Court Opinion

ID: 9744945
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:24:31.871808+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:29:10.074232
License: Public Domain

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE KARNS, concurring in part, dissenting in part: I concur in the decision of the court reversing the judgments of the trial court but must respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion which discusses the measure of damages to be applied upon remand of this cause. The order of the Circuit Court of Madison County directing the issuance of the writ of mandamus necessarily determined that the closing of the township road resulted in the taking or damaging of some property rights of the appellees. I agree with the majority that our dismissal of the Department’s appeal from this order was an affirmance of the circuit court’s judgment and that a redetermination of this question is now precluded; however, while the fact of some damage to Shaws’ access rights has been conclusively determined, the proper determination of the amount of damage was not decided in the prior action. Were it not necessary to apply the established rules of res adjudicata and collateral estoppel on this appeal, I would hold that the closing of the township road resulted in no compensable injury to the Shaws. The landowners’ predecessors in title sold to the Department of Transportation a 1-acre tract of land in March, 1955. At the same time and as part of this dedication all direct access rights from the 1.13-acre tract abutting new U.S. Route 66, as depicted by the plat reproduced in the majority opinion, were released and extinguished. The consideration for this conveyance and release was $31,250. This 1.13-acre tract was and is separated from the 5-acre tract by old U.S. Route 66. These two tracts were acquired by appellees’ predecessors in title by separate conveyances on different dates. Notwithstanding the separate and distinct nature of these two parcels, the landowners’ appraiser testified that he considered them as one parcel for valuation purposes, although he admitted the smaller tract had no value for commercial purposes considered separate and apart from the larger 5-acre tract. In fact, neither parcel was being used for commercial purposes in March of 1955, nor has either parcel been used for other than agricultural or residential purposes since that time. The landowners’ appraiser considered that the highest and best use of the 5-acre tract was for commercial purposes. This would require a zoning change. The damage to the landowners would then result from the inability of motorists driving on new U.S. Route 66, now Interstate 55, to have easy and convenient access to this property over the township road. I would emphasize that direct access to new U.S. Route 66, or Interstate 55, never existed from the 5-tract nor was the 5-acre tract ever contiguous to the 1.13-acre tract nor did it abut the township road. I would limit the Shaws’ damages, if any, to the taking of their access from the southwest comer of the 1.13-acre tract onto the township road, and this only because I consider the fact of some damage conclusively determined by our dismissal of the prior appeal. There was never physical contiguity nor contiguity of use between the two parcels. While I do not consider that the rales applicable to damage to remainder are particularly helpful in situations where there is damage to access but no physical taking of property, as compensable injury to access necessarily results in damage to the entire tract, certain of these rules are helpful in determining what is not a compensable loss. Loss of access to the smaller tract could never result in damage to property not taken, the 5-acre tract, as there must be physical contiguity between the part taken and the remainder. (City of Chicago v. Equitable Life Assurance Society, 8 Ill. 2d 341, 134 N.E.2d 296 (1956); Department of Public Works & Buildings v. Hanna, 4 Ill. App. 3d 884, 282 N.E.2d 269 (1971).) The separation of the two parcels by old route U.S. 66 would foreclose damage to the 5-acre tract by virtue of any loss of access to the 1.13-acre tract. Additionally, the cases require a unity of use of the parcels involved. While neither parcel had been used for commercial puiposes since March, 1955, the expert appraisal testimony was that only the larger tract would have commercial value; there could never be a unity of use of the two parcels. Department of Business & Economic Development v. Brummel, 1 Ill. App. 3d 683, 274 N.E.2d 605 (1971). A landowner’s right to compensation for loss of access has been exhaustively reviewed in the recent case of Department of Public Works & Buildings v. Wilson & Co., 62 Ill. 2d 131, 340 N.E.2d 12 (1976). The effect of this decision is to limit recovery to cases of complete loss of direct access to abutting streets and highways. The court emphasized that the closing of streets and roads resulting in inconvenience and circuitry of travel is not a compensable loss and that a property owner has no property right in the continued flow of traffic along the street or highway abutting his property. The court stated: “If, however, there is no physical disturbance of the right of access vis-a-vis the abutting highway, then any damages which may result to the property owner as a consequence of a change in the use of the highway by the public are damnum absque injuria even though such damages may be very substantial. This distinction can be illustrated by a rather common situation which occurs when a limited-access highway is constructed in a new location leaving a property owner’s place of business still fronting as it was before on the old highway which has become a secondary road or access road for the new highway. In such a case there can be no question that serious economic consequences may result to the property owner, and it is quite possible that the highest and best use of his property would be changed. However, the fact remains that the existing access to the abutting roadway is unaffected. It is only the nature of the public’s use of the highway which has changed. The consequential damages which occur do not result from any taking of material impairment of existing access rights but solely from the State’s exercise of its police power to regulate and control traffic on the highways.” 62 Ill. 2d 131, 141. Here, the 5-acre tract abutted old Route U.S. 66 and the landowners had direct access only to this highway. After the closing of the township road, the landowner still has direct access onto old U.S. Route 66 which remains as a frontage road. The 5-acre tract did not abut the township road. While it was convenient for the Shaws to use the township road for entry onto new U.S. Route 66, this use was undoubtedly no less convenient to other nearby property owners and the public generally. The Shaws’ inconvenience is thereby no different than that of other members of the public. While I agree that this decision must be reversed, on retrial I would limit the determination of damages to loss of access to the 1.13-acre tract occasioned by the closing of the township road. The view I take of this case makes it unnecessary for me to discuss other issues discussed in the majority opinion.