19 GREENLAWN AVENUE - ZONING (Form A Decision
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FORM A - DECISION
Ms . Deborah Burkinshaw
City Clerk
Salem City Hall
93 Washington Street
Salem, MA 01970
RE; 19 GREENLAWN AVENUE (FORMERLY GLENN AVENUE)
Dear Ms . Burkinshaw:
At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem Planning Board
held on September 16, 1993, the Planning Board took the following
action with respect to an "Approval Under Subdivision Control Law
Not Required" plan submitted by Lauri A. Panneton for 19 Greenlawn
Avenue: a vote of two ( 2) in favor , six (6) opposed, to endorse the
plan.
The Board determined that in its opinion the plan requires
approval under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 41, the
Subdivision Control Law.
Sincerely,
Walter B. Power, III
Chairman
EX\DH\FORMADE.NY
,JUL 14 1994
Salem hail ing inapt.
r
Ctiu of �tt1em, Massarhusetts
One $ale- t (Suen
n
`n ^
N
'FORM A - DECISION
o�
Ms. Deborah Burkinshaw 'un N y * .
City Clerk
Salem City Ball
Salem, MA 01970
Dear Ms. Burkinshaw: ',
At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem Planning Board
held on July 7, 1994 it was voted to endorse "Approval Under
Subdivision Control Law Not Required" on the following described
plan:
1 . Applicant :
Lauri Panneton
2 . Location and Description:
19 Greenlawn Avenue (formerly Glenn Ave.)
Conveying three;:lots to one lot containing 26,446 s.f. with 150 feet of
frontage. Road shall be:extedded_20 feet and constructed and paved in
conformance with City specifications as directed by the Director of Public
Services and the Clerk of Works.
Deed or property records in Essex Soutn District Registry.
Sincerely,
Walter B. Power , III
Chairman
EX\DH\BPFORMA
)1JL-E1`-1 54 i� 55 REEFER 506'_+l_114c5 P.b_'
I
COMMONIYEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
II ESSEX, SS.
SUPERIOR COURT
�I CML ACTION NO. 93-2377B
I.
LAURI A. PANNETON,
i. Plaintiff
V.
I )
WALTER B. POWER, I11, ET AL, )
Defendants )
I
MOTION TO REMAND
— I
I
Now come the Parties it Lih;� above-mentioned matter and respectfully request
that this Honorable Court enter aD order rerriandinb This matter to the Defendant Salem I
Planning Board for fitrther cowide-ation and state as reasons to support same the
following:
I
1. The Parties 1n this ,, F t 'i'tr 1 �n agreement whereby the Salem j
I� Planning Boardsi r. *c�P ;
I s Pian _3 i.sue once the Plainriff has
revised same.
�I 2. The Parties anticipate that upon remand this matter will be settled
without further inv:a-� merit of this Court.
li Respectfully submitted, Respectfully submitted, i
iiLauri A. Panneton Defendants,
By her attorney,
j By their attorney,
I ' es A1. Fleming � l.�onriVd l F'et:lino '
I BBQ #542657 Assistanr City Soliciror
47 Bufftun Street BBO #162685
11 Salem, MA 01970 One School Sn,eet
(508) 744.8341 Beverly, MA 01915
I
(508) 921-1990
I
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CITY OF SALEM - MASSACHUSETTS
ROBERT A. LEDOUX Legal Department
City Solicitor LEONARD F FEMINO
508 7453369 93 Washington.Street Assisimt City Solicitor
Salem, Massachusetts 01970 506.921.1990
July 1, 1994
Ms. Ann McCarthy
Essex Superior Court
34 Federal Street
Salem, MA 01970
RE: Lauri A. Panneton
V. Walter B. Power, III, et al
Civil Action NO. 93-2377B
Dear Ms. McCarthy:
Enclosed herewith.please find an assented to motion for the Court to consider.
Would you kindly file and docket same and contact this office should you need further
information.
Thank you for the courtesies extended in this regard.
Very Vx
yours,
tit
onard F. Femino
Assistant City Solicitor
LFF/lmp
Enclosure
cc: William Luster, City Planner
James Fleming, Esq.
EUyq$ya r �1 = '
i
JUI p 5 199,
salami ro«14t�c �� pt.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
I )
WALTER B. POWER, III, ET AL, )
Defendants )
MOTION TO REMAND
Now come the Parties in the above-mentioned matter and respectfully request
that this Honorable Court enter an order remanding this matter to the Defendant Salem
Planning Board for further consideration and state as reasons to support same the
following:
1. The Parties in this matter have reached an agreement whereby the Salem
Planning Board intends to sign the plan at issue once the Plaintiff has
revised same.
2. The Parties anticipate that upon remand this matter will be settled
without further involvement of this Court.
Respectfully submitted, Respectfully submitted,
Lauri A. Panneton, Defendants,
By her attorney, By their attorney,
J es M. Fleming Von- d F. Femino
BBO #542657 Assistant City Solicitor
47 Buffum Street BBO #162685
Salem, MA 01970 One School Street
(508) 744-8341 Beverly, MA 01915
(508) 921-1990
�t TU11-14-1954 15: HLFE.LN 500-921415 , P.01
i
i
I AUXANLLH, FEMINO & LAURANZANO
' ATTORNEYS AT LAW
ONE SCHOOL 8TREET
LEONARD F. F'c MtIJO BEVER(Y, MASSACHUSETTS 01015
THOMAS J. ALEXANDER
MICHAE4 C. LAURAN2ANO 1F.LEPHON€ (508) 921-1990
FAX 1508) 921-4553
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DiSTRid.:TION, OR CO`"•Ti!C or 1 ;S fe = r_E !S `?TRI :TLYR:J:iIBi—ED. 1F YOU
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V IT Pi?S;'Ai; .. T.14.1NK YOU.
