Category: Takings

This week at the U.S. Supreme Court

Gary Taylor 1 Comment

This is an important week for land use at the U.S. Supreme Court.  On Wednesday the Court will hear arguments in the case of City of Arlington, TX v. Federal Communications Commission, a Federal Telecommunications Act case that was discussed previously in this blog. For the Oyez Project summary of the case go here.

Another case with potentially much broader implications is being argued today.  That case is Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management Authority.  The Oyez Project summary is here.  An article from the Orlando Sentinel can be found here.  As a University of Florida law professor aptly stated in the Orlando Sentinel article, the case “doesn’t really reduce itself very well for a newspaper article.”  The essential facts:  The landowner sought permits to prepare his land for development by filling in wetlands. He was told by the St. Johns River Water Management District that he could build on about 3 acres of the parcel if he left the rest of the property alone and paid around $10,000 to restore some wetlands in a state-owned wildlife preserve nearby.  He rejected the second part of that offer and sued St. Johns when it denied his requests for a development permit, arguing that the it had stripped his land of much of its value as a result of the denial. He won in state court and won again when the district took the case to an appeals court. Then, last year, the Florida Supreme Court sided with the water district. (For the lawyers, and non-lawyer land use law fanatics among you, the Florida Supreme Court case can be accessed here).

The U.S. Supreme Court certified the following legal questions:

1. Whether the government can be held liable for a taking when it refuses to issue a land-use permit on the sole basis that the permit applicant did not accede to a permit condition that, if applied, would violate the essential nexus and rough proportionality tests set out in Nollan u. California Coastal Commission, 483 U.S. 825 (1987), and Dolan v. City of Tigard, 512 U.S. 374 (1994); and
2. Whether the nexus and proportionality tests set out in Nollan and Dolan apply to a land-use exaction that takes the form of a government demand that a permit applicant dedicate money, services, labor, or any other type of personal property to a public use.

Potentially at stake is the practice of requesting developers to pay for off-site improvements as a condition of development approval.  Also raised is the question of whether decisions made during the pre-permit negotiation phase can give rise to takings claims.

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County’s actions did not constitute a taking: The continuing saga of Francis v. Bremer County

Gary Taylor

by Gary Taylor

J.D. Francis, Inc. v. Bremer County Board of Supervisors
(Iowa Court of Appeals, January 9, 2013)

Prior history of this case was discussed in this blog here.  The present case includes some interesting facts about the dispute not disclosed in the prior opinion from 2009, namely:

On June 20, 2006, Anhalt and Francis requested the land be rezoned to “R-1” single-family residential. The 34.5 acres had an average corn suitability rating (CSR) of 53.60, a rating that classified it as “prime” agricultural land that should be preserved for agricultural use under the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). Following a public hearing, the Bremer County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the rezoning request….[and] the board of supervisors voted unanimously to deny the request, finding “that good agricultural farm land not be taken out of production and because of many other environmental concerns….The following day, Francis and Anhalt submitted a revised rezoning request, which excluded approximately four acres of productive farmland included in the original request. Excluding those acres dropped the CSR of the remaining 30.75 acres to 49.5. However, approximately half—or 15.46 acres—of that parcel had a CSR of fifty or higher….[On this request] the commission voted four to one to deny [and the] board of supervisors voted unanimously to deny.

More background.  In December 2009, after the Iowa Court of Appeals issued the decision linked above, the board of supervisors amended its CLUP to exclude planned residential developments on certain designated land. Francis’s property was included in this redesignation. Francis filed an action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, alleging the board’s 2006 rezoning denials were an unconstitutional taking. He later amended his complaint to allege the December 2009 CLUP amendment was also an unconstitutional taking. The complaint was dismissed in March 2011 because the issue was not ripe for consideration; the court noted Francis had failed to seek compensation through state procedures by instituting an inverse condemnation action.

Present case.  On December 9, 2011, Francis filed the present case for inverse condemnation in state district court, alleging that the board’s denials of the rezoning request was arbitrary, and further that the CLUP amendment resulted in a taking of at least half of the value of the property in question without adequate compensation.  The court found the board was entitled to judgment as a matter of law because the board’s actions did not constitute a taking that requires compensation. Francis appealed.

