Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Page '/ ot 10 <br /> <br />the public welfare, and their enactment inflicted no irreparable injury upon the landowner. Id., <br />at 395-397, 47 S.Ct., at 121. <br />[5] [6] In this case, the zoning ordinances substantially advance legitimate governmental <br />goals. The State of California has determined that the development of local open-space plans <br />will discourage the "premature and unnecessary conversion of open-space land to urban <br />uses." CaLGovt.Code Ann. ~ 65561 (b) (West Supp.1979). [FN7] The specific zoning <br />regulations at issue are exercises of the city's police power to protect the residents of Tiburon <br />from the ill effects of urbanization. [FN8] Such governmental purposes long have been <br />recognized as legitimate. See Penn Central Transp. Co. v. New York City, supra, 438 U.S., at <br />129,98 S.Ct., at 2662; *262 Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas, 416 U.S. 1,9,94 S.Ct. 1536, <br />1541,39 L.Ed.2d 797 (1974); Euclid v. Ambler Co., supra, 272 U.S., at 394-395,47 S.Ct., at <br />120-121. <br /> <br />FN7. The State also recognizes that the preservation of open space is necessary "for the <br />assurance of the continued availability of land for the production of food and fiber, for the <br />enjoyment of scenic beauty, for recreation and for the use of natural resources." <br />Cal.Govt.Code Ann. ~ 65561 (a) (West Supp.1979); see Tiburon, CaL, Ordinance No. 124 N.S. <br />~~ 1 (f) and (h). <br /> <br />FN8. The City Council of Tiburon found that "[i]t is in the public interest to avoid unnecessary <br />conversion of open space land to strictly urban uses, thereby protecting against the resultant <br />adverse impacts, such as air, noise and water pollution, traffic congestion, destruction of <br />scenic beauty, disturbance of the ecology and environment, hazards related to geology, fire <br />and flood, and other demonstrated consequences of urban sprawL" Id., ~ 1 (c). <br /> <br />The ordinances place appellants' land in a zone limited to single-family dwellings, accessory <br />buildings, and open-space uses. Construction is not permitted until the builder submits a plan <br />compatible with "adjoining patterns of development and open space." Tiburon, CaL, Ordinance <br />No. 123 N.S. ~ 2(F). In passing upon a plan, the city also will consider how well the proposed <br />development would preserve the surrounding environment and whether the density of new <br />construction will be offset by adjoining open spaces. Ibid. The zoning ordinances benefit the <br />appellants as well as the public by serving the city's interest in assuring careful and orderly <br />development of residential property with provision for open-space areas. There is no indication <br />that the appellants' 5-acre tract is the only property affected by the ordinances. Appellants <br />therefore will share with other owners the benefits and burdens of the city's exercise of its <br />police power. In assessing the fairness of the zoning ordinances, these benefits must be <br />considered along with any diminution in market value that the appellants might suffer. <br />[7] Although the ordinances limit development, they neither prevent the best use of appellants' <br />land, see United States v. Causby, 328 U.S. 256, 262, and n. 7, 66 S.Ct. 1062, 1066, 90 L.Ed. <br />1206 (1946), nor extinguish a fundamental attribute of ownership, see Kaiser Aetna v. United <br />States, supra, at 179-180, 100 S.Ct., at 393. The appellants have alleged that they wish to <br />develop the land for residential purposes, that the land is the most expensive suburban <br />property in the State, and that the best possible use of the land is residential. App. 3-4. The <br />California Supreme Court has decided, as a matter of state law, that appellants may be <br />permitted to build as many as five houses on their five acres of prime residential property. At <br />this juncture, the appellants are free to pursue their reasonable investment expectations by <br />submitting a development plan to local officials. Thus, it cannot be said that the impact of <br /> <br />9/26/2005 <br />