Case Name: Faranda Appeal
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1966-01-17
Citations: 420 Pa. 295
Docket Number: Appeal, No. 307
Parties: Faranda Appeal.
Judges: Before Bell, C. J., Musmanno, Jones, Cohen, Eagen, O’Brien and Roberts, J J.
Reporter: Pennsylvania State Reports
Volume: 420
Pages: 295–305

Head Matter:
Faranda Appeal.
January 17, 1966:
Argued October 11, 1965.
Before Bell, C. J., Musmanno, Jones, Cohen, Eagen, O’Brien and Roberts, J J.
reargument refused February 28, 1966.
W. Roger Simpson, for appellant.
Frank Edward Roda, with him Stein, Storb and Mann, for appellee.

Opinion:
Opinion by
Mr. Justice Jones,
This is an appeal from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County which dismissed preliminary objections to a "declaration of taking" filed by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Lancaster [Authority].
On April 9, 1965, the Authority filed a "declaration of taking" of certain properties in the second block of North Queen Street in the City of Lancaster [City].' The reason underlying such condemnation was' to accomplish the alleged public purpose of carrying into effect a duly approved proposal and plan for the redevelopment of an area which had been certified as a blighted area by the Planning Commission of the City. One of the properties affected by the Commis sion's plan was property located at 170-172 North Queen Street owned by one Tony Faranda, a property improved with a three story brick granite building utilized by Faranda as a taproom with family living quarters on the second and third floors.
On May 7, 1965 — 29 days after service of notice upon him — Faranda filed preliminary objections to the "declaration of taking". The court below then granted the Authority leave to file an amended "declaration of taking" to change one of the averments complained of by Faranda in his original objections. An amended "declaration of taking" was filed on May 19, 1965, to which Faranda again filed preliminary objections, wherein one of the prior objections was again raised, and three new objections were interposed. The court en banc dismissed the preliminary objections.
Initially, it must be noted that we have recently held that preliminary objections constitute the exclusive method of challenging condemnation proceedings under the new Eminent Domain Code, infra; Mahan v. Lower Merion Township, 418 Pa. 558, 212 A. 2d 217.
Faranda's first preliminary objection is directed to the adequacy of the description of the purpose of the condemnation contained in the "declaration of taking". Faranda urges that, since the "declaration of taking" fails to state eo nomine that the purpose of the condemnation is the elimination of a blighted area, the "declaration" is defective under the statutory mandate set forth in the Eminent Domain Code (Act of June 22, 1964, P. L. 84, 26 P.S. §1-402(b) (4)), which provides that the "declaration of taking" shall contain "a brief description of the purpose :óf.the condemnation and the-need therefor." The lower court, in dismissing this-objection, held that an examination of the language of the "declaration" indicated that there was a sufficient statement of the purpose of the condemnation'to satisfy the statutory requirement. With such conclusion we agree.
' In compliance with the statute, the Authority prepared it's "declaration of taking" to read as follows: "4. That the condemnation by the Redevelopment Authority was in order to accomplish the public purpose of carrying into effect the duly approved proposal and plan for the redevelopment of the North Queen Street Project known as Project No. R-178, located in the First Ward of the City of Lancaster, County of Lancaster and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. [Emphasis supplied]. 5. The purpose of the condemnation is to acquire the properties located within the area certified as blighted by the Planning Commission of the City of Lancaster in order that said areas may be replanned and redeveloped to promote the public health, safety, convenience and' welfare. [Emphasis supplied]. 6. The property of the owner as shown in the caption is located within the said blighted area and is needed by the" Redevelopment Authority in order to properly carry out the duly approved plan for the redevelopment of the said area and project." ' (Emphasis supplied).
While the "declaration" does not employ the word "elimination", it does aver that the purpose of the "taking" is to-effectuate'the approved proposal and plan of redeveloping North Queen Street, a certified blighted area. The end result would be the elimination of the alleged blighted area.
\This view of the sufficiency of language of the "declaration of -taking" is reinforced by the statutory definition of "redevelopment", a term repeatedly used, as we have noted, in the "declaration of taking". The definition, of "redevelopment" in the Urban Redevelopment-Law"'(Act Of May 24, 1945, P. L;' 991, §3, 35 P'.S. §17.03,(m)) remove's any doubt that the effect of the-proposed redevelopment of the area would be the elimination of the blighted structures located therein. Thé' statute states: "(m) 'Redevelopment' — Undertakings and activities for the elimination of blighted areas. Such undertakings and activities may include the planing, replanning, acquisition, rehabilitation, improvement, clearance, sale, lease or other disposition of land, buildings or other improvements in blighted areas, or portions thereof . . . [Emphasis supplied]." This statutory ' definition lends support to the conclusion that the Authority was using the -term "redevelopment": in its "declaration of taking" in the statutory sense and that the averment is sufficient to meet the statutory requirements. For the'- above reasons ' Faranda's preliminary objection in-this respect is without merit and was properly dismissed.
'The second objection.' urged by Faranda is that the Authority lacked the power to • take his property bécause, at the time of taking, the Authority had-neither selected a redeveloper nor had entered into-a redevelopment contract. In this connection, it must 'be noted that, by stipulation, the parties agreed that, subsequent to the taking, a redeveloper had- been selected, but -the lack of a redevelopment contract -is still urged by Faranda as fatal to the power of taking.