The Court of Appeals first ruled that the doctrine of res judicata prevents J.D. Francis, Inc. from relitigating the issue of whether the board acted arbitrarily in denying its rezoning requests. The question of whether the board’s denial was arbitrary was litigated and decided by the district court when it granted summary judgment in favor of the board on Francis and Anhalt’s 2006 action. That ruling was later affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

As for the takings claim, the Court of Appeals observed that, unlike cases cited by Francis as supporting his claim, there was no rezoning that led to a diminution of value; rather, the board simply refused to rezone the land to increase its economic viability. Furthermore, the plaintiff purchased the land after the board denied both rezoning requests. Even the CLUP amendment, which occurred after purchase and limits the likelihood that the land will be rezoned to residential, does not amount to a taking. The property remains economically viable as agricultural land, just as it did prior to the plaintiff’s purchase. Under these circumstances, the Court of Appeals agreed with the district court’s finding that the board’s actions did not constitute a taking.

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US Supreme Court says no bright-line exception to the Takings Clause for temporary flooding caused by Corps action

Gary Taylor

by Gary Taylor

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission v. United States
(U.S. Supreme Court, December 4, 2012)

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission owns a wildlife management area along the Black River that that is forested with multiple hardwood oak species and serves as a venue for recreation and hunting. In 1948, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Clearwater Dam upstream from the management area and adopted the Water Control Manual, which sets seasonally varying rates for the release of water from the dam. Periodically from 1993 until 2000, the Corps, at the request of farmers, authorized deviations from the Manual that extended flooding into the management area’s peak timber growing season. The Commission objected to the deviations on the ground that they adversely impacted the management area, and opposed the Corps’ proposal to make the temporary deviations part of the manual’s permanent water-release plan. After evaluating the effect of the deviations, the Corps abandoned the proposed Manual revision and ceased its temporary deviations.

The Commission sued the United States, alleging that the temporary deviations constituted a taking of property that entitled the Commission to compensation. The Commission maintained that the deviations caused sustained flooding during tree-growing season, and that the cumulative impact of the flooding caused the destruction of timber in the Area and a substantial change in the character of the terrain, necessitating costly reclamation measures. The Court of Federal Claims’ entered a $5.8 million judgment in favor of the Commission; however, this judgment was reversed by the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals acknowledged that temporary government action may give rise to a takings claim if permanent action of the same character would constitute a taking. It held, however, that government-induced flooding can give rise to a taking claim only if the flooding is “permanent or inevitably recurring.”

The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed.  Citing back to Penn Central the Court noted that takings claims most frequently turn on situation-specific factual inquiries, as opposed to bright-line legal tests. The Court cited its own cases that affirmed that government-induced flooding, and seasonally recurring flooding, can constitute takings. The Court has also ruled that takings temporary in duration can be compensable. None of the Court’s previous decisions authorizes a blanket temporary-flooding exception to the Court’s Takings Clause jurisprudence.  The Court interpreted The Corp’s primary argument as being that reversing the Court of Appeal’s decision risks disrupting public works dedicated to flood control. While the public interests in this case are important, the Court did not consider them to be categorically different from the interests at stake in the many other Takings Clause cases in which the Court has rejected similar arguments.  The Court declined to address the Corps alternative argument that damage to property, however foreseeable, is collateral or incidental; it is not aimed at any particular landowner and therefore is not compensable under the Takings Clause because it was first tendered at oral argument and not aired in the courts below.

Because the Federal Circuit rested its decision entirely on the temporary duration of the flooding it did not address other factors relevant to the takings inquiry, such as the degree to which the invasion is intended or is the foreseeable result of authorized government action. the character of the land at issue, the owner’s “reasonable investment-backed expectations” regarding the land’s use, and the severity of the interference. Thus, remand to address these issues was warranted.

