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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMiscellaneous - 120 MAIN STREET 4/30/2018 ti JOSEPH E. BOULAN13ER ATTORNEY AT LAW 11 CHESTNUT STREET ANDOVER, MASS. 01810 TELEPHONE: (617) 475-6505 March 16, 1988 Mr. Frank Serio Board of Appeals Town of North Andover 120 Main Street No. Andover, MA 01845 RE: Carter et al vs: Soule et al Essex Superior Civil No. 83-462 Dear Mr. Serio and Members of the Board: Enclosed please find a copy of the Plaintiff ' s Motion to Alter or Amend Judgment in the above entitled matter. I will keep you informed of the progress on this matter. Very truly yours, oseph E. Boulan r JEB/tp Enc. g i CQP7 FOR YOUR 'i ���oR���K���►a i► COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS it DEPARTMENT OF THE TRIAL COURT i jESSEX, SS SUPERIOR COURT NO. 83-462 I II !IJOHN E. CARTER, ET AL, Plaintiffs 'iv. * WALTER F. SOULE, ET AL, �1 Defendants PLAINTIFFS'S MOTION TO ALTER OR 4 AMEND JUDGMENT PURSUANT TO RULE 59(e) Now come the Plaintiffs and move this Court , pursuant to M.R. C.P. , Rule 59(e) , to alter or amend the judgment entered by I .i I !the Clerk-Magistrate on March 9 1988 pursuant to the j "Findings, Rulings and Order" of the Court (Associate Justice I Peter F. Brady) dated March 2, 1988 . I. li As grounds , Plaintiffs seek to have the Court clearly rule on ; 1 Jone of the principal issues tried and argued to the Court -- that i is , whether the North Andover Building Inspector' s ruling that i 'Ithere was a proposed "change in use" , which ruling was upheld by I 11the Defendants, was incorrect , as Plaintiffs claim. If this I I I j!ruling was incorrect , then Plaintiffs should never have had to i ►seek relief from Defendants at all by way of Special Permit. The f; i �1Court , in his March 2 , 1988 decision, has not squarely and ;,clearly dealt with this issue in the "Rulings" portion of the I decision, although the Court clearly appears to have decided the i fi II J i 'r I .i � • � it a I ;issue factually in plaintiffs ' favor at page 3 of the decision: "It is clear that the Rollin' s contemplated j business use of the tower was not 1 ii inconsistant with the past usage of the tower, and it is difficult to see how the contemplated use would place a further I� burden on the Town." Based on this factual finding, Plaintiffs urge the Court to falter or amend the judgment so as to squarely rule that since no !change in use was proposed , no special permit was needed , and 'therefore that the Defendants ' first decision is annulled as !'incorrect and the second (denying a special permit) is annulled .i iias unnecessary. 1 I; Plaintiffs presented their arguments on the above issue at (length (1) in their November 19, 1984 Trial Memorandum (pp. 7-9) ; 1(2) in oral argument at trial ; and (3) in their April 19, 1985 (Post-Trial Memorandum (Section II , pp.11-18) . A copy of said I Section II from Plaintiff ' s Post-Trial Memorandum is attached iihereto for ease of reference. I� 1 u , j! Respectfully submitted, Ii Martin Jaco Esquire BRODY $ AC BS i! One Fane Hall Marketplace Boston, Massachusetts 02109 �i (617) 367-3300 i 'I ilMarch f y, 1988 i ,'0332C36-37 i i z i . . . /11 .somehow justify their votes of two years earlier.l As for any "reasons" for the Board' s decisions offered only in argument by counsel in connection with this zoning appeal plaintiffs urge this Court not to consider these "reasons" at all. If, however, the Court does give con- sideration to such "reasons" , plaintiffs maintain that they are similarly unavailing and pretextual. II. THE BUILDING INSPECTOR'S RULING OF A PROPOSED "CHANGE IN USE" , UPHELD BY THE BOARD OF APPEALS, WAS INCORRECT (A) The Law Involved Whereas the proposed use of the Mills Hill tower by Rollins did not constitute an impermissible change in the nonconforming use in existence when the zoning by-law changed in 1972, the proposed use is protected by M.G.L. c. 40A§6, as amended, which reads in part: j "Except as hereinafter provided, a zoning ordinance or by-law shall not apply to structures or uses lawfully in existence. . . " and by Section 9 , paragraph 9.1 of the zoning by-law, which allows the continuation of existing uses. Three tests are applied in deciding whether a dis- puted use is protected as a lawful nonconforming use 1 _ The Board's first decision on the "change of use" ruling by the Building Inspector can be read to have simply adopted Mr. Foster' s reasoning. The December, 1964 "reasons" appear to have explicitly done so. • /12 or has so changed that it is no longer protected: " (1) Whether the use reflects the nature and purpose of the use prevailing when the zoning by-law took effect; (2) Whether there is a difference in the quality or character, as well as the degree, of use; (3) Whether the current use is 'different in kind in its effect on the neighborhood. ' " Powers v. Building Inspector of Barnstable, 363 Mass. 648, 652-653 , 663 (1973) . Bridgewater v. Chuckran, 351 Mass. 20, 23 (1966) . The Supreme Judicial Court has stated that " [i]t is inevitable that the development and application of a rule of law governing nonconforming uses on a case by case basis, with the result depending almost entirely on the particular facts of each case, should produce two separate and distinct lines of cases. . . " Powers, Id at 653. It is generally accepted that one-may not as of right alter the structure cr extend the area devoted to a non- conforming use but may increase the amount of use within the same structure or area. Sullivan v. Board of Appeals of Harwich, 15 Mass. App. Ct. 286, 288 (1983) . It is also clear that a nonconforming use is not extinguished by a transfer of property, Cape Resorts Hotels, Inc. v. Alcoholic Licensing Board of Falmouth, 385 Mass. 205, 221 (1982) and that a change in the form . of ownership does not by itself effect a change of 'use. Id. at 222. CHR Gen. , Inc. v. Newton, 387 Mass. 351, 356-357 (1982) Sullivan, Id. , at 290 . . . . /13 (B) The "Reasons" Given By The Building Inspector and Board of Appeals The sole and complete reason stated by the Building Inspector in his December- 3, 1982 letter for the decision he rendered was that "the proposed use of the tower for commercial purposes by Rollins Cablevision is a change in use that cannot be allowed" (emphasis added) . This was also the complete and only