganization Act, it is not binding on this court. See M. A. P. v. Ryan, D.C.App., 285 A.2d 310 (1971) (effective date is February 1, 1971). Furthermore, under Rule 8(f) of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, unpublished dispositions are not intended to be precedent.
. See note 2 supra.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. v. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- Status
- Published