IUh7-14-1994 15:2-.E HLFELP, 5099214553 P.02
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Cs.TY OF SALEM • MASSACHUS':=
R09EW.4 LUDO�y tey8! Uepartrnent LEONARD F. FEWN0
City jpbe6" 9-� 'Wasni C,}rr n Street Pssistant City Solicitor
ns:asalt:i Saiem, Massachusetts 01970 ''
June 1, 1994
Mr. William Luster
Ciry Planner
City of Salem
One Salem Green
Salem, MA 01970
RE: Panneron
v. Salem Planning Board
Civil Action No. 93-2377
Dear Bill:
EnC.ii,sed nere*vltl: rl.-a;,. f-,? ths, Df:cl :un of Jtidge Brad,' regarding the above-
mentioned mirue.s. P., you :ita s:-c, the. Jung denied til_ I-laintL-f_. Motion for Surturnary
judgment. Plea-ze adrl t iiy% Board uccord"nb-t,y.
1 V.Ill rn. ;"Kf: n-.,vs r 'i-vai:3%" e IO yUU tilt: Plal2tin ; BOa Yl 10 dtSCUSS a
resolution to this imitter.
Very truly yours,
Leonard F. Femino
Assistant City Solicitor
LFF,ilmp
Enclosure
50892,453 F.03
COM240NWZALTH OF MASSACHUE ETTS
SUPERIOR COURT
ESSEX, as. CIVIL ACTION
NO: 93-2377
LAURI A. PANNETON,
Plaintiff
vs.
WALTER B. POW7R -1T?, I)FF4H%j jrz HI BERP , KC ISTArT.•INOS PRENTAKIs,
DAVID H, H"To- ALBERT C. RTLL, CHA :LES N. PUZ.ROr
LJVDA J. ,'AtPv'I'<, r;AI TEA L. V...Wgo , :8nd
JOHN C. NOUSTA_10, $s they are '.he members
of the Planning board of the
City of Salem,
Defendants
llEkiORANPUE4 G ? PZAINTII P'£€ �T'IDA
FOR jPMNr- �1BDCiYENT
This action 4EtC. b£f Cre :.his Court, Bras 'Ay, J. presiding, upon
the mot-_on of tate p3 a..;riti P I a Q!: ! Pajinet: n fn- sursmary judgment
pursuant to Mass. R. Civ. P. 56, thf. Partes 1-.avinq been heard,
this motion is 2NIED.
Pert er trady
Dated: May 5, 1494 —
Justice 7f the Superior Court
JUN-14-1994 15:26 r=;LrE-Lfi 509g2i4553 P.C14
COYMONV-'EALTH OF YASSACHUS-'TTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL NO. 93-2377$
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. PMv ER, 111, i'E RRA j. ) � /y�Q��y AR1N[i
ONSTAN :.!'l .r'^ Y'�'...`�Pi�:'�M1T- + k± C.t$ tK*1-affi�yA
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iAV l P M. F[yf5`I' ,, r us rah F+ss,T,. )
CHAPLF:? M P'17fXG IN"A t . VA+ GH=J)
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CARTER L. VIv`CJv, 3'ts -rolRd C.
MOUSTEAKIS, as thely are the
A members O` '1-lis Planning aoard of. ) �`
y ! the City of Salem, Massachusetts )
Defendants )
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O 61 ism PIT'IF 4-
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h. s'Fug?IET ''OTICNrt R
SLYK WY SIJDiEAENT
Now ---omes h— .inti?i, La>Ari A. Pan; Ston, pursuant to Rule
56 of the i'.ii.-s of C .Yi-i Pro( edur-�, and moves this
Fionorable- C-o'L:L'fi for fa;iiry _ nlgts:S e.nt. in t! =3 abT:e-clptioned
mattar 3 ain t th!-- Defen6ants as they �:y st itUt �! the members of
the Plan ing Board of the r, •: o� Salem.
l
AS her --easo '_.=ael"EfC 2 , ` l e ?iaiiit i ff, T,auri A. PartnetCn,
¢ d tdt� that : ;1 � General L_ `.:r's Chlptel- til. , Section
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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. ) NOTICE OF HEARM
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKI-S, ') SrP=iWC=R*9AR(b)M7L60MWMbWQ
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, ) ondosift moft 69L
Salem.MAa AOLIP3.
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN) CK4.044 &'PN k1
CARTER L. VINSON, and JOHN C. ) ALTRRNATMZ DAM WUL VIO?)!EGRANTM
MOUSTSAKIS, as they are the
a members of the Planning Board of )
y0. the City of Salem, Massachusetts )
tn` Defendants )
Cl
vPLAINTIFF LAURI A. PANNETON'S MOTION FOR
SUMMARY JUDGEMENT
Now comes the Plaintiff, Lauri A. Panneton, pursuant to Rule
56 of the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure, and moves this
Honorable Court for Summary Judgement in the above-captioned
matter against the Defendants as they constitute the members of
the Planning Board of the City of Salem.
As her reason therefor, the Plaintiff, Lauri A. Panneton,
States that: (1) Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 41, Section
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
SUPERIOR COURT
ESSEX, ss. CIVIL ACTION
NO: 93-2377 T
LAURI A. PANNETON,
Plaintiff
vs.
FALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. HILBERT, RONSTANTINOS PRENTARIS,
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, CHARLES M. PULED,
LINDA J. VAUGHN, CARTER L. VINSON, and
JOHN C. MOUSTARIS, as they are the members
of the Planning Board of the
City of Salem,
Defendants
MEMORANDUM ON PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
This action came before the Court, Brady, J. presiding, upon
-the motion of the plaintiff Lauri A. Panneton for summary judgment
pursuant to Mass. R. Civ. P. 56, the parties having been heard,
this motion is DENIED.
Poter brady
Justice of the Superior Court
Dated: May 5, 1994
y
�@
CITY OF SALEM - MASSACHUSETTS
ROBERT A. LEDOUX Legal Department LEONARD E FEMINO
City solicitor 93 Washington Street Assistant City Solicitor
508-74&M Salem, Massachusetts 01970 W&921-19W
June 1, 1994
Mr. William Luster
City Planner
City of Salem
One Salem Green
Salem, MA 01970
RE: Panneton
v. Salem Planning Board
Civil Action No. 93-2377
Dear Bill:
Enclosed herewith please find the Decision of Judge Brady regarding the above-
mentioned matter. As you can see, the Judge denied the Plaintiffs Motion for Summary
Judgment. Please advise the Board accordingly.
