Opinion ID: 1205032
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Access Road Standards

Text: Shannondale maintains that the Ordinance requires the upgrading of the asphalt on the access road, but does not require the access road to meet the subdivision road standards. Specifically Shannondale argues that section 4.8.a (subdivision road standards requirement) is a general provision and its requirements are superseded by the specific provision dealing with existing access roads, namely section 8.2.a.16 (asphalt up-grade). See supra notes 1 and 2 for the text of 4.8.a and 8.2.a.16, respectively. The Commission maintains that the provisions are not exclusive and must be read together to insure safe and well-constructed roads, one of the purposes of the Ordinance. We review de novo the circuit court's determination of the meaning of the Ordinance. The interpretation question was presented in an action for a declaratory judgment. Syllabus Point 3 of Cox v. Amick, 195 W.Va. 608, 466 S.E.2d 459 (1995) states: A circuit court's entry of a declaratory judgment is reviewed de novo.  In Cox, we further explained that because the purpose of a declaratory judgment action is to resolve legal questions, a circuit court's ultimate resolution in a declaratory judgment action is reviewed de novo.  Cox, 195 W.Va. at 612, 466 S.E.2d at 463. Factual determinations used by the circuit court to reach the ultimate legal resolution are reviewed under a clearly erroneous standard. Our general rules of statutory construction are applicable in this case. See Syllabus Points 10 (ambiguous statutes must be construed before applied) and 11 (effect should be given to the legislature's intent) of Cox, supra . Because two provisions of the Ordinance deal with access road requirements, we also apply our statutory construction rules relating to two or more provisions. The Commission emphasized the consideration of all the Ordinance's provisions, and Shannondale emphasized the preference given to a specific provision over a general provision. Syllabus point 12 of Cox states: `Statutes which relate to the same persons or things, or to the same class of persons or things, or statutes which have a common purpose will be regarded in pari materia to assure recognition and implementation of the legislative intent. Accordingly, a court should not limit its consideration to any single part, provision, section, sentence, phrase or word, but rather review the act or statute in its entirety to ascertain legislative intent properly.' Syl. pt. 5, Fruehauf Corp. v. Huntington Moving & Storage Co., 159 W.Va. 14, 217 S.E.2d 907 (1975). Syl. pt. 1, State ex rel. Lambert v. County Commission of Boone County, 192 W.Va. 448, 452 S.E.2d 906 (1994). Syllabus Point 1 of Whitlow v. Bd. of Educ. of Kanawha County, 190 W.Va. 223, 438 S.E.2d 15 (1993) states: The general rule of statutory construction requires that a specific statute be given precedence over a general statute relating to the same subject matter where the two cannot be reconciled. Syllabus Point 1, UMWA by Trumka v. Kingdon, 174 W.Va. 330, 325 S.E.2d 120 (1984). See Vance v. Ritchie, 178 W.Va. 155, 157, 358 S.E.2d 239, 241 (1987) (general venue provision must yield to the more specific). When the Ordinance is considered in light of both these rules of statutory construction, the conclusion is that access roads must meet the same standards as the subdivision roads except that if gravel roads are used in the subdivision, then the access road must be asphalted. Section 8.2.a.16 of the Ordinance specifically deals with the road surface of both subdivision roads and access roads to the subdivision either gravel or asphalt and provides that  [g]ravel roads may be constructed only in subdivisions that meet all of the ... [listed] requirements. However, access roads must be upgrade[d] ... to the asphalt standards of this Ordinance. This specific provision relates to the road surface and does not conflict with the general provision requiring an access road meet the same standards as the subdivision roads (section 4.8), except to impose a higher standard for the surface of an access road when the subdivision roads are gravel. Other sections of the Ordinance provide for road width, shoulder width, road grade, ditch depth, lateral slope, fillet radius and others. See Ordinance sections 8.2.a.7 through 15. When all the provisions of the Ordinance are read in pari materia, we conclude that all sections must be applied to Grey Fox Road. Requiring a higher standard for an access road is consistent with the stated purposes of the Ordinance which include health, safety, ... prevent[ion of] ... undue congestion of ... traffic[,] ... adequate and efficient transportation, [and preservation of] the integrity, stability, and natural beauty of the community. See Ordinance, section 1.1, in part. We find no error in the circuit court's conclusion that sections 4.8 and 8.2 of the Ordinance are applicable to the proposed subdivision roads and to the access road. B.