reason stated by the Board in upholding the Building Inspector's decision on a vote of 4-1 (Associate Member Soule voting to overturn the Build- ing Inspector) . The stated reason is wholly unexplained, but at trial Mr. Foster appeared to testify that what he objected to was that Rollins Cablevision, the proposed actual user of the tower, is a for-profit corporation (seeking to make a profit) whereas MIT and MITRE Corporation were not. The problems with this "reason" are many: (i) It ignores the undisputed facts that the successive owners of the Mills Hill site were making money from leasing it to MIT and MITRE throughout the years, a state of affairs that Foster himself "presumed" was the case; (ii) It ignores the undisputed fact that MITRE Corporation, though technically a "nonprofit" corporation, is a major defense contractor employing thousands of people in the per- . P r' 1.' . ./14 formance of defense contracts for which it obviously received substantial revenue. As is indisputably clear from the documents sub- poenaed from MITRE (through Henry Spiers, Contracts Manager) , the Mills Hill tower was utilized throughout the years in the performance of certain of these contracts. (iii) To the extent that it rests upon the identity and/or corporate form of the actual user,- it runs afoul of the cases cited above (Cape Resorts, CHR Gen. , Inc. , Sullivan) as well as Huntington v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Hadley, 12 Mass. App. Ct. 710 (1981) , which held improper the placing of a condition in a variance Limiting the rights granted therein to a particular person. (iv) The emphasis on the corporate/organizational form of the user is also inconsistent with the proper analysis required by the three-pronged Powers test, where the emphasis is clearly placed on the use, not the user. (v) The Building Inspector himself admitted at trial that the 1958 height variance granted for the erection of the Mills Hill tower (Ex. 2) did not impose any conditions or limits on its ' use consistent with the "reason" stated. •) .c • . . ./15 (C) Other "Reasons" Argued At Trial Once again, plaintiffs emphasize that neither the Building Inspector nor the Board has ever given any reason for the "change of use" decision other than that just discussed. However, defendants ' counsel, in his brief and arguments, has attempted to characterize, explain, alter and add to the stated reason as follows: (i) That Rollins' proposed use was to receive and distribute commercial cable television signals, which is a prohibited change from the reception and measurement of signals for national defense research only, because the use has a difference "nature and purpose" , is different in "quality, character and degree" and "in its effect on the neighborhood" . Plaintiffs first urge that characterizing the stated "reasons" in this way is merely an attempt to cloud the fact that the given reason improperly focused on the identity of the user, as set forth in Section (B) , above. Moreover, although it seems almost too obvious to mention, it must be admitted that it is the crystal clear nature and purpose of a tower such as the one at Mills Hill to boost communications equipment to a great height. This is the only reason anyone would ever build such a tower; it has no other uses. . . . /16 Certainly it is true that different users of the tower have their own agendas, equipment and purposes; and that one would always find a change in use if the focus is placed on these differences. But this focus is incorrect, as the cases cited above clearly show, unless these differences have a real impact upon the use of the land as measured by the Powers tests. Rollins did not seek to alter the tower structure itself or extend the area devoted to its use, but only to attach to it 14 antennae, to place three dishes at the base and to place other electronic equipment inside the existing 10' x 12 ' utility building (Ex. 30) . otherwise, the tower and site were to be used as it always had been; as an unmanned, passive use without any traffic or other effects on the neighborhood. This use was not an improper change in use, applying the Powers tests; rather it fell well within the guidelines set by Sullivan, supra at 288 (one may increase the amount of use within the same structure or area) . That the addition of 14 antennae would amount to an alteration of the tower itself within the meaning of M.G.L. c. 40A§6 for a "sub- stantially different purpose or for the same I 17 purpose in a substantially different manner to a substantially greater extent. " All of the arguments advanced just above (in sub- section (i) ) are equally applicable here. Moreover, Mr. Carter testified to seeing how these antennae are actually affixed to the tower. They are simply clamped on to the structure in a matter of seconds. In no way can they be viewed or understood as changes to the structure itself. (iii) That it is the type of electronic equipment which determines whether there is a change in use. Defendants make this rather bold assertion in their Pre-Trial Memorandum, citing Jasper v. Michael A. Dolan, Inc. , 355 Mass. 17 (1968) and Cape Resorts Hotels, Inc v Alcoholic Licensing Board of Falmouth, 385 Mass. 205 (1982) • Both of these cases, however, involved substantial changes and alterations in use which directly implicated one of the most common and highly charged concerns of municipal boards - the sale and service of liquor to members of the public. None of the factors which are typically im- plicated in liquor sales/service disputes i.e. traffic, crowds, noise, etc. ) are in any way implicated in this' case. of course, the more narrowly the prior uses made of the Mills Hill tower/site are characterized (by user, . . . /18 by type of equipment, by the precise nature of the activity i.e. reception versus transmission or testing/research versus cable television) , the easier it is for defendants to now argue that Rollins was proposing a change. But our case law does not support such efforts at narrow characteriza- tion. Powers, Sullivan and other such cases clearly direct the focus upon the substantiality (if any) of the different , effects that the proposed use would have on its ' neighbors . III . THE BOARD' S DENIAL OF ROLLINS' SPECIAL PERMIT APPLICATION WAS BASED ON LEGALLY UNTENABLE GROUNDS AND WAS ARBITRARY, UNREASONABLE, WHIMSICAL