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Overflights from airport should not be examined using regulatory takings standards

by Kaitlin Heinen

Robert E. Brenner v. City of New Richmond
(Wisconsin Supreme Court, July 17, 2012)

The New Richmond Regional Airport is owned and operated by the City of New Richmond. In September 2006, the Airport began a construction project to extend its main runway by 1500 feet, which was completed in June 2007.  To make the runway extension possible, the City had acquired, by direct condemnation, 62 acres of land from the Wickenhausers, whose land bordered the north end of the Airport. Also acquired by the City was a 3.813-acre avigation easement over parts of the remaining 80 acres of the Wickenhausers’ property. (An avigation easement is an “easement permitting unimpeded aircraft flight over the servient estate.”) This 3.813-acre avigation easement covered the airspace above the Wickenhausers’ personal residence and dairy barn.  The Wickenhausers asked the City to condemn the entire 142.5 acres of their property—which the city declined to do. In addition, Robert E. Brenner’s house is 816 feet from the extended runway, and Allan and Susan Seidlings’ home is 1503 feet from the extended runway. Like the Wickenhausers, Brenner and the Seidlings asked the City to condemn their land after learning of the extension—their requests were also declined. As result of their denied condemnation requests, all three parties alleged inverse condemnation under Wis. Stat. §32.10.

Collectively, the landowners’ testimonies complained of noise, dust, dirt, flashing lights, disruptions of sleep, diminished enjoyment of the property, safety concerns, direct over-flights, and decreases in property value. Brenner, the Seidlings, and the Wickenhausers argued that the Airport’s runway extension amounted to a compensable taking of an easement, since they have suffered adverse effects as a result of increased aircraft over-flights. In opposition, the City testified that the Airport had installed a blast pad to control dust and erosion. Additionally, the circuit court found that the medical helicopter and a jet that formerly used the Airport are no longer hangared there. However, the circuit court also found conflicting information that aircraft usage had increased by two-thirds since the runway’s extension. Brenner, who is a licensed pilot himself, testified that some pilots did not follow standard traffic patterns and submitted video evidence of this. The City objected, claiming that they cannot be held responsible for what pilots do illegally. (However, the Wisconsin Supreme Court reasoned that because the Airport is owned by the City, the City is liable for aircraft using the Airport–the City is in a far superior position to enforce FAA flight standards as opposed to neighboring landowners.)

The circuit court relied on the real estate appraiser’s determination that the extended runway reduced the Wickenhausers’ property value, at most, by 20%. Then citing the United States Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Causby, the circuit court ruled that for a taking to have happened, the property owner must have been deprived of all or practically all beneficial use of the property.  The Wisconsin Court of Appeals reversed, holding that this case is a physical occupation case, and the standard used by the circuit court involves regulatory takings, which does not apply. The case was remanded back to the circuit court, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted the Airport’s petition for review.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court addressed the two conflicting standards at issue here: “(1) whether the over-flights are low enough and frequent enough to have a direct and immediate effect on the use and enjoyment of the property, or (2) whether the over-flights deprive the property owner of all of substantially all beneficial use of property?”

The United States Supreme Court’s previous decisions in Causby and Griggs are the controlling law with respect to takings of private property by aircraft over-flights. Causby involved frequent, regular aircraft over-flights over a personal residence. The aircraft in this case flew so low (even though the altitudes were approved at that time in 1923) that they barely missed the tops of the trees and killed the landowner’s 150 chickens who fatally flew into the walls of their enclosures from fright. The Supreme Court recognized that Congress placed navigable airspace into the public domain; however, The Court also acknowledged that property owners must be allowed to have control of the immediate reaches of enveloping atmosphere above their property, which includes the super-adjacent airspace below the altitude that is set as navigable. The Court thus established a test to determine whether or not a taking had occurred: over-flights by government aircraft do not constitute a taking unless they are so low and so frequent as to be a direct interference in the enjoyment and use of the property. This is the standard that should be applied wherever Causby is cited as the controlling law in a case. The Wisconsin Supreme Court concluded that the Causby standard is the appropriate standard that must be applied in this case. The determination of whether or not the aircraft over-flights have been low enough and frequent enough to have a direct effect on the use and enjoyment of the land should govern fact-findings and rulings of the circuit court. If this standard is satisfied, the government has taken an easement without paying just compensation. The Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that the circuit court had erred in applying a regulatory taking standard, and that the case must be remanded to them to apply this correct Causby standard.

