Kasten Construction Co. v. State Roads Commission

Hornby, J., delivered the opinion of the Court. On the appeal in this condemnation proceeding, the only question requiring consideration is whether this Court may review the action of the lower court in excluding evidence bearing on the net value of building lots in a proposed subdivision of unimproved land. The State Roads Commission of Maryland (condemnor) condemned 5.14 acres (or 28 lots) of a 13.61 acre tract owned by the Kasten Construction Company (condemnee) that had been laid out in 58 lots which (because of the likelihood that a state highway would be constructed through the proposed subdivision) had not been rezoned from an agricultural use to a cottage residential use. At the hearing before a jury to determine the value of the land to be taken, one of the appraisers for the condemnor, using a before taking valuation of $4000 per acre and an after taking valuation of $2800 per acre, calculated the value of the land taken to be $26,800.

Another appraiser for the condemn- ⁴⁰ or, also using “per acre” valuations, arrived at $28,170 as the value of the condemned land. On the other hand, an officer of the corporate condemnee testified that the lots in the subdivision would be saleable at an average price of $3000 each upon completion of the development. But when he sought to evaluate, as of that time, the fair market value of the land both before and after the taking, by showing the cost of bringing sewer and water lines (and possibly roadways and other improvements) to the lots in order to establish the net value of the lots to the condemnee, an objection by the condemnor (on the ground that the testimony of a representative of the sanitary commission would be the best evidence) was sustained. The condemnee then made a proffer that the witness, besides testifying “as to the value of the condemned property and the value of the remaining property both before and after the taking,” would also explain how he