Opinion ID: 2400268
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Zoning Power

Text: Zoning is inherently an exercise of the State's police power. Rockhill v. Chesterfield Tp., 23 N.J. 117, 124-25 (1957); Schmidt v. Newark Bd. of Adjustment, 9 N.J. 405, 413-14 (1952); cf., Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, 47 S.Ct. 114, 71 L.Ed. 303 (1926). Consequently, municipalities have no power to zone except as delegated to them by the Legislature. J.D. Construction Corp. v. Freehold Tp. Bd. of Adjustment, 119 N.J. Super. 140, 144 (Law Div. 1972); Kirsch Holding Co. v. Manasquan, 111 N.J. Super. 359, 365 (Law Div. 1970), rev'd on other grounds, 59 N.J. 241 (1971); Piscitelli v. Scotch Plains Tp. Comm., 103 N.J. Super. 589, 594-95 (Law Div. 1968); see N.J. Const. (1947), Art. IV, § VI, par. 2. In this regard zoning powers are granted to municipalities by the zoning enabling act, N.J.S.A. 40:55-30 et seq. Ordinances enacted under this grant of power, like other municipal ordinances, are accorded a presumption of validity which can only be overcome by an affirmative showing that the ordinance is arbitrary or unreasonable. Bow & Arrow Manor v. Town of West Orange, 63 N.J. 335 (1973); Harvard Enterprises, Inc. v. Madison, Tp. Bd. of Adjustment, 56 N.J. 362, 368 (1970); Vickers v. Gloucester Tp. Comm., 37 N.J. 232, 242 (1962), cert. den. 371 U.S. 233, 83 S.Ct. 326, 9 L.Ed. 2d 495 (1963); Ward v. Montgomery Tp., supra, 28 N.J. at 539; Bellings v. Denville Tp., 96 N.J. Super. 351, 356 (App. Div. 1967). Nevertheless, municipalities which exercise this power must observe the limitations of the grant and the standards which accompany it. Kohl v. Mayor & Council of Fair Lawn, 50 N.J. 268, 275 (1967); Morris v. Postma, 41 N.J. 354, 359 (1964); Rockhill v. Chesterfield Tp., supra, 23 N.J. at 125; Garden State Farms, Inc. v. Bay, 136 N.J. Super. 1, 20-21 (Law Div. 1975); Sussex Woodlands, Inc. v. Mayor & Council of West Milford Tp., 109 N.J. Super. 432, 437 (Law Div. 1970). Thus, ordinances adopted under the zoning enabling act must bear a real and substantial relationship to the regulation of land within the municipality. Bridge Park Co. v. Highland Park, 113 N.J. Super. 219 (App. Div. 1971); Garden State Farms, Inc. v. Bay, supra, 136 N.J. Super. at 20-21; see generally, Schmidt v. Newark Bd. of Adjustment, supra, 9 N.J. at 416-418. They must also advance one of the several purposes specified in the enabling statute. N.J.S.A. 40:55-32. [6] Among these purposes is to promote ... the general welfare, a capacious phrase which appears to encompass all the others. Southern Burlington Cty. NAACP v. Mt. Laurel Tp., 67 N.J. 151, 175 (1975), appeal dismissed 423 U.S. 803, 96 S.Ct. 18, 46 L.Ed. 2d 28 (1975). The concept of the general welfare in land use regulation has been given an expansive interpretation by both this Court and the United States Supreme Court. See, e.g., Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas, 416 U.S. 1, 6, 94 S.Ct. 1536, 39 L.Ed. 2d 797, 802 (1974); Berman v. Parker, 348 U.S. 26, 32-33, 75 S.Ct. 98, 99 L.Ed. 27, 37-38 (1954); Kunzler v. Hoffman, 48 N.J. 277, 286-287 (1966); Roman Catholic Diocese of Newark v. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough, 42 N.J. 556 (1964); Black v. Montclair, 34 N.J. 105, 111 (1961); Andrews v. Ocean Tp. Bd. of Adjustment, 30 N.J. 245 (1959); Ward v. Montgomery Tp., supra, 28 N.J. 529; Fanale v. Hasbrouck Heights, 26 N.J. 320 (1958); Pierro v. Baxendale, 20 N.J. 17, 28-30 (1955); Lionshead Lake, Inc. v. Wayne Tp., 10 N.J. 165, 172-174 (1952), appeal dismissed 344 U.S. 919, 73 S.Ct. 386, 97 L.Ed. 708 (1953); Yahnel v. Jamesburg Bd. of Adjustment, 79 N.J. Super. 509, 516-518 (App. Div. 1963), certif. den. 41 N.J. 116 (1963); see generally, 8 McQuillin Municipal Corporations (3 ed. 1965) § 25.20 at 59-60. In this regard, the term is mutable and reflects current social conditions. [7] Southern Burlington Cty. NAACP v. Mt. Laurel Tp., supra, 67 N.J. at 176-177; Vickers v. Gloucester Tp. Comm., supra, 37 N.J. at 250; Pierro v. Baxendale, supra, 20 N.J. at 29; Fischer v. Bedminister Tp., 11 N.J. 194, 205 (1952); 8 McQuillin, supra, § 25.20 at 60. In today's economic and social setting, the term clearly encompasses the concerns of housing and related needs. Southern Burlington Cty. NAACP v. Mt. Laurel Tp., supra, 67 N.J. at 175, 178-180; DeSimone v. Greater Englewood Housing Corp. No. 1, 56 N.J. 428, 440-442 (1970); N.J. Mortgage Finance Agency v. McCrane, 56 N.J. 414, 420 (1970) and cases cited; Oakwood at Madison v. Madison Tp., 117 N.J. Super. 11, 20 (Law Div. 1971), on remand 128 N.J. Super. 