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Conditional use permit requirement did not constitute a taking

Gary Taylor

by Victoria Heldt

Peter J. Butzen, D/B/A Falls Metals, Inc. v. City of Sheboygan Falls
(Wisconsin Court of Appeals, February 29, 2012)

Peter J. Butzen owns a piece of property within the City of Sheboygan Falls that is zoned C2 commercial.  He operated a scrap metal recycling business on the land during the 1990s which grew in size to the point that it appeared to be a junkyard.  In January 2000 the City decided the use of the land exceeded the scope of what was permitted in the C2 district.  It advised Butzen to clean up and make some modifications and apply for a conditional use permit, which Butzen did in February.  In April 2000 (before it considered Butzen’s application) the City amended the ordinance under which Butzen applied with Ordinance 11.  This ordinance eliminated all permitted uses in C2 zoning districts unless the owner received a conditional use permit.  The City advised Butzen that if he performed the specified cleanup actions, the committee would recommend his permit application be granted.  Butzen was given several deadlines through 2001 to complete the cleanup, but never completed the actions.

In November 2007 Butzen filed for a conditional use permit but was denied since the application was incomplete.  In July 2008 the Supreme Court decided Town of Rhine v. Bizzell in which it concluded that a zoning provision such as Sheboygan Falls’ Ordinance No. 11 is unconstitutional on its face if it precludes any use as of right in a zoning district and if the limitation bears no substantial relation to the public health, safety, morals or general welfare.  In response, the Sheboygan Falls passed a moratorium on development in its C1, C2, and C3 zoning districts to prevent any further development until it decided how to move forward after the Town of Rhine ruling.

Butzen continued to use his property and filed a complaint seeking a judicial determination regarding the constitutionality of Ordinance 11 and questioning the validity of the City’s moratorium.  The circuit court, following the lead of the Supreme Court in the Town of Rhine case, declared Ordinance 11 to be unconstitutional.  It did, however, uphold the validity of the moratorium.  Butzen filed an inverse condemnation complaint asserting that the City’s actions amounted to a taking of his property.  He also raised a substantive due process claim under 42 U.S.C. §1983 that the City’s efforts to enforce the ordinance violations were arbitrary and capricious.  The circuit court found that he did not sufficiently establish either of the claims and that they were barred by a statute of limitations.  This appeal followed.

On appeal, Butzen focused only on the “takings” claim.  He asserted that “because of the Town of Rhine ruling, Ordinance No. 11 unconstitutionally eliminated all use of his C2-zoned property without a conditional use permit, resulting in a regulatory taking.”  According to statute, a regulatory taking occurs when a regulation denies a landowner all or substantially all practical uses of his or her property.  The Court noted that Butzen overlooked two key findings within the circuit court’s rulings.  First, the denial of Butzen’s permit was based on the ordinance in effect prior to Ordinance 11, so the determination of Ordinance 11 as unconstitutional was not relevant to his claimed injury.  Second, the fact that Butzen needed a conditional use permit to run the scrap metal shop did not deprive him of “substantially all” beneficial uses of the property since he could still conduct other business there.  The Court concluded Butzen did not sufficiently show that a regulatory taking occurred and affirmed the circuit court’s decision.

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Statute of limitation runs on claims resulting from stormwater discharge

Gary Taylor

by Victoria Heldt

Charles Tsamardinos and Suzanne Tsamardinos v. Town of Burlington
(Wisconsin Court of Appeals, December 7, 2011)

Charles and Suzanne Tsamardinos own a residential property in Burlington.  They brought a claim for inverse condemnation against the Town of Burlington, arguing that the increased presence of draining water on their property after the development of Villa Heights Subdivision constitutes “physical occupation” by the Town, and results in a taking.  Storm water from Cedar Drive and from Villa Heights Subdivision flows through a culvert, across their property, and into Brown Lake, and that by this action the Town “has incorporated part of their property into its storm water management system.”  They provided two expert witnesses, the first being Hey and Associates, Inc.  The company reported that the problem was indeed due to water flowing through the culvert under Cedar Drive and that the Town was responsible for the drainage system.  Jendusa Design, the second expert witness, similarly described the source of the problem and reported that the flooding had been occurring over the past eight years. The district court denied the claim, finding that a legal taking did not occur, and further finding that the claim was barred by the statute of limitations.

