Opinion ID: 2164332
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The GRA's Petition for Review.

Text: Like the FGCA, the GRA was not permitted to cross-examine a witness for the University with respect to his rebuttal testimony. For reasons discussed below, we are of the opinion that the University's case with respect to Parcel B was less compelling than its evidence regarding the proposed site for the new law school, and the question whether the Board's restriction on the GRA's right to cross-examine requires vacation of its decision is therefore closer than in the case of the FGCA. Nevertheless, we conclude that there was no substantial prejudice. In its Finding of Fact No. 22, the Board stated in pertinent part that the Landscape Plan adequately addresses the issue of buffer on the western perimeter. The Board finds that Parcel B may be deleted from the campus boundary without adverse impact on the adjacent property owners. Finally, the Board finds that Phases II and III of the Landscape Plan will address the legitimate concern of the loss of trees and the construction of [a] proposed addition [to University buildings located near Parcel B]. The Board will have further review of such additions at the time the University submits plans for approval. This finding is supported by substantial evidence. Indeed, we have no doubt that if only the evidence presented by the University were considered, and if the testimony presented by the opponents is rejected, then the quoted finding would be altogether unassailable. The University's landscape architect and planning expert, Mr. Joseph Brown, testified that the three-stage Plan for the area adjacent to Parcel B was negotiated at length with neighboring residents. According to Mr. Brown, the Landscape Plan was developed with substantial input from the residents, and it assured that there would be adequate buffering after Parcel B was deleted. He described these consultations as a very long and deliberate landscape process which I haven't seen the like of for a long time. With respect to the adequacy of the proposed buffer, Mr. Brown explained, among other things, that a nine-foot fence would surround the campus and that there would be substantial planting of trees and shrubs just below [the] ridge line and just above it because that is the real area where landscape makes a difference, just on the crest and below the crest on the ridge. He expected that, as a result, a landscape veil is going to come down around the whole university and provide a very deliberate enclosure which will make a very high quality landscape perimeter. The University also agreed to the staged implementation of Phases II and III of the Landscape Plan, which were designed to supplement the initial buffer as necessary. Phase II of the Plan contemplates the planting of additional trees and shrubbery, and is to be put into effect immediately upon removal of any of the six trees on Parcel B. Phase III provides for additional landscaping in the event a contemplated addition is made to two nearby university buildings. [18] Moreover, as we have noted, Parcel B has been rezoned to R-1-A, the most restrictive classification, so that, at most, two single-family residences could be constructed on the property. Finally, the Office of Planning supported the proposed boundary change. The Parcel B issue was vigorously contested by the GRA, however, and this organization did not enter the fray alone. In spite of the University's consultations with neighborhood groups, there was no broad consensus among affected citizens in favor of the proposed boundary change. The president of the NLC, who urged swift approval of the proposed site for the law school, requested on behalf of his organization, with respect to Parcel B, that the Board redraw the campus boundary to ensure that a greater portion of the existing buffer is preserved. (FF ¶ 73) ANC 3-D, which also favored the Campus Plan with respect to the law school, asked that the Board redraw the boundaries of Parcel B to include and retain at least the twelve existing mature trees as well as an appropriate buffer area, [and] that the University assume responsibility for preservation, care and maintenance of the vegetation included in this newly formed boundary. (FF ¶ 68). [19] The President of the Spring Valley-Wesley Heights Citizens Association, representing more than 1200 households which surround the University on three sides, endorsed the position of ANC 3-D. (FF ¶ 75). Councilman James Nathanson, who represents Ward 3 on the Council of the District of Columbia, urged the Board not to accept houses in place of trees for buffering, thus implicitly objecting to the proposed erection of two single-family houses on Parcel B. [20] The opponents also took on the University on the merits. Both in its cross-examination of the University's witnesses and in presenting its own case, the GRA focused on the perceived inadequacy of the University's plan to preserve adequate buffering between the University and the community in the immediate future. Joseph Brown, the University's architectural expert, admitted that the trees which would be removed when Parcel B was developed were quite high, and that their replacements would be shorter. The following exchange ensued: MR. NETTLER: So, what we are doing is planning for a