Case Title: AMERICAN PETROLEUM EQUIP. AND CONSTRUCTION, INC. v. Fancher

Citation: 708 So. 2d 129

Docket Number: 1951603, 1951648, 1951650

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 1997-09-19T00:00:00Z

Document:
708 So. 2d 129 (1997)
AMERICAN PETROLEUM EQUIPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION, INC., et al.
v.
Della K. FANCHER, et al.
Della K. FANCHER, et al.
v.
AMERICAN PETROLEUM EQUIPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION, INC., et al.
CITY OF BIRMINGHAM
v.
Della K. FANCHER, et al.
1951603, 1951648 and 1951650.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
September 19, 1997.
Rehearing Denied December 19, 1997.
*130 Demetrius C. Newton, Rowena Teague, and Michael M. Fliegel, city attys. office, Birmingham; and John D. Clements, F. A. Flowers III, and Mark M. Lawson of Burr & Forman, for the City of Birmingham and American Petroleum Equipment and Construction, Inc.
Michael C. Quillen, Frank C. Galloway, Jr., and Helen C. Foster of Walston, Stabler, Wells, Anderson & Bains, Birmingham, for Della K. Fancher, et al.
PER CURIAM.
These three appeals arise from a zoning case concerning a 4½acre tract of land located in Birmingham on U.S. Highway 280, a quarter mile north of the U.S. 280/I-459 interchange. The tract was rezoned by the Birmingham City Council to allow development of a hotel and service station. The trial court held the rezoning to be arbitrary and capricious, and therefore null and void. We reverse and remand.
On January 17, 1995, the Birmingham City Council passed Ordinance No. 1538-G, which rezoned this tract from "Contingency Office-Institutional District" ("C O-I") to "General Business District" ("B-2"). Della K. Fancher, Dirk Thomas, Mark Gamble, and J. Terry Bethea, homeowners and residents of the Cahaba Heights neighborhood, filed this action, alleging that the rezoning ordinance was arbitrary and capricious and not reasonably related to the protection of the public health, safety, morals, general welfare, and general conscience of the community. They sued the City of Birmingham; its mayor, Richard Arrington, in his official capacity; Aldrich *131 Gunn, William Bell, E.L. Blankenship, Antris Hinton, Roosevelt Bell, and Linda Coleman, in their official capacities as members of the City Council; and American Petroleum Equipment and Construction, Inc., the corporation that had applied for the rezoning. The trial court held that the rezoning was arbitrary and capricious; ruled that Ordinance 1538-G was therefore null and void; and reinstated the original classification. American Petroleum Equipment and Construction, Inc., and the Birmingham City Council appealed, primarily arguing that the trial court erred in holding that the City Council's actions in adopting the ordinance were arbitrary and capricious. The plaintiffs cross-appealed, claiming that the trial court erred in not awarding them attorney fees.
It is settled law that the Alabama Legislature has delegated to municipal legislative bodies, such as city councils, the power and authority to enact zoning ordinances. Section 11-52-76, Ala.Code 1976, provides that "[t]he legislative body of such municipality shall provide for the manner in which such [zoning] regulations and restrictions and the boundaries of such districts shall be determined, established and enforced." The power to amend, supplement, or change zoning ordinances "as may be necessary" from "time to time" is also delegated to municipal legislative bodies. Id. See BP Oil Co. v. Jefferson County, 571 So. 2d 1026, 1028 (Ala. 1990), citing Village of Euclid, Ohio v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, 47 S. Ct. 114, 71 L. Ed. 303 (1926).
In Homewood Citizens Association v. City of Homewood, 548 So. 2d 142 (Ala.1989), this Court discussed the law applicable to a court's review of a city's action in zoning cases, stating that "[w]hen a municipal body acts either to adopt or to amend a zoning ordinance, it acts in a legislative capacity and the scope of judicial review of such action is quite restricted." 548 So. 2d  at 143. The restrictions on this Court's review of the validity of a zoning ordinance have been explained as follows:
Homewood Citizens Association, 548 So. 2d  at 143 (quoting 82 Am.Jur.2d Zoning and Planning § 338 (1976)). The Court further stated in Homewood Citizens Association that "[t]he burden is upon the party seeking relief from an ordinance to show that the ordinance was not a fairly debatable issue before the municipal governing body." 548 So. 2d  at 144.
