Court Opinion

ID: 9605938
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:43:31.701684+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:31.118965
License: Public Domain

Head, Presiding Justice,
dissenting. The act of 1939, entitled “Fulton Planning Commission Created” (Ga. L. 1939, p. 584), contains 26 sections. The act of 1952, entitled “Zoning in Certain Counties” (Ga. L. 1952, p. 2689), contains 28 sections. An examination of the two acts reveals that the first 22 sections of the two acts are practically identical, the exception being that in section 17 of the 1952 act the words "or the board of adjustment” are added immediately following the, words, “Every decision of the board of zoning appeals, . . .” Section 23 of the 1952 act is new, and fixes the compensation of the planning commission and the board of zoning appeals. Section 24 of the 1952 act conforms with section 23 of the 1939 act, and section 24 of the 1939 act is carried forward as section 25 of the 1952 act. Section 26 of the 1952 act contains the only substantial new matter that is not incorporated in the 19391 act. Section 26 of the 1952 act provides that, should the largest municipality in the county form a municipal planning board and board of adjustment as authorized by the act of 1946 (Ga. L. 1946, p. 191), then and in that event, the municipal planning board and board of adjustment *819shall have all of the powers, authority, and duties of the county planning commission and county board of zoning appeals, provided by the 1952 act.
By an act (Ga. L. 1952, p. 2731), approved on the same date as the act applicable to Fulton County (Ga. L. 1952, p. 2689), the City of Atlanta was brought under the, provisions of the General Zoning Law, approved January 31, 1946 (Ga. L. 1946, p. 191). Under the terms of the 1952 act applicable to Fulton County, the powers which otherwise would have been vested in a county board of zoning appeals passed to a board of adjustment as authorized and provided by the general law of 1946. It is provided in paragraph 2 of section 10 of the 1946 act that the board of adjustment has power: “To authorize upon appeal in specific cases” such variances from the zoning regulations as will not be contrary to the public interest.
Nowhere in any of the acts cited is any authority granted to the Commissioners of Roads and Revenues of Fulton County to grant a variance by “special permit” from the zoning regulations. All power to grant variances being in a board of adjustment and not in the commissioners, the commissioners cannot exercise a power that is vested by legislative enactment elsewhere. It matters not that the legislation producing the existing result may be devious in language or difficult of ascertainment so long as, as here, the legislative intent may be ascertained. I therefore dissent from the rulings in division one of the opinion.