On appeal, the Court of Appeals ruled against the Tsamardinos on the grounds that the statutes of limitations had expired regarding the issue. First,  Wis Stat. §88.87(2)(c) states that a property owner has three years to file a complaint if a government agency has damaged property due to negligent construction a highway or railroad grade (this would include the culvert).  Since the culvert was constructed 24 years prior, and flooding problems had been occurring for at least 8 years according to the expert witnesses, the Tsamardinos filed the complaint too late.  In response to the alternative claim that the water run-off is due to the development of the Villa Heights subdivision, the Court found that claim to be barred as well.  The governing statue requires a complaint to be filed within ten years of completion of the improvement on the property.  Since Villa Heights was recorded in 1948 and graded in the mid-1960’s, the ten year period had expired.  The Tsamardonoses argued that they should be permitted to file a complaint outside the ten year required period since the time limit does not apply to those affected by negligence in maintenance.  The Court concluded that their problem was not the result of negligent maintenance, but of the development of the subdivision, they were subject to the ten year limit.

The Court affirmed the lower court’s decision in favor of the Town of Burlington.

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Demolition is abatement of a nuisance, not a taking requiring condemnation

Gary Taylor 1 Comment

by Victoria Heldt

Hendrix Roosevelt v. City of Detroit
(Michigan Court of Appeals, October 13, 2011)

This case deals with the demolition of a building in Detroit, Michigan.  In 2003, the City sent a dangerous building violation notice to the owners of the building after they discovered it was dilapidated, only had a half roof, and was open to trespass.   After a hearing was held, a demolition notice was sent.  At the time, Roosevelt was not on record as an owner of the building, so he didn’t receive these notices.  In 2005, Roosevelt filed a demolition deferral application and listed the building’s address as the place to send him notice.  The City granted the deferral on the condition that the building not is kept open to public trespass.  If the condition was not met, the building would be demolished without further notice.  A notice was sent to the building addressed to Roosevelt, but it was returned as Roosevelt had moved from the building.  In 2006 the City inspected the building and found it was in violation of the deferral agreement.

Roosevelt filed another deferral request in 2007 and provided 258 Riverside Drive as an address at which to reach him.  The City denied the request and sent notice both to the building’s address and to the alternative address Roosevelt provided.  Both notices were returned in the mail.  In September of 2007 the building was demolished.  Roosevelt filed a claim arguing that the demolition of the building violated the Michigan constitution, violated federal due process, and was the result of gross negligence by two City employees.  The court dismissed the federal claim and remanded the case to the circuit court to resolve the remaining claims.  On both of these claims the circuit court granted summary judgment for the City.  In 2010 the City petitioned to reopen the case in order to present a counterclaim for demolition costs.  The petition was granted, and when Roosevelt failed to oppose the demolition costs, the court awarded demolition costs to the City.  All claims made their way to the Michigan Court of Appeals.

As for the state constitution claim, the Court of Appeals laid out three main reasons why the claim was properly dismissed by the circuit court.  First, monetary damages are reserved for plaintiffs with no other avenue of relief.  Roosevelt’s first line of relief would have been via a federal due process claim, which was alleged and was denied.   The Court also noted that the City’s actions did not constitute a “taking.”  A “taking” occurs when the government confiscates property for public use.  In these instances, the government must go through the proper condemnation process.  An exception exists, however, if the property is causing a public nuisance.  Nobody has the right to use their property as a nuisance; therefore it is not considered a “taking” if the government uses its power to stop a public nuisance.  Roosevelt’s building was considered a public nuisance since it “imperiled the health, safety, and welfare” of the neighborhood.  Thus, the government did not commit a “taking” when it demolished the building.  The Court’s final point regarding this claim was that Roosevelt cannot claim a due process violation if he actually received notice.  The fact that he filed petitions for demolition deferral was evidence that he knew of the demolition plans.  Consequently, there was no due process violation.

In regards to the gross negligence claim against the municipality’s employees, the Court noted that governmental employees are protected from lawsuits if they were “acting within the scope of their authority, were engaged in the exercise or discharge of a governmental function, and their conduct did not amount to gross negligence that is the proximate cause of the injury or damage.”  In this case, the Court focused on the phrase “proximate cause.”  The Court concluded that this phrase is to be interpreted as the “most immediate and direct” cause of the action (in this case, the demolition of the building) and that it refers to one cause.  In this case another cause existed in correspondence with the demolition, namely Roosevelt’s failure to uphold the conditions of the deferral.  As a result of those factors, the employee’s actions are not deemed gross negligence.

