SARAH L. ROOT, A WIDOW, APPELLANT,
v.
CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, APPELLEE
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Sarah Root challenged the City of South Miami's RU-1 zoning classification of her property as confiscatory and arbitrary. The appellate court reversed, holding that given the nearby RU-5 apartment zoning and commercial uses across the street, the restrictive zoning was arbitrary and unreasonable as applied to her parcel.
The court held that zoning more restrictive than RU-5 was arbitrary and unreasonable as applied to the property and constituted confiscatory regulation, warranting reversal of the trial court's denial of relief.
“we hold that any zoning more restrictive than RU-5 is arbitrary and unreasonable as applied to the parcel in the instant litigation, and same amounts to confiscatory regulation of the appellant's property”
The court's holding establishing that the RU-1 restriction was arbitrary and confiscatory given surrounding uses and zoning
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceRoot owned property at the northeast corner of Ludlum and Miller Roads on South Miami's western boundary. The property was zoned RU-1 Single Family Re…
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This is an appeal from a final decree adverse to the appellant in a zoning controversy. The record on appeal reveals the following:
That the appellant is possessed of property at the northeast corner of the intersection of Ludlum and Miller Roads, located within and along the western boundary of the City of South Miami, in Dade County. *360From the exhibits, it appears that the plaintiff’s parcel of land consists of approximately 280 foot frontage along Ludlum Road and approximately 300 feet along Miller Road, although the application for re-zoning only covered a portion of the parcel at the intersection of Miller and Ludlum Roads. It also appears that there is a 50 foot utility easement across the northwest half of the property upon which the application for zoning was made, which was granted by the appellant to the City of Miami some years ago.
Across Ludlum Road to the west, in the unincorporated area of Dade County, both the northwest corner and the southwest corner are used for filling station purposes. Across Miller Road to the south, within the corporate limits of the City of South Miami, the property is zoned RU-51 and is used for apartment house purposes. The appellant’s property is zoned RU-1 Single Family Residential Zone. All the property surrounding the appellant’s, within the City of South Miami and within the unincorporated area of Dade County, east of Ludlum Road for approximately one-half mile [except the aforementioned RU-S zoning on the southeast corner of the intersection] is zoned for residential use although there apparently are non-conforming uses, to wit: a nursery to the north and a home occupation to the east. The former was in existence prior to the adoption of the comprehensive zoning ordinance of the City of South Miami, and the latter operates either by special permission of the municipality or is an unlawful use.
The appellant brought the instant action seeking to have the zoning classification set aside and held void as applied to her property, upon the usual ground that they were confiscatory, arbitrary and unreasonable. Following issue being joined and after final hearing, the chancellor denied the relief sought. This appeal ensued. We reverse.
The property along the east side of Ludlum Road to the north for approximately three-eighths mile is zoned residential within the City of South Miami, and for approximately one-half mile to the south within the City of South Miami [save and except the parcel immediately across Miller Road, wherein the RU-5 zoning exists] it is zoned residential. If it were not for the existence of this apartment house zoning, we would affirm on the authority of Harris v. City of Coral Gables, Fla.App.1963, 157 So.2d 146. However, in view of the existing multiple family residence to the south and considering the commercial uses across Ludlum Road [which is a factor, although not a mandatory one requiring zoning relaxation within an abutting city; see: Borough of Cresskill v. Borough of Dumont, 28 N.J.Super. 26, 100 A.2d 182], we hold that any zoning more restrictive than RU-5 is arbitrary and unreasonable as applied to the parcel in the instant litigation, and same amounts to confiscatory regulation of the appellant’s property. See: Tollius v. City of Miami, Fla.1957, 96 So.2d 122; Burritt v. Harris, Fla.1965, 172 So.2d 820; Lawley v. Town of Golfview, Fla. App.1965, 174 So.2d 767.
The appellant contends that the property in question is only useable as a filling station site because of the filling stations already existing on two of the other three corners of the intersection and because of the aforesaid 50 foot utility easement. We reject the first contention upon the authority of Dade County v. Mitchell, Fla.App.1966, 188 So.2d 359, and reject the latter contention because it is obvious that this easement was granted for compensation.
Therefore, we reverse the final decree here under review, with directions to the chancellor to enter a decree in favor of the appellant in accordance with the views expressed in this opinion.
Reversed and remanded, with directions.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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City OF S. Miami v. Hillbauer, 312 So. 2d 241 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975)…clusion that any zoning more restrictive than residential office is arbitrary and unreasonable as applied to the subject property and we find that it amounts to confiscatory regulation of such property. See Root v. City of South Miami, Fla.App.1966, 190 So. 2d 359. Affirmed.…
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Root v. City of S. Miami, 196 So. 2d 924 (Fla. 1967)…Certiorari denied without opinion. 190 So. 2d 359.…
Authorities Cited
- Withrow v. Albert E. Perron & the Fla. Indus. Comm'n, 172 So. 2d 820 (Fla. 1965)
- Gusto Tollius v. City OF Miami, 96 So. 2d 122 (Fla. 1957)
- Gertrude Lawley v. Town OF Golfview, 174 So. 2d 767 (Fla. 2d DCA 1965)
- Harris v. City OF Coral Gables, 157 So. 2d 146 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963)
- Dade Cnty. v. Mitchell, 188 So. 2d 359 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)