Opinion ID: 3011942
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Similarity of Uses

Text: Since we review the grant of (partial) summary judgment de novo, see Olson v. General Electric Astrospace, 101 F.3d 947, 951 (3d Cir. 1996), we apply the same standard as the District Court in determining whether summary judgment was appropriate, Michael v. Shiley, Inc., 46 F.3d 1316, 1321 (3d Cir. 1995). Therefore, we may analyze whether the Congregation is similarly situated to uses permitted by special exception in the R-1 Residential District, i.e., whether, as submitted by the Congregation at oral argument, Congregation Kol Ami is similarly situated to a country club. We are tempted to do this because the District Court, albeit in summary fashion, did so, and because delay in disposition of this matter impedes the Congregation’s relocation efforts. In response to questioning at oral argument, the Congregation contends that it is similarly situated to a country club, a use that is permitted by special exception in the R-1 Residential District. In its submission, a country club conducts activities at the same time and with the same number of people as the Congregation would, yet the country club is permitted by special exception but the Congregation is not. The Congregation submits that it should make no difference that Congregation Kol Ami, and not Country Club Kol Ami, applied for a special exception. If Abington permitted full-scale country clubs, this argument might have some force. It is unclear however, based on a review of the Abington Ordinance, whether country clubs, as described by the Congregation, are permitted in the R-1 Residential District in Abington. Leaving aside the religious events conducted at the synagogues, which have no analogue to any of the uses _________________________________________________________________ Lower Merion Township, 34 Pa. D. & C.2d 239 (Mont. Co. Ct. of Comm. Pleas 1964) (upholding generally applicable zoning regulation that denied church a special exception to locate in a residential area). At all events, the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Smith renders questionable the continuing vitality of this line of state cases for the reasons discussed above. 31 permitted in R-1 by special exception, the country club described at oral argument was one that would be on a par with a 450-family synagogue regularly hosting weddings and Bar and Bat Mitzvah services.[OA Trans. At 62, 68, 93]. But we cannot tell whether the Ordinance would permit such a club. The R-1 Residential District permits Outdoor Recreation by special exception.[1001a]. Outdoor recreation is then defined as follows: Public or private miniature golf courses, swimming pools, ball courts, tennis courts, ball fields, trails, and similar uses which are not enclosed in buildings and are operated on a commercial or membership basis, primarily for the use of patrons who do not reside on the same lot on premises. Outdoor recreation shall include any accessory use, such as snack bars, pro shops, club houses, country clubs, or similar uses which are designed and intended primarily for the use of patrons of the principal recreational use. Outdoor recreation shall not include amusement parks, open space recreational uses, overnight camping parks, or other uses specifically provided herein. (Emphasis added). [1098a]. This ordinance is not a model of clarity, but its text does not appear to permit full-scale country clubs. While country clubs are permitted within the meaning of outdoor recreation, when read in connection with the permitted outdoor recreation it seems that country clubs like those envisioned by the Congregation are not permitted. For example, the use permits miniature golf courses, not full-scale golf courses, which is a limitation that seems to restrict the possibility that any grand country club could or would locate in the R-1 Residential District. Rather, under the text of the Ordinance the type of country club permitted in the R-1 Residential District appears specifically designed to be an accessory use and, as such, to serve those uses listed in the sentence preceding the list of accessory uses, such as miniature golf courses, swimming pools, and tennis courts. Under this reading, the Congregation’s argument that such clubs could be used for 32 weddings and other celebrations would be inconsistent with the precise language of the Ordinance.6 But this argument, which depends on a rather crabbed characterization of country club, is less than fully convincing. At all events, because the ordinance is so poorly written that we cannot be sure what it means, we will remand so that the District Court can consider the similarity issue in the first instance. In consideration of this remand, we make a number of observations for the guidance of the District Court. First, we note that of the uses permitted by special exception in the R-1 Residential District, the country club comparison seems to be the only possible similarity. 7 We are mindful that in City of Cleburne, the different housing arrangements used for comparison were, essentially, multiple housing arrangements. It is hard to describe how one of the arrangements differed from the other insofar as its use was concerned. Clearly, as the similarity of use wanes, so too the inequality in treatment will be increasingly tolerated under the law. On the basis of the present record, it seems doubtful that the Congregation is similarly situated to the other uses permitted by special exception in R-1. Kennels, riding academies, and outdoor recreation facilities are very low-intense uses of land that preserve residential character. [1074a-75a, 1098a]. Train _________________________________________________________________ 6. We note, in this regard, that restaurants and clubs in general are not permitted either by right or by special exception in the R-1 Residential District. Rather, restaurants are permitted only in commercial districts, such as in the Town Commercial District [1007a], Special Commercial District [1010a], Planned Business Districts[1014a], Mixed Use Districts [1028a], and as an accessory use to a golf course [1097a]. Clubs are permitted in the Apartment-Office Districts [1018a], Mixed Use Districts [1028a], and Recreation/Conservation Districts[1036a]. Country clubs of the type conceived of by the Congregation, with full-scale golf courses, are permitted in the Community Service Districts by conditional use permit (where houses of worship are permitted by right), ApartmentOffice Districts, and Recreational/Conservation Districts by special exception. [1019a, 1036a]. 7. Although the notion that a country club and a synagogue are similarly situated at first seems counterintuitive, perhaps an explanation (beyond similarity of impacts) can be found. 33 stations and bus shelters are located adjacent to (usually long established) public rights of way which transport suburban commuters into Philadelphia and support regional transportation. [1108a]. Municipal complexes, emergency services, and utility facilities for sewers and electricity are indispensable to the health, safety, and administration of a residential community [1094a, 1108a]. All of these uses would appear to have functionally different purposes than the Congregation, and would seem compatible with a low-density residential neighborhood so as to represent a lower likelihood of generating negative secondary effects. In addition to the fact that the uses permitted by right or by special exception differ in scale and purpose from the Congregation, we note that the Congregation’s proposed use presents an intense use of the land, which the Township might determine was incompatible with its residential designation. Services and educational classes typically require a large number of people to arrive and leave by car at roughly the same time. As we previously observed, a municipality may chart out a quiet place where yards are wide, people few, and motor vehicles restricted are legitimate guidelines in a land-use project addressed to family needs. . . . The police power is not confined to elimination of filth, stench, and unhealthy places. It is ample to lay out zones where . . . the blessings of quiet seclusion and clean air make the area a sanctuary for people. Village of Belle Terre, 446 U.S. at 9. As represented at oral argument by the Township, the Congregation stated at the initial proceeding before the ZHB that it had a membership of 207 families and predicted a growth to about 350 families. By the time the special exception hearing was held, the Congregation was willing to put a cap at 450 families. There is no doubt that the Congregation is growing, probably due to a popular rabbi. The Congregation may well grow larger. With a large and growing congregation comes increased traffic and noise. Indeed, at the special exception hearing, the Congregation reported that it would need to expand the existing parking lot to 137 spaces, but might need to make available an additional 54 spaces for reserve parking for heavy-use 34 occasions. [3904a]. This matter might well be considered by the District Court on remand.