Opinion ID: 2681015
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Prima Facie Aggrieved Property Owners?

Text: First, we consider whether Appellees are “prima facie aggrieved” or, in other words, whether “[their] proximity makes [them] . . . adjoining, confronting, or nearby property owner[s].” Ray, 430 Md. at 85, 59 A.3d at 551. Appellees argue that the allegations in their Complaint that “they own or operate property, not only affected, but directly targeted, by the Project” were sufficient to qualify them as “prima facie aggrieved.” Although Appellees acknowledge that, “[i]n prior cases the test for proximity has been measured by distance,” they contend that “the test ‘is not readily reduced to a set of rules,’ [Ray, 430 Md. at 77, 59 A.3d at 547,] and in this case it should be a functional one.” As Appellees see it, this case is unique, and unlike the PUD in Ray, because “the Project directly and uniquely harms [Appellees] as surely as if they were located directly across the street from it.” The “functional” test for proximity that Appellees urge us to adopt in evaluating whether a property owner is proximate to the project recognizes the “purpose, intent, scope, size, nature, and consequences of the project.” Illustrating these considerations, they hypothecate an example of “a property owner 3,000 feet from a nuclear waste dump or odiferous slaughterhouse is likely ‘proximate,’ while one the same distance from a 65 child’s tot lot likely is not.” Specifically, Appellees argue that the TOD nature of the Project demands that the area of the State Center, the subject property from which proximity is analyzed, be expanded to the entire TOD area. Appellees maintain that they “are in the economic, if not literal, shadow of this Project, [and] abut the TOD district,” and, thus, are prima facie aggrieved. The State Agencies counter that Appellees, each of which are located more than 3,000 feet from the outermost boundary of the State Center Project, are not located proximately enough to enjoy property owner standing. Moreover, according to the State Agencies, the challengers’ reliance on the “effects” of the project extending into downtown is misplaced because “this Court has never recognized proximity to the effects of a land use as a basis for standing.” We reject Appellees’ invitation to extend the test of proximity in this doctrine. While “the test to show standing . . . is fact-sensitive and is not readily reduced to a set of rules,” the test “has been established in Maryland for more than half a century . . . .” Ray, 430 Md. at 77, 59 A.3d at 547. During this time period, this Court has developed a set analytical framework to determine whether a litigant meets the standing requirements. Contrary to Appellees’ wishes, this Court is not inclined to redefine the basis of this framework. Accordingly, Ray controls this analysis by providing that “[w]hen deciding whether a protestant is prima facie aggrieved, . . . proximity is the only relevant factor . . . [and] the sole determinative factor.” 430 Md. at 83 n.6, 59 A.3d at 550 n.6 (emphasis added). The Court clarified that the proximity “inquiry is focused solely on 66 whether the protestant is ‘[a]n adjoining, confronting or nearby property owner.’” Id. (brackets added in Ray) (emphasis added) (quoting Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 145, 230 A.2d at 294). Thus, the “prima facie aggrievement” analysis is focused solely on proximity, as measured by physical distance from the subject property. Because prima facie aggrievement analysis is limited as such, we do not analyze the other factors urged by Appellees to become part of this analysis here, but rather analyze them as part of the other categories of potential “specially aggrieved” property owners, where they belong more properly. 45 Examining the physical location of Appellees’ properties relative to the Project in this case, we conclude that Appellees’ properties are too far away from the State Center to be considered as prima facie aggrieved. The physical locations of Appellees’ properties are at a range of distances of 0.57 miles at the closest to 0.84 miles at the furthest from the State Center. Such a distance cannot be classified as satisfying the “adjoining, confronting or nearby” test for prima facie aggrievement. See Ray, 430 Md. at 83, 83 n.6, 59 A.3d at 550, 550 n.6. Compare with Sugarloaf v. Dep’t of Environment, 45 Appellees misunderstand the notion of a “prima facie” showing in their argument here. That the “prima facie aggrievement” analysis is a straight-forward rule does not abandon the Bryniarski rule that the facts and circumstances of each case would govern whether a litigant is “specially aggrieved,” however. The prima facie test is only intended for those cases which are so clear that a presumption is established that they are, in fact, “specially aggrieved” for purposes of standing, without any further evidence. This notion of “prima facie aggrievement” is so straight-forward that, in Ray, the petitioners conceded that neither of them fell within this category as they both resided approximately 0.4 miles away from the PUD. Ray, 430 Md. at 91, 59 A.3d at 555. Similarly, Appellees here should have recognized the clear limitations of settled doctrine and focused their creative arguments on the other, broader categories of “special aggrievement.” 