Case Title: State v. Joyner

Citation: 211 S.E.2d 320, 286 N.C. 366

Docket Number: 

State: north-carolina

Court: North Carolina Supreme Court

Date: 1975-01-31T00:00:00Z

Document:
211 S.E.2d 320 (1975)
286 N.C. 366
STATE of North Carolina
v.
Roy JOYNER.
No. 112.

Supreme Court of North Carolina.
January 31, 1975.
*322 Atty. Gen. Robert Morgan by Richard N. League, Asst. Atty. Gen., Raleigh, for the State.
Craige, Brawley by C. Thomas Ross, Winston-Salem, for defendant-appellant.
MOORE, Justice.
Defendant assigns as error the failure of the trial court to quash the warrant on the ground that the ordinance on which it is based is unconstitutional.
A defendant charged with a violation of an ordinance may challenge the constitutionality of such ordinance by a motion to quash the warrant since there can be no sufficient statement of a criminal offense in a charge of violation of an unconstitutional statute or ordinance. State v. Atlas, 283 N.C. 165, 195 S.E.2d 496 (1973); State v. Brewer, 258 N.C. 533, 129 S.E.2d 262 (1963).
As stated by Justice Lake in State v. Vestal, 281 N.C. 517, 189 S.E.2d 152 (1972):
Defendant does not question the validity of the entire ordinance. Instead, he questions only the section which provides for termination of certain nonconforming uses. Defendant takes the position that the Court of Appeals should have reversed the trial court's refusal to quash the warrant on the ground that section 29-11 G of the Winston-Salem zoning ordinance he is charged with violating is contrary to the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States in that it deprives him of his property without due process of law and represents a taking of his property without compensation.
The zoning power of municipalities is derived from the State. As stated in Keiger v. Board of Adjustment, 278 N.C. 17, 178 S.E.2d 616 (1971):
On 17 September 1968, G.S. § 160-172 in pertinent part provided:
G.S. § 160-173 provided:
G.S. § 160-174 provided:
Acting under the broad authority given the city by these statutes, a comprehensive zoning ordinance was adopted by the Board of Aldermen of Winston-Salem pursuant to these statutes and Chapter 677 of the 1947 Session Laws of North Carolina as amended. The section under which defendant was convicted was a part of that ordinance.
A duly adopted rezoning ordinance is presumed to be valid. Allred v. City of Raleigh, 277 N.C. 530, 178 S.E.2d 432 (1971); Schloss v. Jamison, 262 N.C. 108, 136 S.E.2d 691 (1964). And the burden is on the complaining party to show it to be invalid. Heaton v. City of Charlotte, 277 N.C. 506, 178 S.E.2d 352 (1971).
As we said in In re Appeal of Parker, 214 N.C. 51, 55, 197 S.E. 706, 709 (1938):
Defendant first contends that Section 29-11 G, under which he was convicted, is unconstitutional on its face in that it deprives him of his property without due process of law.
Substantive due process is a guaranty against arbitrary legislation, demanding that the law shall not be unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious, and that the law be substantially related to the valid object sought to be obtained. West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, 300 U.S. 379, 57 S. Ct. 578, 81 L. Ed. 703, 108 A.L.R. 1330 (1937); Nebbia v. New York, 291 U.S. 502, 54 S. Ct. 505, 78 L. Ed. 940, 89 A.L.R. 1469 (1934); Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, 47 S. Ct. 114, 71 L. Ed. 303, 54 A.L.R. 1016 (1926); Blades v. Raleigh, 280 N.C. 531, 187 S.E.2d 35 (1972); Helms v. Charlotte, 255 N.C. 647, 122 S.E.2d 817 (1961). In examining the reasonableness of an ordinance, due process dictates that the court look at the entire ordinance and not only at the provision as it applies to a particular inhabitant of the municipality. Schloss v. Jamison, supra; City of Elizabeth City v. Aydlett, 201 N.C. 602, 161 S.E. 78 (1931). The fact that one citizen is adversely affected by a zoning ordinance does not invalidate the ordinance. Blades v. Raleigh, supra, and cases cited therein; Bohannan v. San Diego, 30 Cal. App. 3d 416, 106 Cal. Rptr. 333 (1973).
Defendant's building material salvage yard is located in a B-3 district, in which *324 such business is prohibited. The purpose of the B-3 district is set out in Section 29-6 D. 3 a. of the ordinance as follows: "This district seeks to provide areas for the development of the business, heavy commercial, or service establishments which locate along the major streets or highways of Winston-Salem and its surrounding area." Section 29-11 G provides that, in the event an auto wrecking yard, building material salvage yard, general salvage yard, scrap metal processing yard or contractors' storage yard is located in an area zoned by the ordinance to prohibit such use, the user has a three-year grace period to remove the nonconforming use.
