Rancourt v. City of Manchester
New Hampshire Supreme Court
816 A.2d 1011 (2003)
- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
In 2000, Joseph and Meredith Gately bought a three-acre lot, zoned R-1A for low-density residential housing, on which they planned to keep their two horses. The paddock area was to be in a particularly large part of the lot, buffered from the neighbors by thick woods. The lot was larger than many parcels zoned for livestock use. In 2001, the city of Manchester, New Hampshire (defendant) amended the zoning ordinance to prohibit horses and other livestock in zone R-1A. Consequently, when the Gatelys were ready to build a horse barn on their lot, the zoning board of adjustment (ZBA) denied them a permit for the structure. The Gatelys applied for a variance, which the ZBA granted after holding a public hearing on the matter. Bonnita Rancourt (plaintiff), who owned land that abutted the Gatelys’ lot, sued the city to revoke the variance. The trial court affirmed the ZBA’s action. Rancourt appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brock, C.J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