438 (Law Div. 1974), appeal pending; see also, Vickers v. Gloucester Tp. Comm., supra, 37 N.J. at 262-268 (Hall, J., dissenting). In fact, not only do housing needs fall within the purview of the general welfare, but they have been recognized as basic by this Court. As Justice Hall wrote in Mt. Laurel : This brings us to the relation of housing to the concept of general welfare just discussed and the result in terms of the land use regulation which that relationship mandates. There cannot be the slightest doubt that shelter, along with food, are the most basic human needs. See Robinson v. Cahill, supra (62 N.J. at 483). The question of whether a citizenry has adequate and sufficient housing is certainly one of the prime considerations in assessing the general health and welfare of that body. New Jersey Mortgage Finance Agency v. McCrane, 56 N.J. 414, 420 (1970). [67 N.J. at 178-79]. The question therefore arises whether the ordinances under review serve to promote ... the general welfare. Cf. Rosell v. Wright, 21 N.J. 400, 408, 410 (1956). The relationship which the Weymouth ordinances bear to the general welfare can only be appreciated when viewed against the background of larger demographic and social changes that have recently occurred both in New Jersey and in the nation at large. The United States is experiencing a sharp demographic shift. As a consequence of declining birth rates and longer life expectancies, the elderly are increasing both in absolute numbers and in relative proportion to the total population. In 1950, there were approximately 12.3 million persons over the age of 65 in the United States, comprising 8.2% of the total population. By 1970, these numbers had risen to approximately 20 million, and 9.9% of the total population. U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970 Census of the Population, Characteristics of the Population : United States Summary 1-276 (1973). More recent figures show that this age-group now includes more than 22 million people. If current trends continue, demographers project that there will be more than 29 million Americans over the age of 65 by the year 2000. Hearings on Specialized Housing and Alternatives to Institutionalization before a Subcomm. of the House Comm. on Gov't Operations, 93rd Cong., 2d Sess., at 2 (1974). Though the total population grew by one-third between 1950 and 1970, the number of elderly citizens in this country increased by nearly two-thirds. Ibid. In the next two decades, it is expected that the number of people between the ages of 65 and 74 will increase by an additional one-third and those 75 years of age and older will increase by 64% Neugarten, Age Groups in American Society and the Rise of the Young-Old, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 193 (Sept. 1974). These national trends are reflected in the changing demographic composition of New Jersey as well. In 1950, New Jersey had approximately 394,000 residents over the age of 65, comprising 8.2% of its total population. By 1970, this number had grown to 697,000, and 9.7% of the population. U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970 Census of the Population, Characteristics of the Population : New Jersey 32-64 (1973). The rapid increase of the elderly population has brought increasing public recognition of the special problems confronting this age group. See generally, Older Americans Act of 1965, 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 3001 et seq.; N.J.S.A. 26:1A-107 et seq.; N.J.S.A. 52:27D-28.1 et seq., L. 1975, c. 36; Senior Citizens' Recreational Opportunities Act of 1968, N.J.S.A. 52:27D-29.1 et seq.; Retirement Community Full Disclosure Act, N.J.S.A. 45:22A-1 et seq.; White House Conference on Aging, Toward a National Policy on Aging (1971); President's Task Force on Aging, Toward a Brighter Future for the Elderly (1970); Law and the Aged: Symposium, 17 Ariz. L. Rev. 267-545 (1975). Among these problems are the special housing needs of the elderly. The lack of housing specially designed to meet the needs and desires of the elderly is a matter that has generated increasing public concern at both the national and state levels. See, e.g., 2 White House Conference on Aging, Toward a National Policy on Aging 29-36 (1971); President's Task Force on Aging, supra at 38-40; Hearings on Adequacy of Federal Response to Housing Needs of Older Americans Before the Subcomm. on Housing for the Elderly of the Senate Special Comm. on Aging, 92nd Cong., 1st Sess., 2nd Sess., 93rd Cong., 1st Sess., 2nd Sess., pts. 1-12 (1972-74); Hearings on Specialized Housing and Alternatives to Institutionalization Before a Subcomm. of the House Comm. on Gov't Operations, supra; N.J. Office on Aging, Proceedings  Aging and Housing Conference (1972); N.J. Office on Aging, A Community Guide: Housing New Jersey's Elderly (1971) (hereinafter Housing New Jersey's Elderly ); Div. of Aging, N.J. Dept. of State, Local Planning for Housing the Elderly (1964); Div. on Aging, N.J. Dep't. of State, Housing for an Aging Population (1962); K. Heintz, Retirement Communities: For Adults Only (Center for Urban Policy Research, Rutgers Univ., 