I will make myself available to you and the Planning Board to discuss a
resolution to this matter.
Very truly yours,
Leonard F. Fe
Assistant City Solicitor
LFF/Imp
Enclosure
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
DEFENDANTS' MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Plaintiff, Lauri A. Panneton (hereinafter "Petitioner"), filed a Form A
Application (hereinafter "plan") with the Defendant Salem Planning Board (hereinafter
the "Board") pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P. Petitioner seeks to combine
three lots (hereinafter the "Lot") and build a single-family dwelling on same. The lot
abuts Glenn Avenue in Salem, Massachusetts. On or about September 21, 1993 the
Board voted against endorsing Petitioner's plan and it determined that the plan requires
approval under the subdivision control law. Petitioner filed her appeal pursuant to
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81BB and subsequently filed her Motion for Summary Judgm nt.
The Board files this Opposition to Petitioner's Motion and two Affidavits in
Opposition; one by the Salem Building Inspector and the other by the Chairman of the
Board. The Board seeks Summary Judgment in its favor pursuant to M.R.C.P. 56(c).
ISSUE
Whether the Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in
requiring Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
i
ARGUMENT
The Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in requiring
Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P states, in part, the following:
Any person wishing to cause to be recorded a plan of land situated in a
city or town in which the subdivision control law is in effect, who believes
that his plan does not require approval under the subdivision control law,
may submit his plan to the planning board of such city or town in the
manner prescribed in section eighty-one T, and, if the board finds that the
plan does not require such approval, it shall forthwith, without a public
hearing, endorse thereon or cause to be endorsed thereon by a person
authorized by it the words "approval under the subdivision control law not
required" or words of similar import with appropriate name or names
signed thereto, and such endorsement shall be conclusive on all persons.
Such endorsement shall not be withheld unless such plan shows a
subdivision.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81I„ subparagraph 12 defines subdivision and
includes in same a definition of what is not considered a subdivision. It states that a
division of a tract of land into two or more lots shall not be deemed a subdivision if, at
the time it was made, every lot had frontage on one of three types of ways.
Consequently, if the Petitioner submitted a plan with frontage on a way as defined in
Section 81L, subparagraph 12, the plan would not have shown a subdivision and the
2
i
' t
endorsement would have been made by the Board. The Board was compelled to vote
against endorsing the plan because the plan did not have adequate frontage on the way.
The law supports the Board's decision.
Massachusetts case law clearly states that each lot on an ANR plan must have
adequate frontage on a way. In Gifford v. Planning Board of Nantucket 376 Mass.
801, 807 (1978) the Supreme Judicial Court stated that:
Where our statute relieves certain divisions of land of regulation and
approval by a planning board ("approval . . . not required"), it is because
the vital access is reasonably guaranteed in another manner. The
guaranty is expressed in Sections 81L and 81P of the statute in terms of a
requirement of sufficient frontage for each lot on a public way. In the
ordinary case, lots having such frontage are fully accessible . . .
Conversely, where the lots shown on a plan borrowed on a road "not in
any practical sense . . . in existence as a way", and thus incapable of
affording suitable access to the lots we insisted that the relevant plan was
a subdivision under the then current law.
The holding in Gifford has been subsequently reaffirmed and expanded in
Hrenchuk v. Planning Board of Walvole 8 Mass. App. Ct. 949 (1979), McCarthy v.
Planning Board of Edgartown, 381 Mass. 86 (1980), Gallitano v. Board of Survey and
Planning. of Waltham, 10 Mass. App: Ct. 209 (1980), Fox v. Planning Board of Milton
24 Mass. App. Ct. 572 (1987), Corcoran v. Planning Board of Sudbury, 26 Mass. App.
Ct. 1000 (1988) and Poulos v. PlannjpZ Board of Braintree 413 Mass. 359 (1992).
Each case stands for the proposition that a planning board may vote against endorsing
an ANR Plan if vital access is not guaranteed.
Petitioner's plan shows that on paper it abuts Glenn Avenue 150 feet. Petition
acknowledges in her Memorandum that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on
the ground and that the remaining frontage is on paper only. The Board examined
3
i
Glenn Avenue and confirmed that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on the
ground. (See Affidavit of Walter Power, III.)
The Petitioner's lot as shown on her plan is located in an R-1 zone as it is
defined in the Salem Zoning Ordinance. The Salem Zoning Ordinance requires that the
minimum lot width for Petitioner's lot is 100 feet. The minimum lot width is the same
as requiring minimum lot frontage of 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines
lot width as follows:
The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the rear of the front
yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the
absence of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel
with the center line of the traveled way. (emphasis added) (See Affidavit
of Leo F. Tremblay.)
As stated above, the Board visited the site to confirm that the traveled way
measured only 80 feet and not the 100 feet as required in Article VI Section 6-1(b)(4).
Consequently, the board was compelled to deny the plan in compliance with the case
law set forth above.
Furthermore, the Board cannot endorse the plan because "on paper' the
Petitioner's lot has 150 feet of frontage. The recent decision of the Appeals Court in
Shea v. Board of Appeals of Lexington, 35 Mass. App. Ct. 519 91993) supports the
Board's action. In Shea, the Court stated that a planning board acts properly in denyin
an 81P endorsement for reasons related to inadequate access. The Court stated:
Not only for the good of the homeowner, but also for the safety of the
public, a town can insist that homes not be built on lots lacking adequate
access for fire trucks and emergency vehicles. Even if the plaintiffs
argument is accepted and Rockville Avenue is in legal contemplation `a
way shown on a plan previously approved and endorsed in accordance
4
I
with the subdivision control law, . . . the section on which the plaintiffs
lot fronts does not exist in fact. A fire truck cannot drive on a plan. A
zoning by-law which requires frontage on a way shown on an approved
plan must be understood, if the purpose of the by-law is not to be
undermined, to require an actual way, constructed on the ground, not just
a depiction of a way on a plan. p. 523.
