Opinion ID: 691304
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The jurisdiction of the DCFMA-BZA

Text: 32 The plaintiffs' second claim is that the district court erred in concluding that the DCFMA-BZA has jurisdiction over Turkey's proposal. Though they do not say who in their view does have such jurisdiction, presumably it would be the ordinary zoning and land-use authorities of the District of Columbia. 33 The provisions of Sec. 206 of the FMA are, as the district court noted, far from models of clarity. NTHP I, 834 F.Supp. at 452. The most plausible reading of the statute, however, is that it gives the DCFMA-BZA exclusive jurisdiction over all proposals involving the location, replacement, or expansion of chanceries in the District of Columbia. 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(a). After all, the statute contemplates that a foreign mission will file an application with the DCFMA-BZA with respect to such location, replacement, or expansion, 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(b)(2), (c)(3); provides that the decision of the DCFMA-BZA shall not be subject to the administrative proceedings of any other agency or official, 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(c)(3); and allows for the operation of other laws only to the extent they are consistent with [Sec. 206]. 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(j). 34 The plaintiffs argue nonetheless that the DCFMA-BZA had no jurisdiction over Turkey's proposal to demolish and rebuild its chancery, primarily because paragraph (c)(1), the only portion of the statute that expressly requires a foreign mission to file an application with the DCFMA-BZA, states: 35 If a foreign mission wishes to locate a chancery in an area described in subsection (b)(2) of this section, or wishes to appeal an administrative decision relating to a chancery based in whole or in part upon any zoning map or regulation, it shall file an application with the Board of Zoning Adjustment.... 36 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(c)(1). The plaintiffs take this to mean that all chancery land-use issues other than initial location must come before the DCFMA-BZA only by way of an appeal from some other body; of course, Turkey's chancery is already located at the Massachusetts Avenue site, and the mission is not appealing any administrative decision to the DCFMA-BZA. 37 Paragraph (c)(1), however, cannot describe the universe of cases that may come before the DCFMA-BZA. For paragraph (c)(3) of Sec. 206 speaks of DCFMA-BZA determinations concerning the location, replacement, or expansion of a chancery and provides that such decisions shall not be subject to the administrative proceedings of any other agency or official except as provided in this chapter. 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(c)(3). The only way to give effective operation to both of these provisions is to conclude that the term location in paragraph (c)(1) includes the replacement and expansion determinations referred to in paragraph (c)(3), and that zoning issues that do not involve location, replacement, or expansion, i.e., those not covered by paragraph (c)(3), are to be raised first before the appropriate D.C. authority and then brought to the DCFMA-BZA on appeal pursuant to paragraph (c)(1). 38 If paragraph (c)(1) allowed the DCFMA-BZA to review only zoning decisions of some other agency (at least when the matter is not one of location), then the reference in paragraph (c)(3) to replacement and expansion determinations not subject to the proceedings of any other agency would be meaningless. Rather, we must conclude that paragraph (c)(3) gives the DCFMA-BZA exclusive original jurisdiction over zoning determinations governing the location, replacement, or expansion of a chancery; as to all other zoning issues relating to a chancery, DCFMA-BZA has exclusive appellate jurisdiction under subsection (c)(1). Replacement and perhaps expansion are clearly at issue in this case, and Turkey's proposal was therefore properly before the DCFMA-BZA in the first instance. 39 The District of Columbia Court of Appeals would agree. In Embassy of the People's Republic of Benin v. District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment, 534 A.2d 310 (D.C.App.1987), the D.C. Zoning Board had denied a foreign mission's application to construct a radio antenna at its chancery facility. Id. at 311. On appeal, the court concluded that the FMA gives the DCFMA-BZA exclusive jurisdiction over such determinations, stating: The language of the FMA leaves little doubt that Congress wished to create a comprehensive scheme for the fair and expeditious decision of issues relating to foreign chanceries in the District of Columbia. Id. at 316. The court specifically rejected the contention ... that Congress, in enacting the FMA, intended to create two independent and parallel schemes, one federal and one local, for resolution of chancery issues. Id. at 319. 40 Finally, the plaintiffs argue that the FMA does not preempt applicable local law, and that Turkey is still required to comply with the procedures of District of Columbia zoning law. Both the FMA and local law, however, strongly suggest the contrary. Section 207 of the FMA, 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4307, provides: Nothing in section 4302, 4303, 4304, or 4305 of this title may be construed to preempt any State or municipal law of governmental authority regarding zoning, land use, health, safety, or welfare.... Glaringly absent from this provision is any reference to Sec. 206, 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306, which, of course, implies that Sec. 206 may be construed to preempt D.C. zoning and kindred laws. Likewise, Sec. 206 provides that the Secretary shall require missions to comply substantially with D.C. building and related codes, 22 U.S.C. Sec. 4306(g); and D.C. law provides a comprehensive scheme for the HPRB to review applications submitted to the DCFMA-BZA, see, e.g., 11 D.C.M.R. Sec. 1002.7. Both of these requirements would be wholly redundant if proposals such as Turkey's were subject to the usual processes for making D.C. zoning determinations. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's conclusion that Turkey's application was properly submitted to the DCFMA-BZA, rather than to whatever local body would have been appropriate but for the FMA.