The "fairly debatable" rule concerns the application of a zoning classification to a specific parcel of property. Byrd Companies v. Jefferson County, 445 So. 2d 239, 247 (Ala.1983). "`[I]f the application of a zoning classification to a specific parcel of property is reasonably subject to disagreement, that is, if its application is fairly debatable, then the application of the ordinance by the zoning authority should not be disturbed by the courts.'" Id., quoting Davis v. Sails, 318 So. 2d 214 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1975). Thus, if the zoning ordinance is "subject to controversy or contention" or "open to question or dispute," it is "fairly debatable" and should not be disturbed by the courts. Aldridge v. Grund, 293 Ala. 333, 342, 302 So. 2d 847, 854 (1974); Cudd v. City of Homewood, 284 Ala. 268, 271, 224 So. 2d 625, 628 (1969).
*132 The City Council contends that its action in rezoning the property was within its sound legislative discretion as the governing body of the city and that the adoption of the zoning ordinance was a "fairly debatable" question upon which reasonable differences might exist in view of all of the circumstances. The City Council argues that a court should not substitute its judgment for that of a legislative body acting in its capacity as authorized by state law. City of Birmingham v. Norris, 374 So. 2d 854 (Ala.1979).
The plaintiffs argue that in reviewing the holding of the trial court this court should apply the ore tenus rule. Where evidence is presented to the trial court ore tenus, a presumption of correctness exists as to the court's conclusions on issues of fact; its determination will not be disturbed unless it is clearly erroneous, without supporting evidence, manifestly unjust, or against the great weight of the evidence. Gaston v. Ames, 514 So. 2d 877, 878 (Ala.1987); Cougar Mining Co. v. Mineral Land & Mining Consultants, Inc., 392 So. 2d 1177 (Ala.1981). However, when the trial court improperly applies the law to the facts, no presumption of correctness exists as to the court's judgment. Gaston, supra; Smith v. Style Advertising, Inc., 470 So. 2d 1194 (Ala.1985); League v. McDonald, 355 So. 2d 695 (Ala. 1978). In addition, the ore tenus presumption of correctness has no application to a trial court's conclusions on questions of law. Beavers v. County of Walker, 645 So. 2d 1365 (Ala.1994); Ex parte Board of Zoning Adjustment of the City of Mobile, 636 So. 2d 415 (Ala.1994).
Because the adoption of an ordinance is a legislative function, the courts must apply a highly deferential standard in zoning cases. City of Mobile v. Karagan, 476 So. 2d 60, 63 (Ala.1985). This Court has said:
City of Birmingham v. Norris, supra, 374 So. 2d  at 856 (quoting Waters v. City of Birmingham, 282 Ala. 104, 209 So. 2d 388 (1968)).
The tract in question is bounded on the west by Cahaba River Road, and on the south by an Alabama Power Company right-of-way and then by BellSouth's Operations Center. It is bounded on the north by a residential area, and on the east by the Summit development, a 153-acre mixed-use development that will include a full-service hotel and a shopping center. Approximately 300 feet of the tract fronts U.S. 280. When this site was annexed into the City of Birmingham in 1985, it was zoned "R-1" ("Residential/Single-family"). In 1987, the City Council rezoned the property from "R-1" to "O-I" ("Office-Institutional"); however, an office development on such a small tract did not prove to be commercially feasible. Still undeveloped, the site was rezoned in 1991, in conjunction with an interim land use plan for the Cahaba-Lake Purdy area to "C O-I" or "Contingency Office-Institutional." The City Council voted to rezone the property from "C O-I" to "B-2" ("General Business District") by the adoption of City of Birmingham Ordinance No. 1538-G.
The evidence presented during six days of testimony concerned the extensive commercial development on U.S. 280, as well as the plans for this particular tract. There was evidence that U.S. 280 has a daily traffic flow of approximately 78,000 vehicles and that at times more than 4,000 vehicles per hour pass this tract. The State of Alabama had recently widened U.S. 280 to six lanes to accommodate the large volume of traffic.[1] There is commercial development on U.S. 280, both north and south of this tract, including the *133 new 153-acre Summit development, located across U.S. 280 from the property. Despite all the development, there was testimony that there is still a need for additional hotel rooms and that there are no service stations on U.S. 280 between downtown Birmingham and the Inverness areas, which lies beyond this tract. A planning expert and four developers all testified that it is no longer practical to develop office buildings on the tract.
The trial judge indicated that he gave little, if any, weight to evidence that was presented to the court but was not presented to the City Council at its hearing; however, such evidence is relevant and admissible under this Court's decision in City of Birmingham v. Norris, 374 So. 2d 854 (Ala.1979). This evidence includes the fact that the development plans for the property have been made final. There will be a hotel, constructed of brick and siding. Guests will enter their rooms from the interior of the hotel, thereby reducing noise and traffic. The hotel swimming pool will be located on the south side, to screen the pool from adjoining residences. A service station will be located at the corner most distant from adjoining residential properties. Detailed and attractive landscaping will buffer the site from adjoining properties; directional lighting will be canopied downward. Residences will be separated from the developed tract, not only by a horizontal distance of approximately 70 feet, but also by a vertical distance of approximately 50 feet covered by vegetation. Sunset Carson testified at trial that the buffer will "do the job."