AND/OR CAPRICIOUS A. The Law Involved It is well settled by the case law that: " [t]he manifest objects and purposes of the enabling act and the by-law furnish a large measure of guidance for the board. The by-law confers a measure of discretionary power to grant or withhold special permits by the arbi- trary exercise of that discretion. . .The board must act fairly and reasonably on the evidence presented to it, keeping in mind the objects and purposes of the enabling act and the by- law. The decision of the board cannot be disturbed unless it is based on a legally un- tenable ground, or is unreasonable, whimsical, capricious or arbitrary. " MacGibbon v Board of Appeals of Duxbury, 356 Mass. 635, X638-639 (1970) . The Courts have often disturbed (annulled) deci- sions of zoning boards when those decisions are found to be based on legally untenable grounds, arbitrary, un- reasonable, whimsical and/or capricious. See, for ex- Legal Notice TOWN'OF NOOTH ANDOVER BOARD OF APPEALS- MOTICE FORTH OF t�ao ib SHO 3= g�a'...'•. a O� '„ O P F j ' �SSACHtISEt }:+. 1` October 24,1983 Notice is hereby given that the Board of Appeals will give� a)'"hearing at the Town Bwlding.. i North Andover. on Monday; J evening the' 14th day of I November. 1983, at 7:30 p.m.I 90 all parties interested in the,ap•j peal of JOHN E. CARTER AND RAYMOND B.AGLER requesting a review of a decision made by;, the Building Inspector o.F other. authority and a determination that the action taken by the Building. Inspector..in his December .3, 1982 cor-1 respondence is incorrect and; that the 1958 variance permits' the applicants to use the existing 140 foot communications tower and the tower site for cable television equipment, on. premises located at 300 Chestnut Street and known as -Mills Hill." By Order of the Board of Ap- peals. Frank Serio,Jr. Chairman. ?ublish N_a Citizen: Oct. 27 and Nov.3.1983 024 604 •�� 1 �. ., Ill NOR7q O � � a 41 ,SJACNUstt TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF APPEALS October 24 , 1983 Notice is hereby given that the Board of Appeals will give a hearing at the Town Building , North Andover , on Monday evening , the 14th day of November , 1983 , at 7 : 30 p .m , to all parties interested in the appeal of JOHN E . CARTER AND RAYMOND B . AGLER 3 requesting a review of a decision made by the Building Inspector or other authority and a determination that the action taken by the Building Inspector in his December 3 , 1982 correspondence is incorrect and that the 1958 variance permits the applicants to use the existing 140 foot communications tower and the tower site for cable television equipment , on premises located at 300 Chestnut Street and known as "Mills Hill " By Order of the Board of Appeals By: Frank Serio , Jr . , Chairman Publish : North Andover Citizen : October 27 and November 3, 1983 Send bill to : John E . Carter 300 Chestnut St. North Andover , Mass . 01845 ,kORT11 hO0 O w F gp ,SIACNUS�t TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF APPEALS TO Parties in Interest FROM Board of Appeals SUBJECT; Petition of John Carter and Raymond Agler DATE November 23 , 1983 The petition of John Carter and Raymond Agler requesting a review of a decision made by the Building Inspector has been withdrawn by the applicants . Therefore , no decision will be -forwarded regarding . this- - petition -from the Board. of :Appeal s_. _ KH JOSEPH E. BOULANGER ugh _ ATTORNEY AT LAW 11 CHESTNUT STREET ANDOVER, MASS. 01810 f i TELEPHONE: (617) 475-6505 March 16, 1988 Mr. Paul Sharon Town Manager Town of North Andover 120 Main Street No. Andover, MA 01845 RE: Carter et al vs: Soule et al Essex Superior Civil No. 83-462 Dear Mr. Sharon, Enclosed please find a copy of the Judge' s findings in the above entitled matter, the Judgment which was entered on March 9, 1988, and the Plaintiff's Motion to Alter or Amend Judgment. I will keep you informed of the progress on this matter. If you have any questions in the interim, please do not hesitate to contact me. Very truly yours ?sephE. Boulange JEB/tp Enc. COT12-Oi?; L T i ; -.,TT COPY FOR YOUR A-T3 OF �SASSAC;_u�L�_., X. �' Department Of The Trial Court IXFOPP'lAT1C►J Essex, sa. Superior Court 'No. 83-462 John E. Carter, et al vs. Waltar F. Soule, et al JUDGMENT This action came on for trial before the Court, Brady, J. presiding, and the issues having been duly tried and findings having been duly rendered, It is Ordered and Adjudged: the decision of t:za Board should not be disturbed as it acted within its authority. Zaltman v. Board Of Appeals Of Stoneham, 375 Mass. 482. Judgment for the Defendants. The Clerk-2'iagistrate of the Court is directed to .nail an. attested copy of this judgment within thirty days from the date hereof, to the To,,n Clark, Building Inspector, and Board of Appeals, respectively of the Torm of Worth Andover. Dated at Peabody, :Massachusetts, this 9th day of 114arch, 1988. 133 sLa::v v�9r' r 1�4 , i y �I GCI'; FOR YO COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS IFCF�►t�TjC��� DEPARTMENT OF THE TRIAL COURT I ESSEX,ss. SUPERIOR COURT NO. 83-462 JOHN E. CARTER, ET AL PLAINTIFFS _._- VS. WALTER F. SOULE, E'P AL DEFENDANTS FINDINGS, RULINGS AND ORDER This matter came on to be heard by me as the result of the two Plaintiffs filing a Complaint seeking the annullment of the defendant's (Board of Appeals of the Town of North Andover) findings and rulings. I have taken two views of the real estate in question, last view being during the month prior to this decision. Certain illnesses have unfortunately delayed these findings, and all delays have not been the fault of the parties, but are due to my illnesses. FINDINGS: The Plaintiffs own land and real estate in North Andover which includes an elevated area called Mills Hill. The Plaintiffs - I live on real estate adjacent to and abutting the "Mills Hill" lot. This lot contains a residence which the Plaintiffs occupy and was purchased in 1977. The Mills Hill lot was purchased I in 1979 by the Plaintiffs to protect their residential lot from anticipated residential construction on this Mills Hill lot and also protect the lot from a sand pit on another lot south of the Mills Hill lot. The immediate area near Mills Hill is best described as "woody" with sparse residential use �i and some slight commercial use. II - (I I II ~ r At the highest elevation of the Mills Hill lot, there is a steel tower, 140 feet high. This tower was constructed and owned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1958. The tower was purchased by MITRE CORP. -in 1961. A.