67 344 Md. 271, 298-99, 686 A.2d 605, 618-19 (1996) (holding as prima facie aggrieved protestants who owned property adjacent to the tract containing a solid waste incinerator) (emphasis added); Wier v. Witney Land Co., 257 Md. 600, 612-13, 263 A.2d 833, 839-40 (1970) (holding as prima facie aggrieved protestants who owned property “in sight distance of the property forming the subject of the petition” and “located approximately 1,100 feet from one of the parcels reclassified by Board”) (emphasis added); Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 148, 230 A.2d at 295-96 (holding as prima facie aggrieved protestants described as “owners of property immediately contiguous or in close proximity of the proposed site for the apartment hotel”) (emphasis added); Comm. for Responsible Development on 25th Street v. Baltimore, 137 Md. App. 60, 86, 767 A.2d 906, 920 (2001) (“[T]o be considered an aggrieved party, the complaining property owner must be in ‘sight or sound’ range of the property that is the subject of his complaint.”) (emphasis added). In an attempt to circumvent this clear precedent, Appellees attempt to extend the “lebensraum” of the State Center Project through annexation of the TOD area. This attempt fails, however, to satisfy the “special and adverse[] affect” that is required to transmute the asserted general injury into a specific one. Using the TOD area to define the affected area would provide virtually every property owner in the City with standing. This Court has held multiple times that similarly sweeping definitions of “proximity” destroy the very concept of “special aggrievement.” For example, in Ray, this Court rejected the argument that, in analyzing “proximity,” the court should define the 68 aggrieved class as the entire city “neighborhood” in which each protestant lived. 430 Md. at 87-90, 59 A.3d at 552-54. The Ray Court explained, the creation of a class of aggrieved persons is done on an individual scale and not based on delineations of city neighborhoods. See Marcus [v. Montgomery Cnty.], 235 Md. [535,] 538, 541, 201 A.2d [777,] 779, 781 [(1964)] (denying standing to property owner 0.75 miles from site because “[t]here is no evidence that his home is within sight of the subject properties nor that the proposed rezoning would have any effect whatever on it except such effect as all other residential properties in the whole Wheaton and Glenmont area of Montgomery County might suffer”); see also DuBay [v. Crane], 240 Md. [180,] 183, 213 A.2d [487,] 489 [(1965)] (“[I]n addition to showing the proximity of one property to the other, [standing] requires proof of the adverse effect the changed status of the rezoned property has, or could have, on the use, enjoyment and value of the property of the protestant in order to establish the status of the appellant as an aggrieved person.”). As we sketched out above, with the exception of those protestants who are prima facie aggrieved, the requirement that an individual prove special aggrievement has been well-established for more than half a century. We are not aware of any case in which this Court has deviated from that standard. Id., 430 Md. at 88-89, 59 A.3d at 553-54 (emphasis added) (footnotes omitted). Appellees attempt to distinguish this analysis in Ray by explaining that the TOD area expands the area of the Project, not the class of aggrieved persons. This argument, albeit framed differently than in Ray, similarly fails, though, to explain how such a definition would support the notion of a “special aggrievement.” At the core of this argument (and that rejected in Ray) is the failure to recognize that such a wide sweep is not consistent with the “roots” of this concept of special aggrievement, as discussed earlier. In light of the “roots” of the property owner standing doctrine and our precedent, we reject Appellees’ attempt to expand the proximity test to include the “purpose, intent, scope, size, nature, and consequences of the project,” specifically by measuring 69 proximity from the entire TOD area. 46 Similar to Ray, Appellees here failed to allege how the State Center Project “would cause him or her any unique or special kind of damage other than that suffered by the whole community.” See DuBay, 240 Md. at 185, 213 A.2d at 490. (2) Almost prima facie aggrieved property owners? Second, Appellees claim that they are “almost prima facie aggrieved,” defined in Ray as those who are “farther away than an adjoining, confronting, or nearby property owner, but still close enough to the site of the rezoning action to be considered almost prima facie aggrieved, and offers ‘plus factors’ supporting injury.” 430 Md. at 85, 59 A.3d at 551-52. In Ray, we explained this category further, noting nonetheless the continued importance of proximity as an influencing factor in this category of protestants, as follows: There is, however, no bright-line rule for exactly how close a property must be in order to show special aggrievement. Instead, this Court has maintained a flexible standard, finding standing in cases that do not quite satisfy the “adjoining, confronting or nearby” standard of prima facie aggrievement, but are nudging up against that line. Protestants in such cases will be considered to pass the standing threshold if they allege specific facts of their injury. In other words, once sufficient proximity is shown, some typical allegations of harm acquire legal significance that would otherwise be discounted. But in the absence of proximity, much more is needed. 