Like the Board in Shea this Board must deny endorsing Petitioner's plan for the
good of the Petitioner and the safety of the public. The Petitioner's lot abuts a way 80
feet and not the 100 feet as is required in an R-1 zoning district in the City of Salem.
CONCLUSION
The reasons set forth above support the position that the Board acted properly
in denying to endorse the Petitioner's plan. The Board argues that pursuant to M.R.C.P.
56(c) that Summary Judgment must enter for the Board in this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
Defendants,
By their attorney,
I
onardF. Femino
Assistant City Solicitor
BBO #162685
One School Street
Beverly, MA 01915
(508) 921-1990
5
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAMS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
I, Walter Power, III, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board.
2. I was the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board at all times relevant to this
matter.
3. Lauri A. Panneton had filed a Form A Application for Endorsement of Plan
Believed Not to Require Approval with the Salem Planning Board.
4. The Salem Planning Board reviewed the plan and made a site visit of Glenn
Avenue and voted against endorsing said plan.
5. The Salem Planning Board voted against endorsing said plan because the lot
abutted the traveled way eighty feet and not one hundred feet as is required.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
Walter Power, III
2
Jl
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFFS MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
i
I, Leo F. Tremblay, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am employed as the Director of Public Property for the City of Salem.
2. As Director of Public Property, I am the chief zoning enforcement officer for the
City of Salem Code of Ordinances.
I
3. As Director of Public Property, I am also required to advise the Board of Appeals
on zoning matters before it.
4. Greenlawn Avenue and Glenn Avenue in the City of Salem are located in zone
R-1.
5. Lots in an R-1 zone must have a minimum frontage on a street of 100 feet.
Table 1 entitled Residential Density Regulations states that the minimum lot
width in an R-1 zone is 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines lot
width as follows: The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the
rear of the front yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the absence
of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel with the
center line of the traveled way. A copy of these zoning regulations are attached
hereto.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
�a
Leo E. Tremblay
i
2
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, Leonard F. Femino, hereby certify under the pains and penalties of perjury
that on this 16th day of February, 1994, I served an original and a copy of the within
Defendants' Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiffs Motion For Summary Judgment
and two Affidavits by mailing, postage prepaid, to plaintiffs attorney, James M.
Fleming, Esquire, 47 Buffum Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.
I
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onard F. Femino
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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAMS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
DEFENDANTS' MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Plaintiff, Lauri A. Panneton (hereinafter "Petitioner"), filed a Form A
Application (hereinafter "plan") with the Defendant Salem Planning Board (hereinafter
the "Board") pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P. Petitioner seeks to combine
three lots (hereinafter the "Lot") and build a single-family dwelling on same. The lot
abuts Glenn Avenue in Salem, Massachusetts. On or about September 21, 1993 the
Board voted against endorsing Petitioner's plan and it determined that the plan requires
approval under the subdivision control law. Petitioner filed her appeal pursuant to
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81BB and subsequently filed her Motion for Summary Judgm nt.
The Board files this Opposition to Petitioner's Motion and two Affidavits in
Opposition; one by the Salem Building Inspector and the other by the Chairman of the
Board. The Board seeks Summary Judgment in its favor pursuant to M.R.C.P. 56(c).
ISSUE
Whether the Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in
requiring Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
ARGUMENT
The Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in requiring
Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P states, in part, the following:
Any person wishing to cause to be recorded a plan of land situated in a
city or town in which the subdivision control law is in effect, who believes
that his plan does not require approval under the subdivision control law,
may submit his plan to the planning board of such city or town in the
manner prescribed in section eighty-one T, and, if the board finds that the
plan does not require such approval, it shall forthwith, without a public
hearing, endorse thereon or cause to be endorsed thereon by a person
authorized by it the words "approval under the subdivision control law not
required" or words of similar import with appropriate name or names
signed thereto, and such endorsement shall be conclusive on all persons.
Such endorsement shall not be withheld unless such plan shows a
subdivision.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 814, subparagraph 12 defines subdivision and
includes in same a definition of what is not considered a subdivision. It states that a
division of a tract of land into two or more lots shall not be deemed a subdivision if, at
the time it was made, every lot had frontage on one of three types of ways.
Consequently, if the Petitioner submitted a plan with frontage on a way as defined in
Section 81L, subparagraph 12, the plan would not have shown a subdivision and the
2
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endorsement would have been made by the Board. The Board was compelled to vote
against endorsing the plan because the plan did not have adequate frontage on the way.I
The law supports the Board's decision.
Massachusetts case law clearly states that each lot on an ANR plan must have
adequate frontage on a way. In Gifford v. Planning Board of Nantucket, 376 Mass.
801, 807 (1978) the Supreme Judicial Court stated that:
Where our statute relieves certain divisions of land of regulation and
approval by a planning board ("approval . . . not required"), it is because
the vital access is reasonably guaranteed in another manner. The
guaranty is expressed in Sections 81L and 81P of the statute in terms of a
requirement of sufficient frontage for each lot on a public way. In the
ordinary case, lots having such frontage are fully accessible . . .
Conversely, where the lots shown on a plan borrowed on a road "not in
any practical sense . . . in existence as a way", and thus incapable of
affording suitable access to the lots we insisted that the relevant plan was
a subdivision under the then current law.
The holding in Gifford has been subsequently reaffirmed and expanded mi
Hrenchuk v. Planning Board of Walpole 8 Mass. App. Ct. 949 (1979), McCarthy v.
Planning Board of Edgartown 381 Mass. 86 (1980), Gallitano v. Board of Survey and
Planning of Waltham. 10 Mass. App. Ct. 209 (1980), Fox v. Planning Board of Milton
24 Mass. App. Ct. 572 (1987), Corcoran v. Planning Board of Sudbury 26 Mass. App.
Ct. 1000 (1988) and Poulos v. PlapDWg, Board of Braintree 413 Mass. 359 (1992).
Each case stands for the proposition that a planning board may vote against endorsing
an ANR Plan if vital access is not guaranteed.
Petitioner's plan shows that on paper it abuts Glenn Avenue 150 feet. Petition
acknowledges in her Memorandum that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on
the ground and that the remaining frontage is on paper only. The Board examined
3
Glenn Avenue and confirmed that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on the
ground. (See Affidavit of Walter Power, III.)
