Opinion ID: 298412
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Are the Brackenridge-Olmos Parklands of Local Significance?

Text: 49 Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act protects from federal-aid highway parks 'of local significance as determined by the Federal, State or local officials having jurisdiction thereof.   ' 50 After section 4(f) was passed and became effective, the City Council of San Antonio passed the following resolution: 51 The portions of public lands owned by the City of San Antonio and required by present plans for the construction of this expressway facility are of primary local significance as part of the right of way for the North Expressway and of secondary local significance as parts of park and recreation areas. 24 52 The State argues that this resolution is a determination by local officials that Brackenridge Park is of 'no local significance.' The Resolution, however, does not say that Brackenridge Park is of no local significance. Indeed, it says that Brackenridge Park is of local significance as a Park, but that the City Council would prefer to see it used for a highway. The question, therefore, is whether Congress intended to leave the choice between parks of local significance and federal-aid highways to local authorities; or whether Congress, in passing section 4(f), has already made the choice between the two uses. Only one construction fairly can be given to section 4(f), and that is that Congress itself has made the choice between the two uses. Clearly, Congress did not intend to leave the decision whether federal funds would be used to build highways through parks of local significance up to the city councils across the nation. If there was any doubt about this question before Overton Park, there most assuredly is no longer any doubt. The following appears in the district court's opinion in Overton Park: 53 With respect to the reference to '   local preference,'    it should here be pointed out that the Mayor and Council of the City of Memphis have heretofore approved this corridor and design and have approved the sale of this strip through Overton Park to the State of Tennessee.    Since (section 4(f)) by its terms is invoked only if park 'is of local significance as determined by Federal, State or local officials having jurisdiction thereof' in view of the approval by the Mayor and Council, it may well be that (section 4(f)) has no application here. 54 Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, W.D.Tenn.1970, 309 F.Supp. 1189, 1195. 55 The Record in this case reveals that the state defendants relied heavily on this district court opinion in opposing application of section 4(f) to the North Expressway. 25 Now, of course, that argument is foreclosed by the Supreme Court's decision in reversing the district court in Overton Park. We must conclude from the Supreme Court's action that the Court attached little if any significance to the local officials' preference to use Overton Park for highway right-of-way. 26 56