Finally, Roosevelt challenged the circuit court’s action in assessing the demolition costs to him since state statute specifies that a judgment lien, and not a personal judgment, should be granted in demolition costs.  The Court agreed with Roosevelt and found that the trial court abused its discretion in awarding the city a personal judgment against Roosevelt.  After affirming the district court’s decisions regarding the constitutional claim and the gross negligence claim, it remanded the case for the granting of a judgment lien.

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Indianola fence ordinance not a taking

Gary Taylor

by Gary Taylor

Iowa Assurance Corporation v. City of Indianola
(Federal 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, August 16, 2011)

Vinton Watson races figure eight cars, and owns seven to eight cars at any one time. In March 2006 Watson began leasing a shop and adjacent parking lot from Ron Inman to store his cars. Inman’s property is located in Indianola and is zoned for commercial use. The shop that Watson leases consists of half of one building and amounts to “a little over 900 square feet.” The parking lot included in the lease is located immediately adjacent of the building and is twenty-seven by thirty-four-feet. Watson can store up to three cars in the shop, although it is difficult to store more than two cars when repairing vehicles inside the shop. Additionally, Watson stores up to three cars in the parking lot, although cars are not always stored there.

Neighbors have complained to the Indianola city council on numerous occasions about the appearance and noise of Watson’s cars.  As a result, the city council passed an ordinance in 2007, amended in 2009, requiring figure eight cars and other race cars to be inclosed by a fence in all outdoor areas where two or more vehicles are present.  Watson sued the city, specifically alleging that the ordinance creates an uncompensated regulatory taking by requiring him to install a fence and by reducing the overall value of the property.  The suit was brought in state court but the city had the case removed to federal court.  The Federal District Court for the Southern District of Iowa found in favor of the city and Watson appealed.

The 8th Circuit noted that regulatory takings claims come in four types:

The first type is a regulation which requires an owner to suffer a permanent physical invasion of her property. The second type is a regulation that completely deprive[s] an owner of all economically beneficial use of her property. The third type is a governmental requirement that, without sufficient justification, requires an owner to dedicate a portion of his property in exchange for a building permit. The fourth type is any other regulation which, after considering its economic impact upon the plaintiff and its essential character, is functionally equivalent to the classic taking in which government directly appropriates private property or ousts the owner from his domain.

Watson claimed that the city’s action violated the first and third types: physical invasions and land-use exactions.  The Court rejected both of Watson’s claims.  It rejected the physical invasion claim because the ordinance does not require Watson to permit either the city or any third party to enter his property to install a fence, and consequently does not erode his right to exclude others from his property.  It rejected the land use exaction claim because in those cases the government is demanding that a landowner dedicate an easement allowing public access to her property as a condition of obtaining a development permit, or other type of license.   The Indianola ordinance does not require Watson to dedicate any portion of his property to either the City’s or the public’s use as a condition of anything.

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Whether condemnation of avigation rights was sufficient to avoid takings claim requires further fact finding

by Melanie Thwing

Brenner, Wickenhauser and Seidling v. City of New Richmond

(Wisconsin Court of Appeals, May 10, 2011)

Robert Brenner, Steven and Cristy Wickenhauser and Allan and Susan Seidling (landowners) all own land in the vicinity of the New Richmond Regional Airport in the City of New Richmond, WI. In 2007 the City extended the main runway by 1,500 feet. Sixty-two acres of the Wickenhausers’ land was condemned by the City as well as condemning an avigation easement over another four acres.

The avigation easement alone prohibits buildings and trees exceeding between twenty-six and thirty-eight feet tall depending on the location. This easement states it is for the use and benefit of the public and includes the right to cause sound, noise, vibration and dust that is inherent with the operation of aircrafts. It goes on to state that the noise impacts may be “annoying” to land users.