-prior owner of the Mills Hill property had allowed the described tower to be on the property by agreement with M.I.T_, and later, with MITRE CORP. All agreements terminated in 1981, and the Plaintiffs became the sole owner of the tower which remained on Mills Hill. By agreement dated August 31, 1981, the Plaintiffs contracted with ELECTROCUM CORPORATION to allow for the installation of a radio communication system "including, but not limited to, transmitters, receivers, antenna, supports or masts, cable and wiring, and accessories used therewith." The Mills Hill property has been used since August, 1981, according to the agreement. The U.S. government owned the tower in 197" and it was used for testing of signals. Later, the Plaintiffs entered into an agreement with the Defendant Rollins Cablevision of Massachusetts, Inc. I allowing Rollins to use the Mill Hill tower for its equipment in the process of providing commercial television to potential customers. Rollins Cablevision planned to add three receiving "dishes" at the bottom of the tower as well as a few antenna on the tower itself. This prior described agreement was reached in September, 1982. Shortly thereafter (in December, 1982) , as the result of complaints Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Farnum, the owners of Boston Hill, another hill in town which contained a tower, I� the North Andover building inspector, by letter, issued a �I �I I ruling that Rollins Cablevision use of the Plaintiffs' tower I for commercial purposes was a change in use that could not be allowed without a special permit. Rollins wished to use the tower for commercial cable television. Then the lessee Rollins, applied to the Board to reverse the ruling of the I building inspector, or to be granted a special permit. The Board denied the two (2) requests on February 1, 1983. The i Board adopted the building inspector's decisions as to the first application but stated no reasons for the matter of i refusing a special permit, perhaps feeling the reasons given in denying the first request were sufficient. It is clear that the Rollin's contemplated business use of the tower was not inconsistant with the past usage of the tower, and it is difficult to see how the contemplated use d w would place a further burden on the Town. While not necessary to my decision, it is interesting to note that in July, 1982, the Board allowed the application I� for further antennae and dishes at Boston Hill ( The Farnums) i which was essentially the requested use for Mills Hill. It further appears that the Board allowed many requests for relief at Boston Hill after the Mills Hill denials_ The tower at I li Boston hill is large and imposing, and sits atop a six story �I II , li I; (4) (I concrete r to building, and is quite visable to all those in surroundin areas and Route 114, a major thoroughfare through the Town. ! The tower at Mills Hill is substantially hidden from the view of its neighbors and the public at large. IIt should also be noted that per the order of another IJudge of this Court, the Board did file a statement of reasons I for denying the Special permit. In denying the Special permit application, the Board found: I a. That the continuance or extension of the Special Permit II would unduly prolong the life of the nonconforming use of the premises. b. Granting the Special Permit would amount to an indefinite continuance of a commercial use in a homogeneous residential district. c. That the non-conforming structure has long since reached the end of its useful life as contemplated under the terms and conditions of the 1957 variance, being national defense oriented, the structure having been erected in 1958. d. That the continuance of the Special Permit or grant �I of a Special Permit would unduly prolong the existence of this non-conforming structure. 1 I� I t I� �� I (5) 1 e. Granting the Special Permit would amount to an indefinite continuance of a commercial structure in a homogeneous residential district. f. That the existence or increase of the non-conforming i use with the addition. of three dishes and fourteen iantennas and a portable building is more than 25% of the original use as outlined in Section 9.2 (3) . I g. That Section 10.31 (1 a) of the Zoning By Law has not been met since it is a commercial use in an residential area. h. The use as developed will adversely affect the residentia neighborhood, so Section 10.31 (1 b) has not been met. i. Section 10.31 (1 e) is not met because the indefinite �Icontinuance of a commercial use in a relatively homogeneous residential district is not a use that is in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the Zoning By Law. RULINGS: An applicant does not have an absolute right to a Special Permit, thus the Board is not compelled to grant a Special Permit. It has a discretionary power. The decision of the IIBoard can be disturbed only if it is based on a legally untenable �I i I I I (6) ' I ground, or is unreasonable, whimsical, capricious, or arbitrary. GULF OIL CORP. V. BOARD OF APPEALS OF FRAMINGHAM, 355 MASS. 275, 277. I rule that the decision of the Board should not be disturbed as it acted within its authority. ZALTMAN V. BOARD OF APPEALS OF STONEHAM, 375 MASS. 482: ORDER: Judgment is to enter for the Defendants. Peter F. Brady, Associate Justice of The Superior Court ENTERED: March 2, 1988 I I 1 li I I�. I I i! I cop'[ FCm youtiq �e�I`11�1171r{T9�i� COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF THE TRIAL COURT � ';ESSEX, SS SUPERIOR COURT NO. 83-462 i� 1IJOHN E. CARTER, ET AL, I, Plaintiffs !;v WALTER F. SOULE, ET AL, Defendants ii PLAINTIFFS'S MOTION TO ALTER OR AMEND JUDGMENT PURSUANT TO RULE 59(e) I I Now come the Plaintiffs and move this Court , pursuant to M.R. C.P. , Rule 59(e) , to alter or amend the judgment entered by I. !the Clerk-Magistrate on March 9 1988 pursuant to the '!"Findings, Rulings and Order" of the Court (Associate Justice lPeter F. Brady) dated March 2 , 1988 . As grounds , Plaintiffs seek to have the Court clearly rule on ,;one of the principal issues tried and argued to the Court -- that �is , whether the North Andover Building Inspector' s