Section 29-6 contains a table of uses permitted in Winston-Salem and indicates which uses may be located in each of the thirteen zoning districts. The list of permitted uses covers eleven and one-half pages. Building material salvage yards are permitted in districts zoned as 1-3.
Winston-Salem has sought, through a comprehensive ordinance, to assure that future growth is orderly and in the best interests of its citizens. To further that purpose, the ordinance establishes a three-year period during which defendant may remove his nonconforming use. The method used to terminate nonconforming uses was a legislative decision to be reached by balancing the burden on the individual with the public good sought to be achieved. Section 29-11 G is not so arbitrary, unreasonable, or unrelated to the general welfare of the community as to be unconstitutional by its terms. To the contrary, it represents a conscious effort on the part of the legislative body of the city to regulate the use of land throughout the city and thus promote the health, safety, or general welfare of the community. Defendant's first assignment of error is overruled.
Defendant next contends that section 29-11 G is invalid on its face in that it permits a taking of private property for a public purpose without compensation contrary to the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.
The reasoning behind the utilization of amortization provisions to displace nonconforming uses is well stated by Professor Anderson, as follows:
North Carolina has neither accepted nor rejected amortization provisions requiring termination of nonconforming uses within a prescribed period of time. Our Court has dealt with the problem of the elimination of nonconforming uses in various ways. In two early cases, Wake Forest v. Medlin, 199 N.C. 83, 154 S.E. 29 (1930), and Ahoskie v. Moye, 200 N.C. 11, 156 S.E. 130 (1930), this Court upheld ordinances forcing the termination of nonconforming uses without amortization periods. In Medlin the city ordinance provided that it was unlawful to erect, build, maintain, or operate any station for the sale or distribution of gasoline, kerosene, or any other petroleum products in any part of the town of Wake Forest west of the Seaboard Railroad tracks after February 1, 1929. The defendant had been operating a filling station in the restricted *325 area since 1905. This Court, in an opinion by Chief Justice Stacy, upheld the ordinance and held that it was within the police power of the State to regulate this business and to declare such use a nuisance if the power is not exerted with unjust discrimination. Chief Justice Stacy then concluded that since "it operates on all alike within the territory affected, and all within the prescribed limits are affected by its terms," it was neither arbitrary nor discriminatory.
In In re O'Neal, 243 N.C. 714, 92 S.E.2d 189 (1956), and In re Appeal of Hastings, 252 N.C. 327, 113 S.E.2d 433 (1960), the Court approved restrictions on the extension of nonconforming uses, and held that a city has the authority to prohibit an enlargement of a nonconforming use.
Amortization provisions have been considered a number of times in other jurisdictions. See Annot., 22 A.L.R.3d 1134 (1968). The majority of courts that have addressed the question have held that provisions for amortization of nonconforming uses are valid if reasonable. Standard Oil Co. v. Tallahassee, 183 F.2d 410 (5th Cir. 1950); National Advertising Co. v. County of Monterey, 211 Cal. App. 2d 375, 27 Cal. Rptr. 136 (1962); Los Angeles v. Gage, 127 Cal. App. 2d 442, 274 P.2d 34 (1954); Eutaw Enterprises, Inc. v. Baltimore, 241 Md. 686, 217 A.2d 348 (1966); Harbison v. Buffalo, 4 N.Y.2d 553, 176 N.Y.S.2d 598, 152 N.E.2d 42 (1958). See also, Comment, Amortization of Nonconforming Uses, 7 Wake Forest L.Rev. 255 (1971). These cases have held that such regulation of private property does not per se constitute a compensable taking, stating:
As the New York Court of Appeals said in Harbison v. Buffalo, supra, 4 N.Y.2d  at 562-563, 176 N.Y.S.2d  at 605, 152 N.E.2d at 47:
Three-year time limitations have often been upheld by other courts in zoning proceedings. Village of Gurnee v. Miller, 69 Ill.App.2d 248, 215 N.E.2d 829 (1966); Naegele Outdoor Advertising Company v. Village of Minnetonka, 281 Minn. 492, 162 N.W.2d 206 (1968); as have two-year limitations, Spurgeon v. Board of Commissioners of Shawnee County, 181 Kan. 1008, 317 P.2d 798 (1957); and one-year limitations, Standard Oil Company v. Tallahassee, supra; McKinney v. Riley, 105 N.H. 249, 197 A.2d 218 (1964); Seattle v. Martin, 54 Wash. 2d 541, 342 P.2d 602 (1959). See generally, 1 Anderson, supra, § 6.62-6.71; 2 Yokley, Zoning Law and Practice § 16-14 (1965).