The Petitioner's lot as shown on her plan is located in an R-1 zone as it is
defined in the Salem Zoning Ordinance. The Salem Zoning Ordinance requires that the
minimum lot width for Petitioner's lot is 100 feet. The minimum lot width is the same
as requiring minimum lot frontage of 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines
lot width as follows:
The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the rear of the front
yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the
absence of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel
with the center line of the traveled way. (emphasis added) (See Affidavit
of Leo F. Tremblay.)
As stated above, the Board visited the site to confirm that the traveled way
measured only 80 feet and not the 100 feet as required in Article VI Section 6-1(b)(4).
Consequently, the board was compelled to deny the plan in compliance with the case
law set forth above.
Furthermore, the Board cannot endorse the plan because "on paper" the
Petitioner's lot has 150 feet of frontage. The recent decision of the Appeals Court in
Shea v. Board of Appeals of Lexington. 35 Mass. App. Ct. 519 91993) supports the
Board's action. In Shea, the Court stated that a planning board acts properly in denyin
an 81P endorsement for reasons related to inadequate access. The Court stated:
Not only for the good of the homeowner, but also for the safety of the
public, a town can insist that homes not be built on lots lacking adequate
access for fire trucks and emergency vehicles. Even if the plaintiffs
argument is accepted and Rockville Avenue is in legal contemplation `a
way shown on a plan previously approved and endorsed in accordance
4
with the subdivision control law. . . . the section on which the plaintiffs
lot fronts does not exist in fact. A fire truck cannot drive on a plan. A
zoning by-law which requires frontage on a way shown on an approved I
plan must be understood, if the purpose of the by-law is not to be
undermined, to require an actual way, constructed on the ground, not just
a depiction of a way on a plan. p. 523.
Like the Board in Shea, this Board must deny endorsing Petitioner's plan for the
good of the Petitioner and the safety of the public. The Petitioner's lot abuts a way 80
feet and not the 100 feet as is required in an R-1 zoning district in the City of Salem.
CONCLUSION
The reasons set forth above support the position that the Board acted properly
in denying to endorse the Petitioner's plan. The Board argues that pursuant to M.R.C.P.
56(c) that Summary Judgment must enter for the Board in this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
Defendants,
By their attorney,
I ,
eonard F
. Feminoo
Assistant City Solicitor
BBO #162685
One School Street
Beverly, MA 01915
(508) 921-1990
5
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULEO, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
'i
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
I, Walter Power, III, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board.
2. I was the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board at all times relevant to this
matter.
3. Lauri A. Panneton had filed a Form A Application for Endorsement of Plan
Believed Not to Require Approval with the Salem Planning Board.
4. The Salem Planning Board reviewed the plan and made a site visit of Glenn
Avenue and voted against endorsing said plan.
-
5. The Salem Planning Board voted against endorsing said plan because the lot
abutted the traveled way eighty feet and not one hundred feet as is required.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
• � j
Walter Power, III
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rt
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
I
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
i
I, Leo F. Tremblay, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am employed as the Director of Public Property for the City of Salem.
2. As Director of Public Property; 'I am the chief zoning enforcement officer for the
City of Salem Code of Ordinances.
3. As Director of Public Property, I am also required to advise the Board of Appeals
on zoning matters before it.
4. Greenlawn Avenue and Glenn Avenue in the City of Salem are located in zone
R-1.
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5. Lots in an R-1 zone must have a minimum frontage on a street of 100 feet.
Table 1 entitled Residential Density Regulations states that the minimum lot
width in an R-1 zone is 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines lot
width as follows: The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the
rear of the front yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the absence
of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel with the
center line of the traveled way. A copy of these zoning regulations are attached
hereto.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
Leo E. Tremblay
2
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, Leonard F. Femino, hereby certify under the pains and penalties of perjury
that on this 16th day of February, 1994, I served an original and a copy of the within
Defendants' Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiffs Motion For Summary Judgment
and two Affidavits by mailing, postage prepaid, to plaintiffs attorney, James M.
Fleming, Esquire, 47 Buffum Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.
onard F. Femino
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a
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
DEFENDANTS' MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Plaintiff, Lauri A. Panneton (hereinafter "Petitioner"), filed a Form A
Application (hereinafter "plan") with the Defendant Salem Planning Board (hereinafter
the "Board") pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P. Petitioner seeks to combine
three lots (hereinafter the "Lot") and build a single-family dwelling on same. The lot
abuts Glenn Avenue in Salem, Massachusetts. On or about September 21, 1993 the
Board voted against endorsing Petitioner's plan and it determined that the plan requires
approval under the subdivision control law. Petitioner filed her appeal pursuant to
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81BB and subsequently filed her Motion for Summary Judgm nt.
The Board files this Opposition to Petitioner's Motion and two Affidavits in
Opposition; one by the Salem Building Inspector and the other by the Chairman of the
Board. The Board seeks Summary Judgment in its favor pursuant to M.R.C.P. 56(c).
ISSUE
Whether the Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in
requiring Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
ARGUMENT
The Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in requiring
Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P states, in part, the following:
Any person wishing to cause to be recorded a plan of land situated in a
city or town in which the subdivision control law is in effect, who believes
that his plan does not require approval under the subdivision control law,
may submit his plan to the planning board of such city or town in the
manner prescribed in section eighty-one T, and, if the board finds that the
plan does not require such approval, it shall forthwith, without a public
hearing, endorse thereon or cause to be endorsed thereon by a person
authorized by it the words "approval under the subdivision control law not
required" or words of similar import with appropriate name or names
signed thereto, and such endorsement shall be conclusive on all persons.
Such endorsement shall not be withheld unless such plan shows a
subdivision.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 814, subparagraph 12 defines subdivision and
includes in same a definition of what is not considered a subdivision. It states that a
division of a tract of land into two or more lots shall not be deemed a subdivision if, at
the time it was made, every lot had frontage on one of three types of ways.