.The. Authority is given the power of eminent domain under the Urban Redevelopment Law, supra. There is no requirement in this statute that a -redeveloper must be chosen or that a contract be entered into with a redeveloper for the re-use of the- land as prerequisites before the Authority can condemn' property. Similarly, the Eminent, Domain Code of 1984, supra, which neither enlarges nor diminishes the power of condemnation given by law to'the condemnor (§402); is'.-eqjially: silent as-to -thé stéps- that Faranda- urges' aré prerequisites to..taking. ' Both -of these'Statutes' find their bases in the''provisions of the-Constitution of Pennsylvania Article" I, §10' Which requires- that private-property be taken only, for public -use." This constitutionally mandated requirement' sets no order' of activity in the condemnation of property so long as the purpose of the condemnation satisfies the.constitutional and statutory requirements.
Thus, it seems painfully clear that there is neither decisional nor statutory authority to sustain Faranda's contention. In sustaining the lower court's dismissal of this objection, we are mindful of.the words of this court in Blumenschein v. Pittsburgh Housing Authority, 379 Pa. 566, 572, 573, 109 A. 2d 331: " By a host of authorities in our own and other jurisdictions (citing cases) it has been established, as an elementary principle of law that courts will not review the actions of governmental bodies or administrative tribunals involving acts of discretion, in the absence of bad faith, fraud, capricious action or abuse of power; they will not inquire into the wisdom of such actions or into the details of the manner adopted to carry them into execution . . (Emphasis supplied). In the absence of a showing of any fraud, abuse of discretion or bad faith, Faranda's .objection must be dismissed.
Faranda's final objection raises a more difficult and novel question. By his preliminary objections, Faranda has challenged the Authority's power and right to condemn the property in .question by his assertion that the said property is not, in fact, blighted. Since the condemnation of property is limited by our Constitution, supra, to a taking for a public use and since the only basis for the Authority's present taking is that the' elimination of a blighted area is such a public use (Belovsky v. Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia) 357 Pa. 329, 54 A. 2d 277), Faranda seeks to show that the area is not blighted thereby' negativing the power or right of the Authority to condemn. The Authority counters by saying that an action in equity rather than a preliminary objection is the proper procedural method to follow in challenging the Authority's taking. In the Authority's view, a preliminary objection should be limited to attacking the wisdom, rather than the lawfulness, of the condemnation.
" An examination of the language of §406(a) of the Eminent Domain Code, supra, clearly substantiates the soundness of the view urged upon this court by Faranda: That section provides: ". . . -Preliminary objections shall be limited to and-shall be the exclusive method of challenging (1) the paver or right of the condemnor tó appropriate the condemned property unless the same has been'.previously adjudicated . . (Emphasis supplied). See also: Snitzer, Pennsylvania Eminent Domain, §406.1 Wherein the- author says-: "Section 406 specifically provides that-the filing of preliminary objections shall be the sole and exclusive, remedy available to condemnees to challenge the condemnation. (As the comment .notes indicate, the intent of this section is.to provide the.'exclusive method of challenging the-power to-condemn, the sufficiency of the security, the declaration of taking and procedure . . Thus it-.is clear;-that 'the' new Eminent Domain Code, sets forth a completé and exclusive method of challenging' the taking; -The Authority's argument suffers from the inherent fallacy, of. urging that Earandá- is questioning not the power of the Authority to condemn but rather the wisdom -of the action it has taken. As we have said, supra, the..taking is constitutional only if it is for a public, use if the purpose is not for a public, use, the taking is unconstitutional. Herein, the Authority bottoms its public use in declaring- the area involved to be blighted; a determination challenged by Fararida, thereby making the thrust of Faranda's attack directly to the Authority's power, not to its wisdom. McSorley v. Fitzgerald, 359 Pa. 264, 59 A. 2d 142; Belovsky, supra; Ormsby Land Co. v. Pittsburgh, 276 Pa. 68, 119 A. 730.
The Authority urges that Earanda's remedy is by a suit in equity. However, we have recently held - that a court of equity has no jurisdiction to determine whether a municipal, authority has the right of eminent domain or whether it has properly exercised any right of eminent domain; Cunfer v. Carbon Airport Authority, 414 Pa. 408, 200 A. 2d 768. See also Balazick v. Dunkard-Bobtown Municipal Authority, 414 Pa. 182, 199 A. 2d 430. Similarly, the many cases cited by the Authority in its brief for the proposition that equity is the proper forum are not controlling in that such cases were decided prior to the passage of the present Eminent Domain Code.
By the clear language of the statute, the legislature has mandated that preliminary objections constitute the exclusive method of challenging the power of the condemnor to take private property. Faranda has challenged the Authority's right to condemn and has raised this challenge properly through the medium of preliminary objections. "It is a commonplace that where the legislature has provided a remedy or procedure, that remedy or procedure is exclusive and alone must be' pursued." Schwab v. Pottstown Borough, 407 Pa. 531, 534, 180 A. 2d 921, 923; Cunfer v. Carbon Airport Authority, supra; Jacobs v. Fetzer, 381 Pa. 262, 112 A. 2d 356.
The lower court erred in dismissing this objection of Faranda and the case must be remanded with directions to the lower court to take testimony, by deposition or otherwise, on the question of whether the area herein involved is in fact blighted.
Order vacated. Costs to abide the event.