buffer for the next generation's next generation? MR. BROWN: Well, I think that's a good explanation, only it's the next generation. It's just like raising kids. You better make sure that you plan for every generation or you end up with a lot of dead trees, beautiful, old dead trees and no replacement. Mr. Brown also acknowledged that he and some of the Glenbrook Road residents had identified twelve tulip poplars on Parcel B that should be preserved to provide a buffer. He was of the opinion that construction should not intrude upon the dripline of a tulip poplar, and that the dripline for the trees on Parcel B should be at least 15 feet from the trunk of each in order to preserve them from destruction. He conceded that it appeared from the development plan proposed by the contract purchaser of Parcel B that construction would take place within 15 feet of many of these trees. [21] Martha Donnelly, an expert in landscape planning, landscape architecture and horticulture, provided detailed testimony on behalf of the GRA. Ms. Donnelly anticipated that, as a result of regrading necessitated by the topography of Parcel B, virtually all of the trees and vegetation would be destroyed by the proposed development. [22] She testified that the vegetation on the property, including more than 40 to 50 trees ranging from 60 to 100 feet in height, would be irreplaceable, because it blocks the view of the broadcast tower, eliminates glare from campus lights, and reduces noise from various University activities. Ms. Donnelly testified that the need for a buffer would become even more critical as the University proceeded with the proposed expansion of the arts center on the edge of Parcel B. Ms. Donnelly was of the opinion that the landscaping plan proposed by the University would be inadequate to replace the mature vegetation on Parcel B. Under the plan, only certain red maples would attain a height of 50 to 60 feet. Even assuming favorable conditions, it would take 50 to 60 years for the new trees to reach that height. Ms. Donnelly stated that the trees were selected for their woodland character rather than for screening purposes. She also questioned whether the trees could be planted successfully on the narrow strip of level ground remaining on University property if Parcel B were sold. On cross-examination, Ms. Donnelly acknowledged that she had been involved in the case for less than a month. She stated that she did not evaluate Phases II and III of the University's Landscape Plan, but addressed only the effect of the deletion of Parcel B and the incorporation of Phase One. Ms. Donnelly noted, however, that these later phases were contingent upon the loss of trees on Parcel B or on the construction of another building, which might never take place. [23] Although the Board noted GRA's position, (FF ¶¶ 84 & 85), its discussion of Ms. Donnelly's testimony was limited to the following: The testimony of GRA and its landscape consultant focused on the impact on the existing trees of locating two houses on Parcel B. The GRA has a particular concern about twelve identified trees which it asserts are critical to the retention of an adequate buffer.       GRA's landscape architect testified that she based her analysis and conclusions on the Campus Plan and Phase I of the Landscape Plan. On cross-examination, the landscape architect stated that she had not reviewed Phases II and III of the Landscape Plan. The Board did not explicitly address Mr. Brown's concessions regarding the time that would elapse before the new trees reached maturity. It likewise failed to analyze in any detail the views of ANC 3-D, except to state that it had accorded them great weight. We think the detailed testimony presented by the GRA, and especially the specific criticisms regarding the landscape plan might well have been accorded more comprehensive treatment than the BZA provided. See Citizens Ass'n of Georgetown, Inc. v. District of Columbia Zoning Comm'n, 402 A.2d 36, 47 & n. 19 (D.C. 1979); cf. Eilers v. District of Columbia Bureau of Motor Vehicles Servs., 583 A.2d 677, 684-86 (D.C.1990). Nevertheless, we conclude that the Board has made an adequate finding of fact on each contested issue of fact raised by the GRA through Ms. Donnelly and other witnesses and that the testimony on behalf of the university which the Board obviously credited supports its findings. In weighing Ms. Donnelly's testimony against Mr. Brown's, the Board could reasonably take into consideration Ms. Donnelly's comparatively brief involvement in the case. Moreover, although the Board did not deal explicitly with the views of ANC 3-D, see Kopff, supra, 381 A.2d at 1384, this omission was harmless, for substantially the same objections were sufficiently addressed in connection with the views of the GRA and of other community organizations. We turn now to the Board's restriction of GRA's cross-examination. Mr. Brown's rebuttal testimony was very brief, and more than half of it was devoted to the law school issue. Nevertheless, the University's architectural expert offered a vigorous challenge to the GRA's contentions and to the reliability of the GRA's witnesses: In the area of the Sterns' home, [24] in what is called the Phase I Area, there are more than a hundred trees, new trees proposed in a perimeter that is deep enough to hold those