Consequently, if the Petitioner submitted a plan with frontage on a way as defined in
Section 81L, subparagraph 12, the plan would not have shown a subdivision and the
2
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endorsement would have been made by the Board. The Board was compelled to vote
against endorsing the plan because the plan did not have adequate frontage on the way.l
The law supports the Board's decision.
Massachusetts case law clearly states that each lot on an ANR plan must have
adequate frontage on a way. In Gifford v. Planning Board of Nantucket 376 Mass.
801, 807 (1978) the Supreme Judicial Court stated that:
Where our statute relieves certain divisions of land of regulation and
approval by a planning board ("approval . . . not required"), it is because
the vital access is reasonably guaranteed in another manner. The
guaranty is expressed in Sections 81L and 81P of the statute in terms of a
requirement of sufficient frontage for each lot on a public way. In the
ordinary case, lots having such frontage are fully accessible . . .
Conversely, where the lots shown on a plan borrowed on a road "not in
any practical sense . . . in existence as a way", and thus incapable of
affording suitable access to the lots we insisted that the relevant plan was
a subdivision under the then current law.
The holding in Gifford has been subsequently reaffirmed and expanded in
Hrenchuk v. Planning Board of Walpole 8 Mass. App. Ct. 949 (1979), McCarthy v.
Planning Board of Edgartown. 381 Mass. 86 (1980), Gallitano v. Board of Survey and
Planning of Waltham. 10 Mass. App. Ct. 209 (1980), Fox v. Planning Board of Milton. !
24 Mass. App. Ct. 572 (1987), Corcoran v. Planning Board of Sudbury 26 Mass. App.
Ct. 1000 (1988) and Poulos v. Planning Board of Braintree. 413 Mass. 359 (1992).
Each case stands for the proposition that a planning board may vote against endorsing
an ANR Plan if vital access is not guaranteed.
Petitioner's plan shows that on paper it abuts Glenn Avenue 150 feet. Petition
acknowledges in her Memorandum that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on
the ground and that the remaining frontage is on paper only. The Board examined
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Glenn Avenue and confirmed that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on the
ground. (See Affidavit of Walter Power, III.)
The Petitioner's lot as shown on her plan is located in an R-1 zone as it is
defined in the Salem Zoning Ordinance. The Salem Zoning Ordinance requires that the
minimum lot width for Petitioner's lot is 100 feet. The minimum lot width is the same
as requiring minimum lot frontage of 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines
lot width as follows:
The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the rear of the front
yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
2_plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the
absence of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel
with the center line of the traveled way. (emphasis added) (See Affidavit
of Leo F. Tremblay.)
As stated above, the Board visited the site to confirm that the traveled way
measured only 80 feet and not the 100 feet as required in Article VI Section 6-1(b)(4).
Consequently, the board was compelled to deny the plan in compliance with the case
law set forth above.
Furthermore, the Board cannot endorse the plan because "on paper" the
• Petitioner's lot has 150 feet of frontage. The recent decision of the Appeals Court in
Shea v. Board of Appeals of Lexington, 35 Mass. App. Ct. 519 91993) supports the
Board's action. In Shea, the Court stated that a planning board acts properly in denying
an 81P endorsement for reasons related to inadequate access. The Court stated:
Not only for the good of the homeowner, but also for the safety of the
public, a town can insist that homes not be built on lots lacking adequate
access for fire trucks and emergency vehicles. Even if the plaintiffs
argument is accepted and Rockville Avenue is in legal contemplation `a
way shown on a plan previously approved and endorsed in accordance
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with the subdivision control law, . . . the section on which the
. _ plaintiffs
lot fronts does not exist m fact. A fire truck cannot drive on a plan. A
zoning by-law which requires frontage on a way shown on an approved
plan must be understood, if the purpose of the by-law is not to be
undermined, to require an actual way, constructed on the ground, not just
a depiction of a way on a plan. p. 523.
Like the Board in Shea, this Board must deny endorsing Petitioner's plan for the
good of the Petitioner and the safety of the public. The Petitioner's lot abuts a way 80
feet and not the 100 feet as is required in an R-1 zoning district in the City of Salem.
CONCLUSION
The reasons set forth above support the position that the Board acted properly
in denying to endorse the Petitioner's plan. The Board argues that pursuant to M.R.C.P.
56(c) that Summary Judgment must enter for the Board in this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
Defendants,
By their attorney,
onard F. Femino
Assistant City Solicitor
BBO #162685
One School Street
Beverly, MA 01915
(508) 921-1990
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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CML ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
I, Walter Power, III, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board.
2. I was the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board at all times relevant to this
matter.
3. Lauri A. Panneton had filed a Form A Application for Endorsement of Plan
Believed Not to Require Approval with the Salem Planning Board.
4. The Salem Planning Board reviewed the plan and made a site visit of Glenn
Avenue and voted against endorsing said plan.
y
5. The Salem Planning Board voted against endorsing said plan because the lot
abutted the traveled way eighty feet and not one hundred feet as is required.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
Walter Power, III
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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
i
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
i
I, Leo F. Tremblay, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am employed as the Director of Public Property for the City of Salem.
2. As Director of Public Property, I am the chief zoning enforcement officer for the
City of Salem Code of Ordinances.
3. As Director of Public Property, I am also required to advise the Board of Appeals
on zoning matters before it.
4. Greenlawn Avenue and Glenn Avenue in the City of Salem are located in zone
R-1.
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5. Lots in an R-1 zone must have a minimum frontage on a street of 100 feet.
Table 1 entitled Residential Density Regulations states that the minimum lot
width in an R-1 zone is 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines lot
width as follows: The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the
rear of the front yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the absence
of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel with the
center line of the traveled way. A copy of these zoning regulations are attached
hereto.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
Leo E. Tremblay
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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I, Leonard F. Femino, hereby certify under the pains and penalties of perjury
that on this 16th day of February, 1994, I served an original and a copy of the within
Defendants' Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiffs Motion For Summary Judgment
and two Affidavits by mailing, postage prepaid, to plaintiffs attorney, James M.
Fleming, Esquire, 47 Buffum Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.
