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Shiloh Gospel Chapel, Inc. v. Roer

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Feb 19, 1991
170 A.D.2d 608 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)

Opinion

February 19, 1991

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Westchester County (Cowhey, J.).


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed, with costs.

As the parties to the instant appeal concede, it is well-settled that a court will apply the zoning ordinance in existence at the time of its decision (see, Matter of Temkin v Karagheuzoff, 34 N.Y.2d 324; Matter of Demisay, Inc. v Petito, 31 N.Y.2d 896; Matter of Cathedral of Incarnation v Glimm, 97 A.D.2d 409, affd 61 N.Y.2d 826). In the instant case the controversy surrounding the number of off-street parking spaces required for the petitioner's proposed church existed only under the former zoning ordinance which was amended while the proceeding was pending before the Supreme Court (see, Lander v Wilson, 100 A.D.2d 896). As the amendment of the ordinance rendered that controversy academic, the Supreme Court correctly dismissed the petitioner's proceeding.

Furthermore, there is no basis in this record to invoke the so-called "special facts exception" pursuant to which the former ordinance might still be deemed controlling (see, Matter of Pokoik v Silsdorf, 40 N.Y.2d 769). There was no undue delay in the consideration and processing of the petitioner's application (see, Matter of Aversano v Two Family Use Bd., 117 A.D.2d 665) and the record does not reveal the existence of bad faith. In this regard, it must be noted that notwithstanding the apparently improper participation in the consideration of the petitioner's variance application by an interested member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, that governmental entity did not delay consideration of the petitioner's application pending the adoption of the amended ordinance by the Common Council of the City of White Plains. The record is devoid of any evidence suggesting that the Common Council acted in bad faith or that any intra-governmental conspiracy was responsible for the petitioner's inability to obtain the necessary variances. Accordingly, the court correctly applied the amended ordinance and the proceeding was correctly dismissed.

We have reviewed the petitioner's remaining contentions and find them to be without merit. Sullivan, J.P., Rosenblatt, Miller and Ritter, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Shiloh Gospel Chapel, Inc. v. Roer

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Feb 19, 1991
170 A.D.2d 608 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)
Case details for

Shiloh Gospel Chapel, Inc. v. Roer

Case Details

Full title:In the Matter of SHILOH GOSPEL CHAPEL, INC., Appellant, v. DOROTHY ROER et…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Feb 19, 1991

Citations

170 A.D.2d 608 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)
566 N.Y.S.2d 382

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