46 In this regard, Appellees are not challenging in this appeal the classification or boundaries of the TOD area. As we determined earlier, Appellees are capable of challenging only the MDA and the First Amendment on the basis of property owner standing. Thus, we review these two formative contracts, which affect the State Center property only. The TOD area is not implemented by these contracts and, thus, is not part of this analysis. 70 For example, an owner's lay opinion of decreasing property values and increasing traffic has been considered sufficient for special aggrievement when combined with proximity that is almost as great as in cases where properties are “adjoining, confronting or nearby.” . . . Conversely, without sufficient proximity, similar facts will only support general aggrievement. For example, when the affected properties are not sufficiently close to the site to qualify as almost prima facie aggrieved, claims of increasing traffic, change in the character of the neighborhood, lay opinion projecting a decrease in property values, and limited visibility have been held to show only general aggrievement. 430 Md. at 83-84, 59 A.3d at 550-51 (emphasis added) (citations omitted). Appellees lack sufficient proximity to qualify as “almost prima facie aggrieved.” The closest Appellee property is over 3,000 feet or 0.57 miles distant. As noted earlier, “[a]lthough there is no bright-line rule for who qualifies as ‘almost’ prima facie aggrieved,” this Court recognized in Ray that “we have found no cases, in which a person living over 2000 feet away, has been considered specially aggrieved.” 430 Md. at 91, 59 A.3d at 555. In fact, this Court stated in Ray that protestants who lived more than 1000 feet from the rezoning site have repeatedly been denied standing. See Shore Acres [Imp. Ass’n v. Anne Arundel Cnty. Bd. of Appeals], 251 Md. [310,] 312, 317–18, 247 A.2d [402,] 403, 406 [(1968)] (not specially aggrieved when 3760 feet and out of sight of subject property); White [v. Major Realty, Inc.], 251 Md. [63,] 64, 246 A.2d [249,] 250–51 [(1968)] (not specially aggrieved when 0.5 miles from site, even though asserting an increase in traffic, increase in use of water system, and overcrowded schools); DuBay, 240 Md. at 182–84, 185– 86, 213 A.2d at 488–90 (three protestants—1500 feet, 0.4 miles, and 0.9 miles—who were separated by beltway or could not see site, not specially aggrieved); Marcus [v. Montgomery Cnty. Council], 235 Md. [535,] 537– 38, 541, 201 A.2d [777,] 778–79, 781 [(1964)] (protestant living 0.75 miles away who could not see subject property denied standing); 25th Street, 137 Md. App. at 86, 89, 767 A.2d at 920, 922 (protestant two blocks west and three blocks north, without sight of, or sound from, subject property, denied standing). 71 430 Md. at 92, 59 A.3d at 555. Rather, the category of “‘almost’ prima facie aggrieved” “has been found applicable only with respect to protestants who lived 200 to 1000 feet away from the subject property.” Ray, 430 Md. at 91, 59 A.3d at 555 (citing Habliston v. City of Salisbury, 258 Md. 350, 352, 354-55, 265 A.2d 885, 885-87 (1970); Chatham Corp. v. Beltram, 252 Md. 578, 579-80, 584, 251 A.2d 1, 2, 4 (1969)). In recognition of these strict proximity requirements, Appellees urge this Court to recognize that several other factors unique to this case confer standing upon them in order to overcome the lack of pure proximity. Appellees allege that the increased traffic, one business owner’s lay opinion of decreased property values, and the prophecy of lost customers and tenants due to the competition from the subsidized State Center Project are sufficient “plus factors” to confer property owner standing. Appellees misunderstand, however, the gravamen of Ray’s discussion of this second category of protestants accorded with standing. In Ray, this Court found that, because the “[p]rotestants, who reside far away from the rezoned site [approximately 0.4 miles] . . . cannot establish special aggrievement through proximity,” they were limited to “only look[ing] to the theoretically recognized, but never before found in fact, third category of standing that requires a showing that the reclassification produces a harm directly and specifically impacting their property.” 430 Md. at 92, 59 A.3d at 556 (citing Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 145, 230 A.2d at 295). Similarly, because all Appellees here are a considerable distance from the State Center (at least 0.57 miles away), they do not fit within this second 72 category. 47 Despite these alleged “plus factors,” we conclude that Appellees are ineligible for “‘almost’ prima facie aggrieved” status due to a lack of sufficient proximity. (3) Nebulous third category of property owner standing? Under this last category, recognized only in dicta, 48 standing may be conferred upon a litigant based upon “the fact that his personal or property rights are specially and 47 It is well-settled that “[a] person whose sole reason for objecting to the board's action is to prevent competition with his established business is not a person aggrieved.” Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 145, 230 A.2d at 295 (citing Kreatchman v. Ramsburg, 224 Md. 209, 167 A.2d 345 (1961)). Whether the increased competition and predicted lost customers and tenants due to the subsidized Project may serve as an additional “plus factor” to push this case over the line into this second category is, however, a novel question for this Court. The State Agencies cite Superior Outdoor Signs, Inc. v. Eller Media Co., 150 Md. App. 479, 500, 822 A.2d 478, 490-91 (2003), “for the proposition that a desire to stave off competition cannot support standing.” Appellees counter that that principle from Superior Outdoor Signs (a zoning dispute between competing billboard companies) “is applicable to the private zoning dispute present in that decision,” but “is inapposite to this challenge to ultra vires State action.” The difference, according to Appellees, is that “[u]nlike the zoning cases, here [Appellees] challenge unlawful State actions and assert as a special harm the fact that the State intends to use their taxes to subsidize their competitors and then raise their taxes.” We conclude that economic harms resulting from the subject land use actions are not the type of injury to be analyzed in these cases. Thus, the reasoning and result in Superior Outdoor Signs,150 Md. App. at 490, 822 A.2d at 485, is apt. We conclude that such allegations do not raise Appellees’ status to “special aggrievement.” Moreover, to the extent that Appellees assert that the special harm suffered is an increase in their taxes to subsidize competitors, that type of harm falls more aptly (if anywhere) within the taxpayer standing doctrine, not the property owner standing doctrine. 48 This dicta appeared originally in Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 245, 230 A.2d at 295. Since then, several cases have quoted that exact language and cited this dicta from Bryniarski; however, no other case applied, even in dicta, this category of standing. 73 adversely affected by the board's action.” Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 245, 230 A.2d at 295. While we do not venture today to map further this “Higgs boson particle,” or determine even whether it exists in the material world, we pause now to consider as a threshold matter whether Appellees’ other allegations might be considered as sufficient to give substance to this last category. 49 Ultimately, though, we are confident the present case is not drawn within its theoretical gravitational field under known circumstances. Appellees urge us to recognize other factors, which may be grouped as (1) the harm caused by the State relocating its offices and (2) the economic harm caused by the Project’s competition, as conferring “special aggrievement” upon them. We find none of them relevant or persuasive here. First, in regards to the relocation of State offices as an “effect” of the State Center Project, we find this factor irrelevant because Appellees failed to show how the State offices’ relocation affects them in any manner distinct from the general public (other than perhaps economic competition, which we reject as a proper factor below). See Ray, 430 Md. at 94, 59 A.3d at 557 (finding that petitioners’ “complain[t] that commercial establishments now existing in their neighborhood . . . will close because of competition from Wal-Mart, and that they will become vacant buildings, which are detrimental to a community. . . . failed to show that any of these businesses, whether open or closed, affect them in a manner distinct from the general public.”). 49 Appellees focused their additional allegations throughout their arguments on “prima facie aggrievement” and “almost prima facie aggrievement.” As discussed earlier, however, these additional “factors” are not considered properly in those analyses without sufficient proximity. Because we found Appellees lacked sufficient proximity, we did not analyze Appellees’ arguments in those sections, but left our response to this last category. 74 Moreover, to extend property owner standing’s definition of “aggrieved persons” to include economic competition and harm is improper. See Bryniarski, 247 Md. at 145, 230 A.2d at 295 (“A person whose sole reason for objecting to the board's action is to prevent competition with his established business is not a person aggrieved.”) (citing Kreatchman v. Ramsburg, 224 Md. 209, 167 A.2d 345 (1961)). The property owner standing doctrine has its roots in nuisance and trespass. Those actions do not permit claims on the grounds of mere economic harm. Accordingly, Appellees’ allegations that they will be injured financially in a way that is different from the general public, due to the State-subsidized Project that may compete with their businesses, is irrelevant. Competition that results from a land use decision or action is not a factor in either the prima facie aggrieved or almost prima facie aggrieved analyses. Accordingly, because Appellees’ standing allegations do not fit within any of the three categories of property owner standing in our case law, they must look elsewhere for standing.