� O
onard F. Femino
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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
DEFENDANTS' MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Plaintiff, Lauri A. Panneton (hereinafter "Petitioner"), filed a Form A
Application (hereinafter "plan") with the Defendant Salem Planning Board (hereinafter
the "Board") pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P. Petitioner seeks to combine
three lots (hereinafter the "Lot") and build a single-family dwelling on same. The lot
abuts Glenn Avenue in Salem, Massachusetts. On or about September 21, 1993 the
Board voted against endorsing Petitioner's plan and it determined that the plan requires
approval under the subdivision control law. Petitioner filed her appeal pursuant to
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81BB and subsequently filed her Motion for Summary Judgm nt.
The Board files this Opposition to Petitioner's Motion and two Affidavits in
Opposition; one by the Salem Building Inspector and the other by the Chairman of the
Board. The Board seeks Summary Judgment in its favor pursuant to M.R.C.P. 56(c).
ISSUE
Whether the Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in
requiring Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
ARGUMENT
The Board correctly voted against endorsing the plan and is correct in requiring
Petitioner to petition for approval under the subdivision control law.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 81P states, in part, the following:
Any person wishing to cause to be recorded a plan of land situated in a
city or town in which the subdivision control law is in effect, who believes
that his plan does not require approval under the subdivision control law,
may submit his plan to the planning board of such city or town in the
manner prescribed in section eighty-one T, and, if the board finds that the
plan does not require such approval, it shall forthwith, without a public
hearing, endorse thereon or cause to be endorsed thereon by a person
authorized by it the words "approval under the subdivision control law not
required" or words of similar import with appropriate name or names
signed thereto, and such endorsement shall be conclusive on all persons.
Such endorsement shall not be withheld unless such plan shows a
subdivision.
M.G.L. Chapter 41, Section 814, subparagraph 12 defines subdivision and
includes in same a definition of what is not considered a subdivision. It states that a
division of a tract of land into two or more lots shall not be deemed a subdivision if, at
the time it was made, every lot had frontage on one of three types of ways.
Consequently, if the Petitioner submitted a plan with frontage on a way as defined in
Section 81L, subparagraph 12, the plan would not have shown a subdivision and the
2
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endorsement would have been made by the Board. The Board was compelled to vote
against endorsing the plan because the plan did not have adequate frontage on the way.
The law supports the Board's decision.
Massachusetts case law clearly states that each lot on an ANR plan must have
adequate frontage on a way. In Gifford v. Planning Board of Nantucket 376 Mass.
801, 807 (1978) the Supreme Judicial Court stated that:
Where our statute relieves certain divisions of land of regulation and
approval by a planning board ("approval . . . not required"), it is because
the vital access is reasonably guaranteed in another manner. The
guaranty is expressed in Sections 81L and 81P of the statute in terms of a
requirement of sufficient frontage for each lot on a public way. In the
ordinary case, lots having such frontage are fully accessible . . .
Conversely, where the lots shown on a plan borrowed on a road "not in
any practical sense . . . in existence as a way', and thus incapable of
affording suitable access to the lots we insisted that the relevant plan was
a subdivision under the then current law.
The holding in Gifford has been subsequently reaffirmed and expanded in
Hrenchuk v. Planning Board of Walpole. 8 Mass. App. Ct. 949 (1979), McCarthy v.
Planning Board of Edgartown. 381 Mass. 86 (1980), Gallitano v. Board of Survey and
Planning of Waltham. 10 Mass. App. Ct. 209 (1980), Fox v. Planning Board of Milton
• I 24 Mass. App. Ct. 572 (1987), Corcoran v. Planning Board of Sudbury 26 Mass. App.
Ct. 1000 (1988) and Poulos v. PlannipZ Board of Braintree. 413 Mass. 359 (1992).
Each case stands for the proposition that a planning board may vote against endorsing
an ANR Plan if vital access is not guaranteed.
Petitioner's plan shows that on paper it abuts Glenn Avenue 150 feet. Petition
acknowledges in her Memorandum that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on
the ground and that the remaining frontage is on paper only. The Board examined
3
Glenn Avenue and confirmed that only 80 feet of Glenn Avenue actually exists on the
ground. (See Affidavit of Walter Power, III.)
The Petitioner's lot as shown on her plan is located in an R-1 zone as it is
defined in the Salem Zoning Ordinance. The Salem Zoning Ordinance requires that the
minimum lot width for Petitioner's lot is 100 feet. The muumum lot width is the same
as requiring minimum lot frontage of 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines
lot width as follows:
The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the rear of the front
yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the
absence of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel
with the center line of the traveled way. (emphasis added) (See Affidavit
of Leo F. Tremblay.)
As stated above, the Board visited the site to confirm that the traveled way
measured only 80 feet and not the 100 feet as required in Article VI Section 6-1(b)(4).
Consequently, the board was compelled to deny the plan in compliance with the case
law set forth above.
Furthermore, the Board cannot endorse the plan because "on paper" the
• Petitioner's lot has 150 feet of frontage. The recent decision of the Appeals Court in
Shea v. Board of Appeals of Lexington, 35 Mass. App. Ct. 519 91993) supports the
Board's action. In Shea, the Court stated that a planning board acts properly in denyin
an 81P endorsement for reasons related to inadequate access. The Court stated:
Not only for the good of the homeowner, but also for the safety of the
public, a town can insist that homes not be built on lots lacking adequate
access for fire trucks and emergency vehicles. Even if the plaintiffs
argument is accepted and Rockville Avenue is in legal contemplation `a
way shown on a plan previously approved and endorsed in accordance
4
with the subdivision control law. . . . the section on which the plaintiffs
lot fronts does not exist in fact. A fire truck cannot drive on a plan. A
zoning by-law which requires frontage on a way shown on an approved
plan must be understood, if the purpose of the by-law is not to be
undermined, to require an actual way, constructed on the ground, not just
a depiction of a way on a plan. p. 523.
Like the Board in Shea this Board must deny endorsing Petitioner's plan for the
good of the Petitioner and the safety of the public. The Petitioner's lot abuts a way 80
feet and not the 100 feet as is required in an R-1 zoning district in the City of Salem.