ruling that '!there was a " ro osed chane in usewhich ruling upheld b P P 8 use" , g was P y _ : the Defendants, was incorrect , as Plaintiffs claim. If this ilruling was incorrect , then Plaintiffs should never have had to !:seek relief from Defendants at all by way of Special Permit. The ';Court , in his March 2 , 1988 decision, has not squarely and :!clearly dealt with this issue in the "Rulings" portion of the I Idecision, although the Court clearly appears to have decided the �i 'i � issue factually in plaintiffs ' favor at page 3 of the decision: ' "It is clear that the Rollin' s contemplated j business use of the tower was not ! inconsistant with the past usage of the �I tower, and it is difficult to see how the j contemplated use would place a further burden on the Town." Based on this factual finding , Plaintiffs urge the Court to j i falter or amend the judgment so as to squarely rule that since no change in use was proposed , no special permit was needed, . and 'therefore that the Defendants ' first decision is annulled as ,!incorrect and the second (denying a special permit) is annulled !as unnecessary. I� ! Plaintiffs presented their arguments on the above issue at ! (length (1) in their November 19, 1984 Trial Memorandum (pp. 7-9) ; ;j 11(2) in oral argument at trial ; and (3) in their April 19, 1985 ! 1;Post-Trial Memorandum (Section II , pp. 11-18) . A copy of said !Section II from Plaintiff ' s Post-Trial Memorandum is attached ;,hereto for ease of reference. ;i u I Respectfully submitted , I I ' Martin Jazo , Esquire BRODY AC BS !� One FaneLYn Hall Marketplace Boston, Massachusetts 02109 ( 617) 367-3300 it March f`�, 1988 I' i , 0332C36-37 . . . /11 i .somehow justify their votes of two years earlier.l As for any "reasons" for the Board' s decisions offered only in argument by counsel in connection with this zoning appeal plaintiffs urge this Court not to consider these "reasons" at all. If, however, the Court does give con- ' sideration to such "reasons", plaintiffs maintain that they are similarly unavailing and pretextual. II. THE BUILDING INSPECTOR'S RULING OF A PROPOSED "CHANGE IN USE" , UPHELD BY THE BOARD OF APPEALS, WAS INCORRECT (A) The Law Involved Whereas the proposed use of the Mills Hill tower by Rollins did not constitute an impermissible change in the nonconforming use in existence when the zoning by-law changed in 1972, the proposed use is protected by M.G.L. c. 40AS6, as amended, which reads in part: "Except as hereinafter provided, a zoning ordinance or by-law shall not apply to structures or uses lawfully in existence. . . " and by Section 9, paragraph 9. 1 of the zoning by-law, which allows the continuation of existing uses. Three tests are applied in deciding whether a dis- puted use is protected as a lawful nonconforming use 1 The Board' s first decision on the "change of use" ruling by the Building Inspector can be read to have simple adopted Mr. Foster Is reasoning. The December, 1984 "reasons" appear to have explicitly done so. . /12 or has so changed that it is no longer protected: " (1) Whether the use reflects the nature and purpose of the use prevailing when the zoning by-law took effect; (2) Whether there is a difference in the quality or character, as well as the degree, of use; (3) Whether the current use is ' different in kind in its effect on the neighborhood. ' " Powers v. Building Inspector of Barnstable, 363 Mass. 648, 652-653, 663 (1973) . Bridgewater V. Chuckran, 351 Mass. 20 , 23 (1966) . The Supreme Judicial Court has stated that " [i]t is inevitable that the development and application of a rule of law governing nonconforming uses on a case by case basis, with the result depending almost entirely on the particular., facts of each case, should produce two separate and distinct lines of cases. . . " Powers, Id at 653. It is generally accepted that one-may not as of right alter the structure or extend the area devoted to a non- conforming use but may increase the amount of use within the same structure or area. Sullivan v. Board of Appeals of Harwich, 15 Mass. App. Ct. 286 , 288 (1983) . It is also clear that a nonconforming use is not extinguished by a transfer of property, Caoe Resorts Hotels , Inc. v. Alcoholic Licensing Board of Falmouth, 385 Mass. 205, 221 (1982) and that a change in the form of ownership does not by itself effect a change of use. Id. at 222. CHR Gen. , Inc. v. Newton, 387 Mass. 351, 356-357 (1982) Sullivan, Id. , at 290. . . /13 i (B) The "Reasons" Given By The Buildina Inspector and Board of Appeals The sole and complete reason stated by the Building Inspector in his December 3, 1982 letter for the decision he rendered was that "the proposed use of the tower for commercial purposes �y Rollins Cablevision is a change in use that cannot be allowed" (emphasis added) . This was also the complete and only reason stated by the Board in upholding the Building Inspector' s decision on a vote of 4-1 (Associate Member Soule voting to overturn the Build- ing Inspector) . The stated reason is wholly unexplained, but at trial Mr. Foster appeared to testify that what he objected to was that Rollins Cablevision, the proposed actual user of the tower, is a for-profit corporation (seeking to make a profit) whereas MIT and MITRE Corporation were not. The problems with this "reason" are many: (i) It ignores the undisputed facts that the successive owners of the Mills Hill site were making money from leasing it to MIT and MITRE throughout the years , a state of affairs that Foster himself "presumed" was the case; (ii) It ignores the undisputed fact that MITRE Corporation, though technically a "nonprofit" corporation, is a major defense contractor employing thousands of people in- the per- t . . /14 formance of defense contracts for which it obviously received substantial revenue. As is indisputably clear from the documents sub- poenaed from MITRE (through Henry Spiers, Contracts Manager) , the Mills Hill tower was utilized throughout the years in the performance of certain of these contracts. (iii) To the extent that it rests upon the identity and/or corporate form of the actual user, it runs afoul of the cases cited above (Cape Resorts, CHR Gen. , Inc. , Sullivan) as well as Huntington v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Hadley, 12 Mass. App. Ct. 710 (1981) , which held improper the placing of a condition in a variance limiting the rights granted therein to a particular person. (iv) The emphasis on the corporate/organizational form of the user is also inconsistent with the proper analysis required by the three-pronged Powers test, where the emphasis is clearly placed on the use, not the user. (v) The Building Inspector himself admitted at trial that the 1958 height variance granted for the erection of the Mills Hill tower (Ex. 2) did not impose any conditions or limits on its' use consistent with the "reason" stated. 