Opinion ID: 2595544
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: THE ARCHIBALDS HAVE STANDING TO APPEAL THE P & Z's DECISION

Text: Jerome Cheese contends that the Archibalds lack standing to appeal the P & Z's decision, maintaining that the Archibalds are too distant from the Project to be impacted in any manner unique to them. The Gooding County Zoning Ordinance Article X, Section K indicates who may appeal a decision of the P & Z. The section states that, [t]he applicant or any affected person (one who has an interest in real property which may be adversely affected) who appeared in person or in writing before the Commission may appeal the decision of the Commission to the Board. . . . The Archibalds participated in the proceedings before the P & Z. The question is whether they have a property interest that may be adversely affected by Jerome Cheese's Project. In their appeal from the P & Z decision the Archibalds stated that, the odor from this sewage empoundment can cause irreparable economic damage to residential values. Beautiful properties can suddenly be unsellable just with a change in the wind direction. The Archibalds also appeared before the Board in the August 11, 2003, hearing on the Special Use Permit application. Mr. Archibald stated that: I know that if you make where I live an unpleasant place to live you're going to devalue my property. . . . You could devalue my property in lots of ways. And if you ruin the living conditions immediately adjacent to my property you've affected my property too. So where do you draw the line and where do you say an offensive odor is an offensive odor? Jerome Cheese offered evidence that odors could not reach the Archibalds' property. However, an engineering expert who testified on behalf of Jerome Cheese before the Board in its August 11, 2003, hearing testified that under certain circumstances the Archibalds may be able to smell odors from Jerome Cheese's Project. The engineer stated that our study indicates that if you made a big enough odor, yes, you could smell it at the Archibalds' house. It would have to be a very big odor inconsistent with the design of the wastewater treatment plant. But, yes, that's possible. There is some evidence that if Jerome Cheese's Project failed to adhere to the conditions imposed by the P & Z in issuing the special use permit, the Archibalds may be able to smell odors from the Project on their property. This is sufficient for the Board to determine that the Archibalds' property interest may be adversely affected if the special use permit is granted.