We concur in the majority rule as above set out that the provisions for amortization of nonconforming uses are valid if reasonable, and reject the per se rule holding all amortization provisions unconstitutional. This assignment of error is overruled.
*326 Defendant finally contends that the ordinance is unconstitutional as applied to him in that it constitutes a taking of his property for a public purpose without compensation.
Defendant began operation of his building material salvage yard on its present site in 1966. The ordinance became effective on 17 September 1968. Later in 1968, after the effective date of the ordinance, defendant signed his first written lease on the property extending to 1979. Prior to that time, the record shows defendant had an oral lease. An oral lease for land is void in North Carolina if the term exceeds three years. G.S. § 22-2; Moche v. Leno, 227 N.C. 159, 41 S.E.2d 369 (1947). Thus, at the effective date of the ordinance, defendant, being without a written lease, could have had no more than a three-year vested leasehold interest in the property. Any improvements on the land would inure to the benefit of the landowner. The ordinance provides a three-year grace period for nonconforming uses to relocate. The interference by the city with defendant's vested rights in his leasehold was therefore minimal. Furthermore, under the facts in this case defendant is in no position to complain. He testified: "I have an inventory out there and I turn it over and I could have turned over everything that I sold out there in three years.... I know it's a B-3 zone and has been since `68. The only thing that I am contending is that I was out there two years prior to this zoning. So far as I know the law applies to everybody but I do not like the fact that it applies to me. ..." Defendant further testified that he tried to get the property rezoned, but failed. Despite this, and with full knowledge that the ordinance required him to remove his business within three years, he proceeded to enter into a long-term written lease, continued to make improvements and to operate his business.
Defendant was notified on several occasions after the expiration of the grace period that he was in violation of the law. The zoning inspector so informed defendant on 14 September 1971, 25 July 1972, and 4 May 1973. In addition, defendant was mailed a zoning violation notice on 5 October 1971. Defendant made no effort to comply with the ordinance because he "did not think it was fair." Since the passing of the ordinance in 1968, defendant has operated his nonconforming use for over six years a part of this time in defiance of the city. Under these facts, we cannot say that the Winston-Salem ordinance which defendant is charged with violating is unconstitutional as applied to defendant. We neither consider nor decide whether this ordinance would be considered "reasonable" had the defendant been the owner in fee.
For the reasons above set out, the decision of the Court of Appeals is affirmed.
Affirmed.
COPELAND and EXUM, JJ., did not participate in the hearing or decision of this case.
LAKE, Justice (dissenting).
When the zoning ordinance was adopted the appellant's material storage yard was already in operation. Thus, the appellant could not have been compelled to close his business immediately without compensating him for the taking. The city does not contend otherwise. What it contends is that it may reach the same result by dragging the process out over a period of three years because, by permitting him to "amortize" his loss, it hurts him less. This argument is like the classic formula for reducing a dog's pain by cutting off his tail an inch at a time.
The fallacy in the "amortization" argument of the majority opinion is thus stated by the Supreme Court of Missouri in Hoffmann v. Kinealy, Mo., 389 S.W.2d 745:
The appellant's business is a lawful one. It is not contended that it is a nuisance per se or in its manner of operation, nor that it is a threat to the public health, safety or morals. At the time the ordinance was passed, the appellant had no long term lease, but he was in possession of the site with the consent of the owner of the fee and had the legal right to remain there, so long as the owner of the fee would permit, after the termination of his then existing lease. The city could not terminate his short term lease or the ensuing tenancy at will, nor, in my opinion, can it terminate his right to carry on his lawful, nonconforming use of the property without paying him for it.