After experiencing the runway expansion’s effects that included odors, dust, vibrations, sound, low overhead flights, and runway strobe lights the landowners filed an inverse condemnation claim in circuit court under Wis. Stat. § 32.10, claiming that the operation of the airport deprived them of all property rights (not just those condemned through the avigation easement). The circuit court found that because the landowners had not been deprived substantially of all beneficial use of the properties there was no taking.  The landowners appeal to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, arguing that the circuit court applied the wrong standard when it concluded there no taking.

Wis. Stat. § 32.10 allows landowners who believe property has been taken by the government to bring an inverse condemnation claim for compensation. It is intended to deal with eminent domain, where the government occupies private property and plans to continue this occupation. The facts must show either an actual physical taking or a government-imposed restriction that deprives the owner of beneficial use of his property.  According to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals this essentially means that landowners do not need to demonstrate that they have been deprived of all or substantially all beneficial use. The court points that if this were the case then public entities would rarely be required to compensate landowners.

Under § 32.10 (6g) the loss of air rights is identified as a compensable loss. The City acknowledges this, but argues that a taking occurs only if flights have a direct, immediate, and substantial effect on the enjoyment of the land. In this case the FAA-approved flight paths do not fly over the landowners’ homes.  The Court disagreed with the city’s argument because it fails to to take into account that flight paths may cross above other portions of the landowners’ properties (not just their homes) and ignores the finding of the circuit court that the space above the homes are in fact used by airplanes and helicopters regardless of the identified routes of the FAA-approved flight paths.

The actual determination of whether a taking has occurred depended on further fact finding. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the circuit court for fact finding to determine whether there was a partial taking.

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Takings clause of Minnesota Constitution provides greater landowner protections than U.S. Constitution

by Melanie Thwing

DeCook v. Rochester International Airport Zoning Board
(Minnesota Supreme Court, March 30, 2011)

“Where land use regulations, such as the airport zoning ordinance here, are designed to benefit a specific public or governmental enterprise, there must be compensation to landowners whose property has suffered a substantial and measurable decline in market value as a result of the regulations” McShane v. City of Faribault. 292 N.W.2d at 258-59

Leon and Judith DeCook purchased 240 acres of land for $159,600 just north of the Rochester International Airport in Minnesota in 1989. 19 acres of this land fell within Safety Zone A (the most restrictive zone) for the airport. Ordinance No. 3 which allowed for agriculture, commercial or industrial sites controlled this land. No dwellings were allowed in the zone as well as any use that brought more than 10 people to any acre or more than 50 people to a commercial industrial site.

Then in 2002 the Board enacted Ordinance No. 4 which allowed for fewer land uses in Safety Zone A than previously allowed. Ordinance No. 4 also brought another 28 acres of the DeCook’s land into the zone.

In 2005 the DeCooks filed an action in district court arguing that there was a substantial decline in market value of the property that benefited a public or governmental enterprise. They argued this constituted “a constitutional compensable taking under the principles of McShane v. City of Faribault.” Summary judgment was granted for the Board and the DeCooks’ appealed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.  The Court of Appeals held that the DeCooks’ must be compensated if their property had a substantial decline in value and remanded to the district court. A jury found that the property diminished in value by $170,000; however, the district court found that the diminution did not constitute a compensable taking as a matter of law. The court sited that the ordinance did not affect the “primary use” of the DeCook property.

The DeCooks appealed and the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded in favor of the DeCooks. The Airport Zoning Board sought review with the Minnesota Supreme Court. The DeCooks argued that the ruling in McShane controls regulatory taking claims from airport safety-zone ordinances. The Board argued that a more flexible ruling from Penn Central should control the case.  The Minnesota Supreme Court determined that the language in Minn. Const. art. I, § 13, which states that, ‘[p]rivate property shall not be taken, destroyed or damaged for public use without just compensation [emphasis added],” is broader than the takings clause in the United States Constitution’s, and because of  this McShane controls.

McShane found that whenever a governmental enterprise is benefited and there is a substantial decline in market value there must be compensation to land owners. Whether that diminution is substantial is a question of law. In this case the Supreme Court found that the $170,000 is substantial, in that the damages exceed the purchase price of the 240-acre parcel before the enactment of Ordinance No. 4, which ultimately caused the diminution.

A regulatory taking did occur under the Minnesota Constitution. The Court of Appeals decision was affirmed and the case is remanded to the district court for judgment in favor of the DeCooks.

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