Court Opinion

ID: 9692898
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 16:11:11.933597+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:37.896832
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Senior Judge Kalish:
I respectfully dissent.
The grant of a use variance to the Catholic Social Services of Wyoming Valley (CSS) was reversed by the majority, which focused on the standards of hardship pertaining to the physical characteristics of the property involved. However, a review of the record shows that the essential inquiry to be made in this case is whether the denial of a use variance would result in an unjust invasion of CSS’ constitutional right to use the property in the exercise of-their religion. In my opinion, because of this constitutional right, it was not even necessary to seek a variance.
The free exercise of religion is a fundamental constitutional right protected by the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution as applied to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment. U.S. Const, amends. I, XIV.
While the zoning regulation may be within the competence of the municipality to enact, it may not be applied where its effect, even indirectly, is to impede the observance of a religion. Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398, 83 S.Ct. 1790 (1963).
CSS owned the building involved prior to the present application for a variance. A comer of the building was used by CSS as a soup kitchen known as St. Vincent de Pauls Soup Kitchen, (sometimes referred to as a restaurant) which provided food to the homeless. The remainder of the building was vacant.
Monsignor Donald A. McAndrew, the executive director of CSS testified that for a number of months, as an ecumenical endeavor, the downtown churches of Wilkes-*534Barre had been conducting a shelter for the homeless, and each week the shelter would be passed from one church to another. However, the moving of cots and blankets and the lack of proper lavatory facilities presented problems. Notes of Testimony at 77. The program itself was carried out by a group of volunteers from the various churches and is known as Shepherd of the Streets.
CSS sought to coordinate the program on a permanent basis, in the building owned by CSS, and to make structural changes to better accommodate the homeless. The number of homeless is usually between twenty-five to thirty people per evening. The various churches cooperating in this ecumenical endeavor were asserting the fundamental tenet of their religion, which is to minister to the poor and homeless through this facility. The feet that they sought a variance to accomplish this purpose is not the real issue.
The majority relies on the “similar situation” in Lipari v. Zoning Hearing Board of Easton, 101 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 302, 516 A.2d 110 (1986). However, in Lipari there was no issue involving the constitutional right to the practice of religion, as the applicant in Lipari was a nonprofit developer. , This qualitative difference clearly distinguishes the two cases.
The next question is whether some compelling local interest justifies the substantial infringement of CSS’ first amendment right. The Board concluded that the granting of the variance will not in any way be detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of the community, and will be operated in a manner consistent with the intended character of the neighborhood. There was nothing to show that such zoning restrictions served a compelling governmental interest. Thus, the refusal to permit the operation of a shelter for the homeless, in this situation, places a burden upon those practicing the free exercise of religion. It effec*535tively penalizes CSS for such exercise and suppresses the constitutionally protected freedom of religion.
I would reinstate the order of the common pleas court, which affirmed the Boards decision, for the reasons set forth in this opinion.