7 (C) Other "Reasons" Argued At Trial Once again, plaintiffs emphasize that neither the Building Inspector nor the Board has ever given any reason for the "change of use" decision other than that just discussed. However, defendants ' counsel, in his brief and arguments, has attempted to characterize, explain, alter and add to the stated reason as follows: (i) That Rollins' proposed use was to receive and distribute commercial cable television signals , which is a prohibited change from the reception and measurement of signals for national defense research only, because the use has a difference "nature and purpose" , is different in "quality, character and degree" and "in its effect on the neighborhood" . Plaintiffs first urge that characterizing the stated "reasons" in this way is merely an attempt to cloud the fact that the given reason improperly focused on the identity of the user, as set forth in Section (B) , above. Moreover, although it seems almost too obvious to mention, it must be admitted that i it is the crystal clear nature and purpose of a tower such as the one at Mills Hill to boost communications equipment to a great height. This is the only reason anyone would ever build such a tower; it has no other uses . . . . /16 Certainly it is true that different users of the tower have their own agendas , equipment and purposes; and that one would always find a change in use if the focus is placed on these differences. But this focus is incorrect, as the cases cited above clearly show, unless these differences have a real impact upon the use of the land as measured by the Powers tests . Rollins did not seek to alter the tower structure itself or extend the area devoted to its use, but only to attach to it 14 antennae, to place three dishes at the base and to place other electronic equipment inside the existing 10' x 12' utility building (Ex. 30) . otherwise , the tower and site were to be used as it always had been; as an unmanned, passive use without any traffic or other effects on the neighborhood. This use was not an improper change in use , applying the Po_ tests; rather it fell well within the guidelines set by Sullivan, su'pra at 288 (one may increase the amount of use within the same structure or area) . ' (ii) That the addition of 14 antennae would amount to an alteration of the tower itself within the meaning of M.G.L. c. 40A§6 for a "sub- stantially different purpose or for the same Ar. 17 purpose in a substantially different manner to a substantially greater extent. " All of the arguments advanced just above (in sub- section (i) ) are equally applicable here. Moreover, Mr. Carter testified to seeing how these antennae are actually affixed to the tower. They are simply clamped on to the structure in a matter of seconds. In no way can they be viewed or understood as changes to the structure itself. (iii) That it is the type of electronic equipment which determines whether there is a change in use. Defendants make this rather bold assertion in their Pre-Trial Memorandum, citing Jasver v. Michael A. Dolan, Inc. , 355 Mass. 17 (1968) and Cape Resorts Hotels , Inc. v. Alcoholic Licensing Board of Falmouth, 385 Mass. 205 (1982) . Both of these cases, however, involved substantial changes and alterations in use which directly implicated one of the most common and highly charged concerns of municipal boards - the sale and service of liquor to members of the public. None of the factors which are typically im- plicated in liquor sales/service disputes i.e. traffic, crowds, noise, etc. ) are in any way implicated in this case. of course, the more narrowly the prior uses made of the Mills Hill towe_!site are characterized (by user, - i v by type of equipment, by the precise nature of the activity - i.e. reception versus transmission or testing/research versus cable television) , the easier it is for defendants to now argue that Rollins was proposing a change . But our case law does not support such efforts at narrow characteriza- tion. Powers, Sullivan and other such cases clearly direct the focus upon the substantiality (if any) of the different . effects that the proposed use would have on its ' neighbors. III. THE BOARD' S DENIAL OF ROLLINS' SPECIAL PERMIT APPLICATION WAS BASED ON LEGALLY UNTENABLE GROUNDS AND WAS ARBITRARY, UNREASONABLE, WHIMSICAL AND/OR CAPRICIOUS A. The Law Involved It is well settled by the case law that: " [t]he manifest objects and purposes of the enabling act and the by-law furnish a large measure of guidance for the board. The by-law confers a measure of discretionary power to grant or withhold special permits by the arbi- trary exercise of that discretion. . .The board must act fairly and reasonably on the evidence presented to it, keeping in mind the objects and purposes of the enabling act and the by- law. The decision of the board cannot be disturbed unless it is based on a legally un- tenable ground, or is unreasonable, whimsical, capricious or arbitrary. " MacGibbon v Board of A )oeals of Duxbury, 356 Mass. 635 , 1638-639 (1970) . The Courts have often disturbed (annulled) deci- sions of zoning boards when those decisions are found to be based on legally untenable grounds, arbitrary, un- reasonable, whimsical and/or capricious. See, for ex- i G r' -�a�s • ► in the Office of the Town �t F• -R ;,, . Clerk. fEB 2 09 M 883 TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER MASSACHUSETTS EXHIBIT 4 BOARD OF APPEALS NOTICE OF DECISION Date . • February 1., 1983 Petition No... 5-" 83 ... ._...... Date of Hearing.. January 10, 1983 Petition of . . . .ROLLINSCABLEVISION OF_ MASSACHUSETTS,. INC:.. { prernises affected Land off 300 Chestnut Street known .as _"Mills Nill" Referring to the above petition for axaAxthw>dr=lbemequireweid6zitbet. .review .of.a. decision made by the Building Inspector and a determination that the'. action. taken. .by. .the .Building .Inspector. i.n.his. .December..3,..19B2 correspondence is incorrect, and a determination that a 1958 variance XUXXXapennibc permits .the.applicant. .to. .use .the. existing.140. .foot. communi- cation tower and the tower site for its television equipment. - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .... ..... . