Courts Should Not Defer to Zoning Board of Appeals’ Determination of a Purely Legal Question (the Meaning of a Town Code Provision)

The Third Department determined Supreme Court erred when it deferred to the zoning board of appeals’ (ZBA’s) interpretation of the town code (because the interpretation was a purely legal issue) and the ZBA erred in its interpretation of the code. The Third Department found that the word “dwelling” was encompassed by the word “building” and, therefore, the code provision at issue allowed the construction of 74 single family dwellings on petitioner’s (Boni’s) parcel:

Supreme Court erred in deferring to the ZBA’s interpretation of the zoning ordinance, and the ZBA erred in its interpretation of the Town Code as it pertains to the Boni parcel. Although courts generally grant deference to a zoning board of appeals regarding its determination, no deference is required if the issue is one of pure legal interpretation of the zoning law … . Because zoning ordinances are in derogation of common law, they must be strictly construed against the municipality that drafted them, and any ambiguity must be resolved in favor of property owners … . The Boni parcel is located in a B-1 zoning district, which has 18 listed permitted uses, including one- and two-family dwellings (see Town Code of the Town of Clifton Park § 208-32 [A] [14]). Pursuant to § 208-33 (B) of the Town Code, in a B-1 district, “[n]o preexisting building(s) shall be rehabilitated or remodeled or new building(s) constructed on a vacant lot to a size greater than 12% of the lot size, with no single building to have a maximum square footage exceeding 4,800 square feet. Multiple buildings on a lot are allowed as long as the overall density limitations of this article are not exceeded.”

Essentially, petitioners argue that the word “buildings” in the last sentence of § 208-33 (B) of the Town Code includes one-family dwellings, leading to the conclusion that the Town Code permits them to build multiple dwellings on the Boni parcel as long as they comply with the density limitations. * * *

We agree with respondents that respondent Town of Clifton Park probably never envisioned a landowner being able to build 74 one-family dwellings on a single, unsubdivided parcel in a business district. Nevertheless, the plain language of the Town Code, strictly construed against the municipality, must be interpreted as permitting multiple buildings — including one-family dwellings — on a single lot as long as they do not exceed the density limitations … . Matter of Boni Enters LLC v Zoning Bd of Appeals of the Town of Clifton Park, 2015 NY Slip Op 00428, 3rd Dept 1-15-15