trees. So, the issues that are presented that that ridge line is too narrow and there is very little new planting being offered is really not factual; and I think those statements were made by people who have not reviewed the drawings and counted the trees and looked at the size of the trees and looked at the fact that we are relocating the road and removing parking spaces. So, it is a great deal of opinion that has been brought to the Board based on not knowing the details of what has been proposed. In requesting the right to cross-examine Mr. Brown, counsel for the GRA argued that [h]e testified that there was a hundred trees that are being replaced on this site. I have been sitting here counting the number of trees and bushes abutting Parcel B and I can't count more than 40 that's on there, and for him to make that statement, which was not a statement that he had made before, and for me not to be allowed to cross-examine him about that, I think would deprive my clients of the rights they are entitled to under the Administrative Procedure Act. (Emphasis added). Although Mr. Brown had been permitted, on rebuttal, to supplement, or at least to reinforce, his testimony in chief, the Chairperson insisted that we are not having cross-examination. We reiterate our disagreement with this ruling. Our review of the record discloses, however, that Mr. Brown's original testimony when he was first called by the University went into the issue of the trees in sufficient depth to allow effective cross-examination at that time. In his initial appearance, Mr. Brown apparently testified from charts depicting the locations of buildings and landscaping. He presented a document showing the actual planting plan with species located, a planting schedule, size and number of trees noted and types of trees ... He again pointed out that the plan (which had been circulated to the community) showed the planting schedule, type, [and] size, and he described the buffer for parcel B. The three phases of the plan for the landscape barriers are in evidence. The kinds and sizes of the trees to be planted are enumerated. With respect to the ridge line and crest involving Parcel B, Mr. Brown testified that they are putting a lot of additional trees and shrubbery there. ( Id. ) He also discussed the poplar trees and their relation to Phases II and III. ( Id. ) Mr. Brown thus provided substantial testimony about the number of trees (the focus of the uncrossed rebuttal) when he testified during the University's case in chief. If opposing counsel thought that this number was significant, he had ample opportunity to explore it then. Moreover, since the actual numbers and types of trees are reflected in the exhibits, counsel could readily comment in argument on any inconsistency between the numbers reflected in the drawings and those mentioned during rebuttal. Indeed, the Board permitted the GRA (as well as the FGCA) to provide written submissions regarding the University's rebuttal testimony, and the GRA took full advantage: If the Association had been permitted to cross-examine Mr. Brown it would have questioned him regarding his assertion that the landscape plan will add 100 trees to the boundary between the University and the residential area. Exhibit D to the University's hearing bookletArea A Enlargement: Landscape Planting Plan Phase Oneshows 46 trees and bushes being planted along the boundary of Parcel B. Included are nine 3½ inch caliper maple trees, numerous holly bushes and some ten foot cypress trees. Many of the trees and bushes are shown being planned in an area along the boundary which Martha Donnelly and Dr. Richard Hammerschlag testified could not support such plantings. To the extent any buffer is created by these plantingsassuming they survivethe buffer will not exist as such for at least thirty years. [25] The GRA was also permitted to file proposed findings of fact, and discussed Mr. Brown's testimony and its credibility or lack thereof in some detail. Post-hearing written submissions may not always be an acceptable substitute for cross-examination. The controversy over Parcel B had evolved in substantial part into a battle of the experts. On rebuttal, Mr. Brown was allowed to testify, in effect, that Ms. Donnelly and others did not know what they were talking about. Counsel for the GRA sought the opportunity, through cross-examination, to try to establish then and there that it was Mr. Brown who was mistaken with respect to significant disputed facts. His position in this regard is understandable. But even if it cannot be said with mathematical certainty that the Board's error did not affect the result, mathematical certainty is not required; fair assurance is sufficient. See R. & G. Orthopedic Appliances & Prosthetics, Inc. v. Curtin, 596 A.2d 530, 538-41 (D.C.1991). Atmospherics aside, the evidence with which counsel for GRA proposed to confront Mr. Brown was available for use in briefing. Realistically, we think it most unlikely that the result would have been different if the erroneous ruling had not been made. Under the circumstances, we harbor no substantial doubt [that] the agency would have made the same ultimate finding with the error removed. Arthur v. District of Columbia Nurses' Examining Bd., 459 A.2d 141, 146 (D.C.1983); see also Citizens' Coalition, supra, 516 A.2d at 513.