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . ..... . ... .... .... ..... ..... After a public bearing given on the above date, the Board of Appeals voted to . . DENX. . . . the . . . . . . . . . . petition. . . . . . . . . .. ... bchetesbpccaatxext3,� ulld4rpg�c�tss�cact<otxCoxxe c 4%"r oc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . - -• •- - - - - -- . . . . . .. . . ... ....... ... ........�..... � �fmr.�exzs�omcbiwrr�cb�e�evocarnckxt�msedcagocrdi�eta��gxoac�aaa: Signed Frank. Serio, Jr. , . Chairman Richard J. Trepanier, Esq. , Clerk Augusti.ne. .W.. Ni clkerspp. . . . . . . . . . . . . ATTEST: ATrue Copy Raymond -A.. .V�.venzio, . ,sq.. . . . . . . . Walter F. .So.ule. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 Board of Appeals Town Clerk Fx. 3 ;;- in the Office of the .iowll • Clerk fEs 2 o9 PM 103 '' *4 TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF APPEALS February 1,, 1983 Rollins Cablevision of Massachusetts, Inc. Land off 300 Chestnut St. Petition No. 6 - '83 :fir. Daniel Long, Town Clerk Town Office Building North Andover, Mass. 01845 Dear Mr. Long.- . The ong:. The Board of Appeals held a public hearing on Monday evening, Jan- uary 10., 1983 upon the application of Rollins Cablevision of Massa- chusetts, Inc. The hearing was advertised in the North Andover _ Citizen on December •23 .and 30, 1982 and all abutters were notified by regular =nail. The following members were present and voting: Frank Serio, -Jr_, Chairman; Richard J. Trepanier, Esq. , Clerk; 3Lugust1ne-.'. Nickersonj Raymond A. Vivenzio, Esq.; and Maurice S_ Foulas.= - y � -�•�;r-• '? iV 2�..`; Asn! •p __ _ .aa ='he-33oard.,xendered-their decision at a Special meeting 'held on .-7�Tuesaap'even2.ng;_Zanuary "18, -1983 with members Serio, TrepaTiier, "Nickerson,-wivenziowand Foulas again present and voting. .4... 1.. - The petitioner seeks a .Special Permit under Section 9, Paragraphs 9.l and 9 Qf the.Zoning By Zaw so as to permit the applicant to :•.hosethe existing 140.400t,communication tower and the proposed . :w utility building for its cable -television antennas and dishes on the premises located et land off 300 Chestnut Street and known as Mills Hill. The pbtitioner testified through Attorney Richard G_ Asoian that the proposed changes to the site are a larger building, the addition of 3 dishes, and additional antennas. There is adequate screening on the premises so the site as developed would not be offensive to the neighborhood. .r A motion was made by Mr. Foulds and seconded by Mr. Nickerson to deny the Special Permit. The motion failed to carry with members Petition No. b - 483 DAWEL LUNG Rollins Cablevision f 1� C:rRI: Yo assachusetts Inc. HOR -• February 1. 1983 ?h k�;. OVER Page 2 FE8 2 09 Pm 183 Foulds, Nickerson and Vivenzio voting in favor of the motion and members Serio and Trepanier voting in opposition. Therefore, the petition is denied, pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 40-A and the Zoning By Law. of the Town of North Andover, Section 10, Paragraph 10. 4. (2) . i Sincerely, BOARD OF APPEALS Frank Serio, Jr. , Chairman FS/jw a `►.uaa4 �►► aORTy i OA. 1 �r ca"'O�r o • 0:_+ ! CC ♦a. AM7n ,S � i�S • t • ► S�CH0 yf TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF APPEALS John J. Lyons, Town Clerk January 4, 1958 Town Building North Andover, Mass. Dear Sir: DECISION The Board of Appeals held a Public Hearing on Monday evening, December 9, 1957 on the application of Massachusetts Institute of Technology requesting a variation of the Zoning Ordinance so as to permit the erection of a certain radar tower for antenna test measure- ments, to a height in excess of that permitted by Section 8 of said Zoning By-Law entitled "Building Heights Permitted", on Mill's Hill, off 300 Chestnut Street, North Andover. _ This Public Hearing was advertised in the Lawrence Evening Tribune on November 27, 1957 and the abutters were duly notified. The members present and voting on this application were: Donald F. Smith, Chairman; Daniel O'Leary, Henry E. Lund, Nicholas F. Nicetta and John J. Willis, Associate Member. 14r. Nicetta made the motion to GRANT the variance, seconded by Mr. Willis and voted unanimously by the Board for the following reasons: It appears to the Board that this tower is a necessary adjunct to the transmitting tower located on Boston Hill, for which tower the Board of Appeals has previously granted a variance under date of January 281 1957. It appears that there are no buildings in the near vicinity so that there would be no danger to surrounding structures. It further appears that no transmitting is contemplated from this tower, but the tower is to be used solely to test and measure signals to be sent from the radar tower on Boston Hill. It also appears that the erection of this tower is important in the interests of our national defense. The Board therefore GRULUS the variance applied for provided that the tower and appurtenances be con- structed substantially in conformity with the plan submitted and on file _ 2 _ January 4, 1958 with the Board of Appeals, and the Board further directs that the Building Inspector issue the necessary building permit in accordance with this decision. Sincerely. TOWN OF NORTH ANDOVER BOARD OF APPEALS Donald F. Smith, Chairman Daniel OtLeary Henry E. Lund Nicholas F. Nicetta John J. Willis, Associate Member i DF S:ad A ' 185u • ' - TOWN OF NCR i H ANDOVER I MASSACHUSETTS � ------ � - fir. • BOARD OF APPEALS '. NOTICE OF DECISION EXHIBIT 1 Date--Fa>,r---' ir'?0.�Y°5.2 Petition -No. -- - - Date of Hearing--:: ty-28� Petition of-1%as:;Pch,�s-tts -T, P-stitute of Tech-�oloy Premises affected Boston 11111. North A -lover, Mass. — Referring to the above petition for a variation from the requirements of the _-��' •r_La�.�F the Totm of lyor`,, h Andover--llassnc,�usetts 1 so as to permit-the-.