The developers and owners have agreed to a number of restrictive covenants by which they forgo certain types of uses of the property that would otherwise be permitted under both B-1 and B-2 zoning. The covenants require that the property be developed in accordance with the recommendations of the City of Birmingham's Planning Department, requiring a buffer and landscaping.
The testimony showed that circumstances in this case are very similar to those in BP Oil Co. v. Jefferson County, 571 So. 2d 1026 (Ala.1990). Evidence in BP Oil indicated "that dramatic changes in the neighborhood made the proposed zoning appropriate, inevitable and imminent, and that benefits to the community would result from the proposed rezoning." Id. at 1029. We hold that the application of Ordinance No. 1538-G was "fairly debatable"; that the ordinance has a reasonable relationship to the health, safety, morals, or general welfare of the community; and that the trial court erred in finding the rezoning by the City Council to be arbitrary and capricious and in declaring the ordinance "null and void." Homewood Citizens Association, supra; BP Oil Co. v. Jefferson County, supra; City of Birmingham v. Norris, 374 So. 2d 854 (Ala.1979); City of Gadsden v. Downs, 412 So. 2d 267 (Ala.1982); City of Birmingham v. Leo A. Seltzer, Inc., 229 Ala. 675, 159 So. 203 (1935); Leary v. Adams, 226 Ala. 472, 147 So. 391 (1933).
For the reasons stated above, the judgment of the trial court is reversed and the cause is remanded for the trial court to vacate that judgment and to enter a judgment approving Ordinance No. 1538-G. The plaintiff's cross-appeal, seeking to reverse the trial court's denial of attorney fees, is rendered moot by this decision and need not be addressed. Chisolm v. Crook, 272 Ala. 192, 130 So. 2d 191 (1961).
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
ALMON, SHORES, HOUSTON, KENNEDY, COOK, and BUTTS, JJ., concur.
HOOPER, C.J., and MADDOX and SEE, JJ., dissent.
MADDOX, Justice (dissenting).
I must respectfully disagree with the majority. In finding that the actions of the Council were arbitrary and capricious, the trial court, on April 4, 1996, issued the following order:
I realize that our review is quite restricted when determining the validity of a zoning ordinance; however, we must also be mindful that in considering the correctness of the judgment of the trial court in a nonjury case we apply the rule that (1) the trial court is the ultimate trier of fact and is free to weigh the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses; (2) the findings of fact made by the trial court are presumed to be correct, if supported by credible evidence; and (3) a judgment based on those findings will not be set aside unless it is clearly erroneous or palpably wrong or unjust. Hayden v. Bruno's, Inc., 588 So. 2d 874, 875 (Ala.1991); see also O'Brien v. Westinghouse Electric Corp., 293 F.2d 1 (3d Cir.1961); Feaster v. American Liberty Insurance Co., 410 So. 2d 399 (Ala.1982).
After reviewing the record and the briefs, along with the trial court's lengthy finding of facts and conclusions of law, I do not believe that the trial court erred in finding that the action of the Birmingham City Council in rezoning the subject property was "clearly arbitrary, capricious, [and] unreasonable, having no substantial relation to the public health, safety, or welfare, [and was] plainly contrary to the zoning laws [in existence at the time of its action]." Homewood Citizens Association v. City of Homewood, 548 So. 2d 142 (Ala.1989) (quoting Am.Jur.2d Zoning and Planning § 338 (1976)). See also, BP Oil Co. v. Jefferson County, 571 So. 2d 1026 (Ala.1990); City of Birmingham v. Norris, 374 So. 2d 854 (Ala.1979); COME v. Chancy, 289 Ala. 555, 269 So. 2d 88 (1972); Allen v. Axford, 285 Ala. 251, 231 So. 2d 122 (1969); Marshall v. City of Mobile, 250 Ala. 646, 35 So. 2d 553 (1948); City of Birmingham v. Leo A. Seltzer, Inc., 229 Ala. 675, 159 So. 203 (1935); Leary v. Adams, 226 Ala. 472, 147 So. 391 (1933).
HOOPER, C.J., and SEE, J., concur.
[1]  Tom McGee, chief planner for the City of Birmingham, testified that the widening of U.S. 280 was a "significant" change that promoted commercial development in the area.