Court Opinion

ID: 9611902
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:01:14.36907+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:31:52.036469
License: Public Domain

Judge Hunter
concurring in part and dissenting in part in a separate opinion.
I respectfully dissent on the issue of dismissal of plaintiffs claims pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1. In the determination of whether a complaint is sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1A-1, Rule 12(b)(6), the question presented is *284whether the allegations of the complaint, treated as true, are sufficient to state a claim upon which relief may be granted under some legal theory. Harris v. NGNB, 85 N.C. App. 669, 355 S.E.2d 838 (1987). “A complaint may be dismissed pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) if no law exists to support the claim made, if sufficient facts to make out a good claim are absent, or if facts are disclosed which will necessarily defeat the claim.” Burgess v. Your House of Raleigh, 326 N.C. 205, 209, 388 S.E.2d 134, 136 (1990). “In ruling upon a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the trial judge must treat the allegations of the complaint as admitted.” Id.
I believe that plaintiff’s allegations, treated as true, are sufficient to state a claim upon which relief may be granted under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1. The North Carolina General Assembly in 1987 passed legislation dealing with zoning regulations for manufactured housing, and it found and declared:
[Manufactured housing offers affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate income residents of this State who could not otherwise afford to own their own home. The General Assembly further finds that some local governments have adopted zoning regulations which severely restrict the placement of manufactured homes. It is the intent of the General Assembly in enacting this section that cities reexamine their land use practices to assure compliance with applicable statutes and case law, and consider allocating more residential land area for manufactured homes based upon local housing needs.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1(a) (1994). It expressly prohibited cities from adopting or enforcing zoning regulations “which have the effect of excluding manufactured homes from the entire zoning jurisdiction.” N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1(c) (1994). The legislation allowed cities to adopt and enforce “appearance and dimensional criteria for manufactured homes.” N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1(d) (1994). It also provided:
In accordance with the city’s comprehensive plan and based on local housing needs, a city may designate a manufactured home overlay district within a residential district. Such overlay district may not consist of an individual lot or scattered lots, but shall consist of a defined area within which additional requirements or standards are placed upon manufactured homes.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1(e) (1994).
*285The pleadings indicate that in 1989, pursuant to the foregoing legislation, the City of Burlington (“City”) amended its zoning ordinance to provide for Manufactured Housing Overlay Districts (“MHODs”). Its purpose was to “provide alternative, affordable housing opportunities by providing for the placement of manufactured housing within manufactured housing districts and/or subdivisions as defined within this ordinance.” Burlington, N.C., Code § 32.2R(1) (1989). Paragraph 3 of § 32.2R established a MHOD which “may overlay R-6, R-9 and R-12 Residential Districts.” Burlington, N.C., Code § 32.2R(3) (1989). This ordinance states that MHODs and/or subdivisions established pursuant to it could contain a combination of manufactured housing, modular housing or conventional stick-built housing. The Table of Permitted Uses provides that MHODs are permitted by right in residential districts R-6, R-9 and R-12, and a special use permit is not necessary. Burlington, N.C., Code § 32.9 (1989).
The pleadings in the present case further indicate that since the foregoing amendment was adopted by the City in 1989, twelve petitions for MHODs which contain over 600 lots have been filed. Of those twelve, only two MHODs, one with two lots and one with ten lots, have been permitted. No MHODs have been allowed by the City since 1994.
The City argues that it is not required by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1 to adopt any MHODs in its zoning jurisdiction. Assuming arguendo this is correct, I note that the City did in fact amend its ordinance pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1 to permit MHODs as “a matter of right” in residential districts R-6, R-9 and R-12. Having done so, the City is at least required to treat MHOD petitions in the same manner as it would treat other petitions for uses permitted as of right in a particular district. The acts of the City as shown by the pleadings, taken as true, make me question particularly whether the City has actually established a MHOD in residential districts R-6, R-9 and R-12, since it appears by the facts alleged that any petition for the same is not permitted of right.
While there is no case law identifying what constitutes a violation of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1, I do not believe that the General Assembly intended for this statute to be complied with by the establishment of a MHOD by right in certain residential districts by ordinance and then failing to approve MHODs as a matter of right in those same districts. Approving two petitions with a total of twelve lots certainly should not give a city license to deny all further petitions under the guise of abiding by the intent and purpose of N.C. Gen. Stat. *286§ 160A-383.1. Therefore, while I do not believe money damages are appropriate, I do believe the allegations of the complaint, if treated as true, are sufficient to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. The claim is based on N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-383.1, the facts pled are sufficient to make out a claim that the City has enforced its zoning regulations with the effect of excluding manufactured homes from its entire zoning jurisdiction at least since 1994, and no facts disclosed will necessarily defeat this claim. Therefore, at this point, I believe the plaintiff has shown that it is entitled to proceed in a declaratory judgment action. Accordingly, I would reverse the order of the trial court dismissing these claims.