- x spdar tor reseAr �h—nd ex nom-'r,,e tal *rar�,osP {�, n�e�E*ht in excess of that permitted by Section 8 of said Zonis Ry-T-814s entitled "T3ui1ding Height Permi.tted." After a public hearing given on the above date, the Board of Appeals voted to GWJN r _the V PSbIM and hereby authorize the Building Inspector to issue a permit to_ Kas5achuse.tts Institute of Technol- for the construction of the above work, based upon the following rorditionc: I Signed: h21nh I•'inck C'zaii-�•an _Alfr-ed i9eelin,--Socr-e_tau- - ivicn,:las ';icet•ta Board of 4 ppr:als Rece � e-d "0, Town Clerk : ' o� , A D'at TOWd-*C9 '`_LRQRTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS DA= i -E. hOARD OF APPEALS +s••..,.� �., Ti me . - O's,;E�I;4OVER Not e : If is ap i cation must be typewritten APPLICATION F0001 MOTE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE Applicant John E. Carter/Raymond B: Agler Address 300 Chestnut St. o. . n over, Ma. 0184-5 1 . Application is hereby made N/A (a ) ro7' -&-vaT-ranr-e­-fi --------fia7ragT-aTh- ���- N/A (bti-ur--------i�,Tfa�-rTph---------of--the- -Petr-i-r�-g--B�Laaa� . ( c) As a party aggrieved , for review of a decision made by the Building Inspector or other authority . tower 2 . ( a) Premises affected are land X and -rtrii-d+rrgf-s7-� X numbered off 300 Chestnut St. Street , known as "Mills Hill" N�A (b) reit-i-yes-zrffe, ed-are- rt-o-pet -w-i I�-d~ro-�tage-e-n--1 -Se ---}--fit- ---}--west--(---�-�fi -St re e t;-a rrcF-icrrown-a-s -Pdro St-re et ( c) Premises affected are in Zoning District R-3 and the premises affected have an area of 3.75 acres -s7crar-e--fent and frontage of 125 feet . on Chestnut St. 3. Ownetship -(a) Jame and address of owner ( if joint ownership , give all names ) : John E. Carter. & Raymond B. Agler, 300 Chestnut St. , No. Andover, MA �I3�79 Herbert & Joan Hatem Date of purchase Previous- Owner. Joseph V. Mahoney (b) If applicant is not owner , check his interest in the premises : Prospective Purchaser Lesee Other (explain) 4. N�Tz�-6f-pY'Qporect-bu-i-}di-rrg : #tet; ( a ) Approximate date of erection : ( b) Occupancy or use of each floor : (c) Type of construction; 5 . Size of existing building : 10 feet front ; 12 feet deep ; Hei ght : 1 stories ; aPPrfeet . Tower height: 140 feet. (a) Approximate date of-erection : 1958 (b ) Occupancy or use of each floor : Utility building houses electronic equipment; standard electronic communication equipment is attached to the tower. (o) Type of construction : eel radio tower 6. Has there been a previous appeal , under zoning , on these premises ? Yes If so , when? January 4, 1958 (Variance granted at that time) , 7. Description of relief sought on this petition (a) A determination that the action taken by the Inspector of Buildings in his December 3, 1982 correspondence is incorrect -and (b) that the 1958 Variance permits the Applicant to use the existing 10' commun- ica ions tower an e ower site for cable television equipment. 8. Deed recorded i n ' the Registry of Deeds in Book 1366 Page 556 or Land"Co-urt Certificate No. N/A Book Page V i The principal points upon which I base my application are as follows : (Must be stated in detail ) The Applicant's proposed use of the existing 140 ft. communications tower is permitted under the terms of the January 4, 1958 decision of the Board of Appeals which granted an unconditional variance for the construction of said tower. The use of electronic communications equipment, on the tower and within the tower site is permitted under the terms of the Variance. Applicant seeks to safely use the property in the same manner and to the same extent as this Board allowed and approved for Benjamin Farnum in this Board's decision of July 23, 1982 Petition # 22-82) . Our ability to safely use our property under the terms of the 1958 Variance seems to be somewhat in ques- tion as a result. .of this Boardl.s ruling dated February 1., .1983 Petition # 5-83 on ;the petition of Rollins Cablevision of Mass. , Inc. I agre to pagy for advertising in newspaper and incidental expenses* Petitioner ' s Signature Sec. 1 APPLICA ION FORM E applicat ' n for action by the Board shall be made on a form approve a Board. Ifies-e_Jorms shall be furnished ' by the clerk- upon request . Any communication purporting to be an application shall be treated as. mere notice of intention to seek relief until such time as it is made on the official application form. All in- formation called for by the form .shall be furnished by the .applicant in the manner therein prescribed. Every application shall be submitted with a list of "Parties in Interest" which list shall include the petitioner, abutters , owners of -1 and -directly opposite --on any publ i-c or private street or- way , and abutters to the abutters within three hundred feet of the property , line-of--the peti_ti one-r as--they appear .on_ the most recent -ap-pl i cabl e. tax--list , notwithstanding that the land -of any such owner is located in another city or town , the Planning Board of the city or town, and the Planning Board of every abutting city or town . * Every application shall be submitted with an application charge cost in the amount of $25 .00 . In addition , the petitioner shall be respon- sible for any and all *costs involved in bringing the petition before the Board. Such costs -shall include mailing and publication , but are not necessarily limited to these . LIST OF PARTIES - IN INTEREST Name Address SEE ATTACHED SHffTT (Use additional sheets if necessary) LIST OF ABUTTERS v Address Name Dewi Realty Trust 130 Lisa Lane North Andover, MA 01845 Gilbert 0. Rea V11 4A 300 Chestnut Street Greenwood Associates North Andover, MA 01845 ter—R. Ryer, -�'3pStnllt r�� Maria Jean Woodford 386 Chestnut Street North Andover, MA 01845 Henry & Kathleen M. Hamel 374 Chestnut Street North Andover, MA 01845 Thomas D. & June E. Finocchiaro 364 Chestnut StreetNorth Andover, MA 01845 2 Blueberry Hill Lane L North Andover, MA 01845 21 Evergreen Drive North Andover, MA 01845 Paul V. Davis 108 Brookings Street Medford, MA 02155 Thomas G. & Margaret E. Bentley Bu l",le- 425 Chestnut Street _i Peter J. & Karen K. fie' North Andover, MA 02155 X yJiljiaD=iL�r 43 5 chestnut Street North--Andover,*DIA 01845 y,4 5Chestnut Street X 3ame�F c &_Beverry welly North Andover, MA 01845 94 Blueberry Hill Lane John &-Frances,-JTsuneuskY North Andover, MA 01845 X John T:._&-JohnnieLLT-Burnett 84 Blueberry Hill Lane Nom Andover, MA 01845- 74 Blueberry Hill Lane North Andover, MA 01845 Z/�/ � r