Court Opinion

ID: 9707070
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 02:01:38.834926+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:27.861283
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Justice Cohen:
Resort to “uniqueness” seems to be the formula that this Court adopts when it seeks to avoid the restrictions occasioned by existing law and procedure. The following quotation from the City’s brief clearly indicates that there are apparent reasonable grounds for the lower court’s action and hence it should not be disturbed. “There has been no showing on the record in this case that an injunction is necessary to prevent irreparable injury to the appellants. Assuming that the *20action of the City in abating the alleged zoning violation here has caused appellants to suffer loss of a certain amount of business, this harm can be remedied in an action at law for damages. Moreover, if appellants consider immediate remedial action to be essential to the maintenance of their business, there is available to them the statutory remedy of seeking a stay of the City’s enforcement proceedings by petition to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (Philadelphia Code, §14-1705 (4)). See Smith v. Zoning Board of Adjustment, 407 Pa. 122, 124 (1962). The fact that appellants have seen fit not to seek such a statutory remedy casts serious doubt upon the imminency and irreparability of the alleged harm to them.
“Moreover, appellants have not shown that they have a clear and unmistakable right to the issuance of the permit that they seek.
“Firstly, there is serious doubt that appellants have any interest in the subject premises, 700 Cherry Street, that would entitle them to seek a permit for the operation of a business from a trailer. These premises are owned by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia; the Redevelopment Authority has not conveyed any interest in these premises to appellants. Appellants’ sole claim of right to occupy these premises is by virtue of a sublease with the parking lot operator who has a month to month lease with the Redevelopment Authority for the operation of a parking lot. This Redevelopment Authority lease provides that the premises, or any portion thereof, may not be sublet; there is nothing in either lease that authorizes appellants to operate a business from a trailer on these premises.
“Secondly, assuming that appellants have some property right in the subject premises which would entitle them to apply for a permit, there is serious doubt that such a permit can legally be issued. Appel*21lants sought a permit for the operation of a bail bond business from a trailer in a ‘C-4’ Commercial zoning district, which limits uses to those occurring in a ‘completely enclosed building.’ A short Consideration of the applicable statutory definitions will demonstrate the doubtfulness of appellants’ right to the permit that they seek. The Zoning Code defines ‘Completely Enclosed Building’ as ‘a building haying walls on all sides and a roof so that the space within said building is enclosed in all directions. . .’ Section 14-102 (14) of The Philadelphia Code. ‘Building’ is defined in the Code as ‘a structure having a roof’. The Philadelphia Code §14-102 (9). ‘Structure’ is defined as ‘any type or form of construction above the ground’. Philadelphia Code, §14-102 (54). The Department of Licenses and Inspections, charged by law with initially determining whether a requested use is permitted within the zoning districts of Philadelphia, has determined that a trailer with wheels attached cannot be considered a completely enclosed building within the meaning of The Philadelphia Zoning Code. It is not the purpose of this proceeding to determine the merits of this issue. The merits will be determined at the hearing before the Zoning Board of Adjustment and in any appeal from its decision. It need only be noted here that appellants have not demonstrated a ‘clear and unmistakable’ right to have their trailer motor vehicle, equipped with wheels, considered as a ‘completely enclosed building’ within the meaning of the above-quoted zoning provisions. In the light of applicable case law, the same conclusion must be reached with regard to appellants’ contention that the Department of Licenses and Inspections has no right to revoke a permit. Ventresca v. Exley, 358 Pa. 98 (1948); Silverco, Inc. v. Zoning Board of Adjustment, 379 Pa. 497 (1954).
“Finally, it must be noted that no Preliminary Injunction should issue where there is an adequate rem*22edy at law. Such an adequate remedy at law is provided in an appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and subsequent appeal to the courts in the event of an adverse decision by the Board. . . .
“It is clear that under these provisions the Zoning Board can affirm or reverse the action of the Department of Licenses and Inspections here in refusing and revoking permits for the use of a trailer as offices for appellants’ bonding business. Likewise, the Zoning Board, under these provisions is empowered to grant a variance from the terms of any Zoning Ordinance as well as stay any proceedings taken by the City for the abatement of a zoning violation.
“In fact, the record in this case demonstrates that appellants are quite aware of this remedy at law. On November 14, 1966, appellants appealed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment from the action of the Department of Licenses and Inspections in refusing to issue a permit and revoking a previous permit relating to the use of a trailer in a ‘0-4’ Commercial zoning district (N.T. 36). A hearing on this appeal was scheduled for January 19, 1967 (N.T. 37). At that hearing, the Zoning Board considered all contentions of appellants. It is respectfully submitted that the Zoning Board is the proper place in which to raise the various complex issues involved in the dispute between the parties in this case.
“Since appellants have failed to sustain the burden of showing that they have a ‘clear and unmistakable’ right and that irreparable harm not compensable by damages will result if an injunction is not issued and since appellants have failed to show any reason why they cannot seek a stay of proceedings before the Zoning Board as provided by statute nor finally, any reason why their interests and rights cannot be fully adjudicated and protected in a Zoning Board of Adjustment proceeding or any court appeal therefrom, it *23is submitted that the Court below properly refused to issue a Preliminary Injunction.” (Footnotes omitted).
I feel obligated, however, to make an additional comment. After the appeal had been taken to our Court from the refusal of the lower court to issue a preliminary injunction, counsel for appellants indulged in a procedure unknown to appellate practice and filed a petition for an order directing the issuance of a preliminary injunction pending disposition of the appeal which, in effect, was a request to this Court to preliminarily decide the very question raised by the appeal. The majority of this Court were unwilling to issue such an order, not only because the benefits of briefs and oral arguments were absent, but also because this would have established the dangerous procedural precedent of preliminarily deciding issues on appellate appeals, a practice that undoubtedly should not be permitted and which appellants sought to justify by citing a statute that had no application to the issue.
I dissent.
Mr. Justice Jones and Mr. Justice O’Brien join in this dissenting opinion.