Opinion ID: 1573171
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Evidence of Potential Residential Use

Text: The Court of Appeals concluded that there is no evidence to support Stephen Smith's assertions that a part of his property was outside of the floodway at the time of the taking and that there is no evidence to support a finding that there was any reasonable probability that the Smiths could have obtained the right to build a residence on the tract. (Emphasis supplied.) Smith v. Papio-Missouri River NRD, 96 NCA No. 34 at 6. These conclusions are not supported by the record. The land at issue, frontage property along a spring-fed portion of the Boyer Chute, had been in the Smith family for about 60 years. Through the 1930's, Reed Smith's grandparents lived in a house on the property. Other structures located on the property during the 1930's included a barn, a chicken coop, and a machine shed. Reed Smith's grandparents moved into town in the 1940's, and the buildings were lost when the banks of the chute eroded later that decade. Reed and Doris Smith purchased the property from Reed Smith's grandfather in the late 1970's and, along with family and friends, have enjoyed the use of a portion of the property as a recreational area for picnics, fishing, and hunting. The rest of the property was cropland. The Smiths testified that they intended to one day build their retirement home on this land and supplement their income by operating a fishing-guide service and duck-hunting area. At the time of the taking, Reed Smith was 46 years old and planned to retire when he was 55 years old. The evidence at trial established that the owners of property within a floodway may build a residence or other structure on their property only if they can establish either that the site where the structure will be built is not actually within the floodway but instead within the floodway fringe or that construction in the floodway will not impede the flow of water within the floodway. At the time of taking, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) map revealed that only a very small portion of the southwest corner of the Smith property might possibly lie in the floodway fringe. Reed Smith testified that according to the FEMA map, he estimated that a triangle-shaped portion of his property, approximately 90 feet by 190 feet, along the right angle of the triangle, was outside the floodway and within the floodway fringe. Wayne Kirk, a registered land surveyor and former surveyor and flood plain administrator for Washington County, testified that the FEMA floodway maps are computer-generated models that are inaccurate as to the actual elevations of land within a floodway. Kirk stated that anyone who wanted to build near a floodway was entitled to request a restudy of his or her property and revision of the FEMA floodway map. Kirk also testified that based on his survey of the area near the Smith property, the southern portion of the Smith property was out of the floodway. In addition, Doug Cook, planning administrator for Washington County, testified that a structure could be built within a floodway if it is certified that the structure is on an isolated portion of high ground. The Smiths testified that the southern end of their property was high ground that historically had not been inundated during periods of flooding. Further, Reed Smith testified that he, along with the Omaha Public Power District and the Cottonwood Marina, requested a restudy and revision of the FEMA map with respect to their properties. According to Reed Smith, the revised FEMA map indicated that 5 to 6 acres of what was formerly his property were located outside of the floodway. The Washington County board considered adoption of the revised FEMA map after the district had acquired the Smith property. Reed Smith testified that at the third county board meeting concerning the restudy, the board voted to table adoption of the revised FEMA map until the instant litigation was final. Cook testified that the district appeared at the third county board meeting in opposition to the adoption of the proposed revisions to the FEMA map and requested that the board table the matter until the litigation between the district and the Smiths was completed. The Smiths were required to prove the fair market value of their property in view of any reasonably probable use, reasonably occurring in the immediate future. See Johnson v. Nebraska Public Power Dist., 187 Neb. 421, 191 N.W.2d 594 (1971). The Smiths did, in fact, adduce evidence to demonstrate that their valuation opinions, as well as the valuation opinion of their expert, were correctly based on the fact that it was reasonably probable that the Smith property could be used for residential purposes, reasonably occurring in the immediate future. At the time of the taking, even the inaccurate FEMA map disclosed that a portion of the Smith property was within the floodway fringe and thus suitable for residential construction. The revised FEMA map revealed that at least one-quarter of the Smiths' property was outside the floodway and thus suitable for residential use. The revised FEMA map was corroborated by the survey conducted by Kirk and consonant with the Smiths' observations of the extent to which their property was inundated during periods of flooding. The Court of Appeals placed some emphasis on the fact that the revised FEMA map did not have official standing. While it is true that the FEMA map had not been adopted by the Washington County board, the only reason the revised FEMA map had not been adopted by the county board prior to the time of trial was because the district stood in opposition to its adoption. However, the record establishes that the district opposed adoption of the restudy map not because it questioned the accuracy of the map, but, instead, because the district complained that Reed Smith was without standing to request the restudy, as he was no longer the owner of affected property. We therefore determine that the Court of Appeals erred in finding that there was no evidence to support the conclusion that it was reasonably probable that the Smith property could be used for residential purposes in the immediate future. The record before us is replete with evidence that supports the Smiths' assertion that a part of their property was outside of the floodway at the time of the taking and that it was reasonably probable that the Smiths could obtain the right to build a residence on their land in the immediate future.