CONSOLIDATED WASTE SYSTEMS, L.L.C. v. METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY (Tenn.Ct.App. November 30, 2007).
The developer of a "construction and demolition" landfill appeals the denial of its application for a permit to construct the landfill. When the developer first applied for a permit in 1999 to develop the landfill, the Metropolitan Government denied the application based upon two zoning ordinances. In the lawsuit that ensued, the trial court found the ordinances unconstitutional.
In the appeal that followed, this Court affirmed the trial court and issued a stay of 150 days to afford the Metropolitan Government the opportunity to cure the constitutional infirmities. The Metropolitan Government timely amended one of the ordinances in 2003, but not the other ordinance, believing the amendment to that ordinance cured the constitutional infirmities identified in the first appeal.
Following the post-remand amendments to the ordinance, the developer renewed its request for a permit to construct the landfill. The Metropolitan Government again denied the permit, this time stating the landfill would violate Section 17.16.110(A)(2) of the Metro Code because the property was zoned in a district that permitted construction and demolition landfills with "conditions" and the proposed landfill did not meet the requisite conditions for two reasons. The landfill was within 100 feet of a property line for a residential area, and it was within 2000 feet of a park. Believing the Metropolitan Government had not cured the constitutional infirmities, the developer filed a motion to compel the Metropolitan Government to issue the twice-requested permit. After analyzing the two relevant ordinances and this court's opinion in the first appeal, the trial court concluded that the Metropolitan Government had cured all constitutional infirmities. It also concluded that the proposed landfill did not meet the requisite conditions for the reasons stated by the Metropolitan Government, and thus, affirmed the denial of the permit.
We have determined, as the trial court did, that the Metropolitan Government cured the constitutional infirmities and find no error with the determination that the plaintiff did not meet the requisite conditions for a construction and demolition landfill. Accordingly, we affirm.
Opinion may be found at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2007/consolidatedw_113007.pdf
"The trial court went on to conclude that the Metropolitan Government had corrected the constitutional infirmities in the buffer ordinance and, therefore, was in compliance with the declaratory judgment issued in this case and the mandate of this Court. Moreover, and significant to the second issue, is that the trial court found that '[n]o evidence has been presented that the ‘new’ buffer ordinance, which sets the current conditions that construction and demolition landfills must comply with, has any constitutional defects.' Finally, the trial court found Consolidated’s argument that the Metropolitan Government was out of compliance with its ruling in this case because it is still using the 'table ordinance,' to be without merit because, as the trial court determined, the table ordinance 'did not contain any constitutional defects.'" Id.