1976) (soon to be published; hereinafter Retirement Communities). In part the need of the elderly for specialized housing results from the fixed and limited incomes upon which many older persons are dependent. In 1970, 82.3% of households in New Jersey with persons over the age of 65 had incomes of less than $10,000 and 62.1% had incomes of less than $5,000. N.J. Office on Aging, Detailed Housing and Income Information on the Elderly of New Jersey 2 (1973). By comparison, the median income for all families in New Jersey at that time was $11,407. Because many of the elderly derive their incomes from pensions, social security or other government benefit programs, or from interest on savings or income-producing securities, they are among those hardest hit by inflation and the current statewide housing shortage. N.J. Dep't of Community Affairs, The Housing Crisis in New Jersey 1970 (1970). Consequently, many of the elderly cannot afford housing specifically designed for their needs, and in many cases are actually obliged to live in substandard housing. Housing New Jersey's Elderly, supra at 3. Many others must devote a disproportionate amount of their available resources to housing costs. N.J. Office on Aging, Detailed Housing and Income Information on the Elderly of New Jersey, supra at 4. Moreover, those who are homeowners must often forego proper maintenance and upkeep of their homes. Retirement Communities, supra at 2. In part, though, the need for specialized housing transcends economic status and results from the particular physical and social problems of the elderly. The desirability of housing to meet the special physical needs of the elderly is summarized in a report by the N.J. Office on Aging: The needs of the elderly differ from those of the rest of the general populace; muscles and skin become less pliable with increased age, bones become more brittle, and hearing and sight begin to fail. The older person has difficulty in performing normal home maintenance tasks. To the elderly, accidents in the home are a real danger. Falls, for example, are the leading cause of accidental death for those 65 and over. Throw rugs, stairs and many other objects can cause serious accidents. Older people have different needs, and housing is one area where special consideration must be given. Plans should include more and wider walkways with fewer stairs, an interior and exterior design to permit easy social contact, provision for common rooms, short distances between buildings, easy refuse collection, little maintenance, and well-lighted walkways and halls. In addition, housing designed for the elderly should include such facilities as a central dining room, health care facilities and recreational facilities. [ Housing New Jersey's Elderly, supra at 4]. See also N.J. Office on Aging, Proceedings  Aging and Housing Conference, supra at 37-41. Though special social and psychological needs of the elderly are perhaps less obvious than their physical needs, they are no less real. The elderly are apt to be less mobile than younger persons. They may have lost friends and relatives of comparable age and background. As a result, readily accessible companionship becomes increasingly important to them. In addition, the fact that children may have moved away sometimes causes elderly persons to seek an age-homogeneous environment to replace broken family ties. Retirement Communities, supra at 3. Such an environment also helps older citizens to adjust to the social and psychological effects of retirement. As one commentator observed: Obviously, there are economic ramifications involved with retirement, but there are far subtler changes in life-style as well.... Retirement signals a change in social status and a need to find fulfillment in what many elderly view as excessive time. As one commentator suggests, the very fact of retirement may create psychological pressures to relocate: Upon retirement the working man automatically becomes a senior citizen. Such a change in occupational activity requires the elderly male to face potential embarrassment and loss of status if he remains in the same immediate community, because (1) he usually has a reduced scale of living (less income), (2) he may desire not to be like the other lost souls who haunt the shop or campus without purpose or function, and (3) he may experience mental depression brought on by living in the presence of former duties, responsibilities, and active associates. Consequently, retirement by its very nature in American society, creates built-in pressures on the elderly man to change not only his type of housing but its location as well. If the retiree decides to move, he may seek an adjustment not only in his housing consumption but also in his residential or community environment. He may well seek out a community where leisure is not denigrated and where peer contact is maximized: