Perkins v. Henry
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Cite as 2010 Ark. App. 126
ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS
DIVISION III
No. CA09-800
BRADLEY PERKINS and JUDY
PERKINS
APPELLANTS
Opinion Delivered
February 11, 2010
V.
APPEAL FROM THE LONOKE
COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT
[NO. CV-08-559]
WARREN O. HENRY
HONORABLE PHILLIP THOMAS
WHITEAKER, JUDGE
APPELLEE
REVERSED AND REMANDED
JOSEPHINE LINKER HART, Judge
Bradley and Judy Perkins appeal from an order of the Lonoke County Circuit Court
declaring certain restrictions on their real estate valid and enforceable and, in accordance with
those restrictions, mandating the removal of three oak trees and a metal storage shed from their
property. On appeal, they argue that the trial court erred in finding that there was a “general
plan of development” and that the metal storage shed violated the restrictions. We reverse and
remand.
We first note our standard of review. Although we try cases that traditionally sounded
in equity de novo on the record, we do not reverse a finding of fact by the trial judge unless
it is clearly erroneous. McGuire v. Bell, 297 Ark. 282, 761 S.W.2d 904 (1988).
The restrictions at issue in this case were appended to the deed that the Perkinses
received from Henry when they purchased the lot that their home now stands on. That deed
Cite as 2010 Ark. App. 126
was recorded on November 18, 2005. There is a notation on the front of their deed that
specifically references these restrictions. The document that contains these restrictions is
captioned
“ATTACHMENT
TO
THE
WARRANTY
DEED
LAND
USE
RESTRICTIONS.” It contains twelve numbered paragraphs. The scope of the restrictions
is quite broad. For example, they proscribe subdivision of the residential lot, keeping of farm
animals, outdoor burning, erection of overhead utility lines, and operation of a “commercial
business.” The same instrument grants the right to use the private runway that adjoins the
property. This appeal, however, only concerns two provisions contained within paragraph 2.
These provisions state: “No trees shall be planted or allowed to grow within seventy-five feet
of the aircraft runway,” and “All out buildings, unattached garages and other structures shall
be constructed of material that is either brick or painted.”
On July 31, 2008, Warren O. Henry filed a petition seeking a mandatory injunction that
would compel the Perkinses to not only remove the previously mentioned oak trees and metal
storage building, but also install a culvert to abate a standing-water problem and remove an
electrical box servicing the Perkinses’ property that encroached on Henry’s land. The Perkinses
prevailed on the culvert issue and the trial court declined to rule on the electrical box issue,1
so only the portion of the order dealing with the oak trees and the metal storage shed is
challenged on appeal.
The Perkinses do not dispute that three oak trees on their property are located within
We nonetheless have jurisdiction because Rule 2(a)(6) permits the appeal of an
interlocutory order when injunctive relief is at issue.
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Cite as 2010 Ark. App. 126
seventy-five feet of the runway. Likewise, it was also not disputed that the metal storage shed
that the Perkinses placed on their property is “painted.” However, while this latter fact would
likely be dispositive of the Perkinses’ second point, we do not reach it because we hold that
the restrictions are unenforceable.
It is not always essential that there be a bill of assurance filed with the plat of a
subdivision; the restricted use may be annexed to the conveyances of the land. Harbour v.
Northwest Land Co., Inc., 284 Ark. 286, 681 S.W.2d 384 (1984). However, for restrictions to
be enforceable, there must be a “general plan of development.” Id. The test for a general plan
of development is whether substantially common restrictions apply to lots that are of “like
character” or are “similarly situated.” Id. We agree with the Perkinses that no general plan of
development exists.
At the hearing, Henry testified that his plan for development of the approximately sixtyfive acres that he owned since 1969, surrounding a private airstrip that he built in the 1980s,
was “maybe an airpark.” He stated that he had “laid out” residential lots “years ago,” but that
a change in health-department rules concerning septic systems made the size of these lots
inadequate. Nonetheless, he said he intended to continue selling residential lots.
Henry admitted that after he sold the lot to the Perkinses, he conveyed another piece
of property—his first residence—to Charles R. and Gloria J. Barnett, and that he did not put
any restrictions in the deed. That deed was recorded on June 6, 2006. Although this property
is, like the Perkinses’ lot, adjacent to the runway, it contains no restrictions in their deed.
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Cite as 2010 Ark. App. 126
Henry, however, insisted that there were restrictions on that property, albeit different from the
restrictions in the Perkinses’ deed. Henry testified that the corner of his old shop was on the
edge of the runway, and if that building was destroyed, the Barnetts would not be able to
replace it in that location. He noted as well that the Barnetts were not allowed access to the
private runway and that they were allowed to operate a commercial business.2
Henry further testified that his current residence was for sale, but that he had not yet
restricted it. He, however, insisted that he intended to restrict it when he sold it. He conceded
that his property contained trees that were allowed to grow within seventy-five feet of the
runway. Additionally, he conceded that the hangar that he owned did not conform to the
specifications stated in the Perkinses’ restrictions, but suggested that he could “change” the
restrictions.
We agree with the Perkinses that Henry failed to prove that there was a general plan of
development. Henry’s plan for the property was, by his own testimony, indefinite. Further,
of the three residential lots about which evidence was presented, only one—the
Perkinses’—had restrictions that were appended to the existing deed. Additionally, Henry
admitted that the Barnetts’ and his own residential lot violated the restrictions that he sought
to impose on the Perkinses. We believe that the case at bar is analogous to Harbour, supra,
where the supreme court held that where there are “many inconsistencies” in the restrictions
At the hearing, Henry testified that he had also sold a lot to Darrell and Rhonda
Reynolds. However, no copy of their deed was admitted into evidence and there was no
testimony regarding what restrictions, if any, were imposed on their property.
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Cite as 2010 Ark. App. 126
in various deeds, a general plan of development cannot be found. Likewise, we hold that given
the presence of written restrictions in only one of the three deeds of similarly situated
properties, in addition to the significant differences in the type of structures and activities that
are allowed on the these lots, a general plan of development does not exist, and consequently,
the trial court erred in finding that the restrictions were enforceable.
Reversed and remanded.
KINARD and HENRY, JJ., agree.
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