CONCLUSION
I
The reasons set forth above support the position that the Board acted properly
in denying to endorse the Petitioner's plan. The Board argues that pursuant to M.R.C.P.
56(c) that Summary Judgment must enter for the Board in this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
Defendants,
By their attorney,
I
eonard F. Femino
Assistant City Solicitor
BBO #162685
One School Street
Beverly, MA 01915
(508) 921-1990
5
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CML ACTION NO. 93-2377B
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULEO, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
I, Walter Power, III, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board.
2. I was the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board at all times relevant to this
matter.
3. Lauri A. Panneton had filed a Form A Application for Endorsement of Plan
Believed Not to Require Approval with the Salem Planning Board.
4. The Salem Planning Board reviewed the plan and made a site visit of Glenn
Avenue and voted against endorsing said plan.
5. The Salem Planning Board voted against endorsing said plan because the lot
abutted the traveled way eighty feet and not one hundred feet as is required.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th -day of February, 1994.
Walter Power, III
2
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
ESSEX, SS. SUPERIOR COURT
CIVIL ACTION NO. 93-2377B
i
LAURI A. PANNETON, )
Plaintiff )
V. )
WALTER B. POWER, III, DEBRA J. )
HILBERT, KONSTANTINOS PRENTAKIS, )
DAVID M. HART, ALBERT C. HILL, )
CHARLES M. PULED, LINDA J. VAUGHN, )
CARTER L. VINSON AND JOHN C. )
MOUSTAKIS, as they are the members )
of the Planning Board of the City )
of Salem, )
Defendants )
AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
i
i
I, Leo F. Tremblay, do depose and say as follows:
1. I am employed as the Director of Public Property for the City of Salem.
2. As Director of Public Property, I am the chief zoning enforcement officer for the
City of Salem Code of Ordinances.
3. As Director of Public Property, I am also required to advise the Board of Appeals
on zoning matters before it.
4. Greenlawn Avenue and Glenn Avenue in the City of Salem are located in zone
R-1.
5. Lots in an R-1 zone must have a *minimum frontage on a street of 100 feet.
i
Table 1 entitled Residential Density Regulations states that the minimum lot
width in an R-1 zone is 100 feet. Article VI Section 6-1 (b) (4) defines lot
width as follows: The minimum lot width required shall be measured at the
rear of the front yard depth and on a line parallel to the right-of-way line where
a plan of the right-of-way is on file with the Registry of Deeds or, in the absence
of such a plan, from a line twenty-five (25) feet from and parallel with the
center line of the traveled way. A copy of these zoning regulations are attached
hereto.
Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this 15th day of February, 1994.
�a
Leo E. Tremblay
2
.I �
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I
I, Leonard F. Femino, hereby certify under the pains and penalties of perjury
I
that on this 16th day of February, 1994, I served an original and a copy of the within
Defendants' Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiffs Motion For Summary Judgment
and two Affidavits by mailing, postage prepaid, to plaintiffs attorney, James M.
Fleming, Esquire, 47 Buffum Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.
tk� O
onard F. Femino
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THE EXISTING BITUMINOUS PA�TEMENT IS TO
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BERM ALONG THE NORTHERLY EDGE.
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S06•10'15.,W ,APPROVAL UNDER THE SUBDIVESION
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THE INTENT OF THIS PLAN IS TO COMBINE LOTS 144, 145, & 146 SHOWN
1 ON PLAN 45 OF PLAN BOOK 41 INTO ONE PARCEL OF LAND HAVING AN SUBDIVISION PLAN 0 F LAND
I I AREA OF 26,446 SQUARE FEET. OF
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE PROPERTY LINES SHOWN ARE THE LINES
GREENLAWN AVE .
DIVIDING EXISTING OWNERSHIPS AND THE LINES OF STREETS AND WAYS IN
RESERVED FOR REGISTRY USE ONLY SHOWN ARE THOSE OF PUBLIC OR PRIVATE STREETS AND WAYS ALREADY
ESTABLISHED AND NO NEW LINES FOR THE DIVISION OF EXISTING
OWNERSHIPS OR FOR NEW WAYS ARE SHOWN.
SALEM , MA *
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PLAN HAS BEEN PREPARED IN CONFORMITY PREPARED BY: P.J.F. AND ASSOCIATES
WITH THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE REGISTERS OF DEEDS OF THE 11 GLEASON STREET
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. MEDFORD, MA. 02155
(617) 395-7662
PAM
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REVREV.. JUNE JULY 1,24, 1994 1994
PLAN REFERENCE: � , �a „ ,. �;
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PLAN BOOK 41 PLAN 45 PAUL J. FINOCCHIO P.L.S. No.36115 DATE
FIELD PLOT DESIGN DRAFT CALC. CHECK
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AREA OF 26,446 SQUARE FEET. OF
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I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE PROPERTY LINES SHOWN ARE THE LINES GREENLAWN AVE .
DIVIDING EXISTING OWNERSHIPS AND THE LINES OF STREETS AND WAYS IN
RESERVED FOR REGISTRY USE ONLY SHOWN ARE THOSE OF PUBLIC OR PRIVATE STREETS AND WAYS ALREADY
ESTABLISHED AND NO NEW LINES FOR THE DIVISION OF EXISTING MA
OWNERSHIPS OR FOR NEW WAYS ARE SHOWN. SALEM , 0
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PLAN HAS BEEN PREPARED IN CONFORMITY PREPARED BY: P.J.F. AND ASSOCIATES
WITH THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE REGISTERS OF DEEDS OF THE 11 GLEASON STREET
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. MEDFORD, MA. 02155
(617) 395-7662
P�tx ,D 0' 10' 20' 30' 40'
RNOMM10
�� REV. JULY 1, 1994 SCALE: 1" =20'
PLAN REFERENCE: �d ` REV. JUNE 24, 1994
PLAN BOOK 41 PLAN 45 DATE: JULY 27, 1993 FILE No. 3050
PAUL J. FINOCCHIO P.L.S. No.36115 DATE
FIELD PLOT DESIGN DRAFT CALL. CHECK
[— JD/PF JD JD JD PF