P. Kesarkar v. Birmingham Twp. ~ Appeal of: P. Kesarkar ( 2021 )


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  •          IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
    Pratap Kesarkar, Elizabeth Kesarkar,     :
    Lucille Brown, John Brown, Mark          :
    Dulik, Mary Dulik, Jean B. Russell,      :
    David Russell, Caldon Driscoll,          :
    Bernadette Driscoll, Christina R.        :
    Condelles, James Condelles, Lian Hu, :
    Chi Li, Zhen Ye, Jia Liu, Jeffrey Smith, :
    Kathryn Smith, Gabriel Tribuiani,        :
    Douglas P. Marshall, Catherine R.        :
    Marshall, Mary Werner Denadai, Sherry :
    Kerstetter, Lincoln Kerstetter, John R. :
    Simpson, Donna H. Simpson, Gary          :
    Wardius, Joyce Wardius, Kyle W. Brun, :
    Julie R. Brun, George C. Murphy, Anita :
    L. Murphy, Shun Ying, Jenny Ying,        :
    Jakob Speksnijder, Yookyin               :
    Speksnijder, Thalia Speksnijder, Martin :
    Leff, Andrea Leff, Alexander Leff,       :
    Daniel Saxman, Kim Saxman, Elizabeth :
    Hiver McKnight, Brent S. McKnight, :
    Jason Kaplan, Stephanie Kaplan, Tao :
    Zhao, Yi Fang, Maureen Capuzzi Tibbs, :
    and Franklin Tibbs                       :
    :
    v.                                :   No. 428 C.D. 2020
    :
    Birmingham Township and Constantine :
    Anastasiadis and Eleni Anastasiadis      :
    Appeal of: Pratap Kesarkar, Elizabeth    :
    Kesarkar, Lucille Brown and John         :
    Brown                                    :
    Pratap Kesarkar, Elizabeth Kesarkar,     :
    Lucille Brown, John Brown, Mark          :
    Dulik, Mary Dulik, Jean B. Russell,      :
    David Russell, Caldon Driscoll,          :
    Bernadette Driscoll, Christina R.        :
    Condelles, James Condelles, Lian Hu,     :
    Chi Li, Zhen Ye, Jia Liu, Jeffrey Smith, :
    Kathryn Smith, Gabriel Tribuiani,        :
    Douglas P. Marshall, Catherine R.        :
    Marshall, Mary Werner Denadai, Sherry :
    Kerstetter, Lincoln Kerstetter, John R. :
    Simpson, Donna H. Simpson, Gary          :
    Wardius, Joyce Wardius, Kyle W. Brun, :
    Julie R. Brun, George C. Murphy, Anita :
    L. Murphy, Shun Ying, Jenny Ying,        :
    Jakob Speksnijder, Yookyin               :
    Speksnijder, Thalia Speksnijder, Martin :
    Leff, Andrea Leff, Alexander Leff,       :
    Daniel Saxman, Kim Saxman, Elizabeth :
    Hiver McKnight, Brent S. McKnight, :
    Jason Kaplan, Stephanie Kaplan, Tao :
    Zhao, Yi Fang, Maureen Capuzzi Tibbs, :
    and Franklin Tibbs                       :
    :
    v.                                :   No. 642 C.D. 2020
    :
    Birmingham Township and Constantine :
    Anastasiadis                             :
    :
    Appeal of: Pratap Kesarkar and           :
    Elizabeth Kesarkar                       :   SUBMITTED: March 15, 2021
    BEFORE:     HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge
    HONORABLE ELLEN CEISLER, Judge
    HONORABLE BONNIE BRIGANCE LEADBETTER, Senior Judge
    OPINION NOT REPORTED
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    BY JUDGE CEISLER                                        FILED: April 6, 2021
    In these consolidated appeals, Appellants Pratap and Elizabeth Kesarkar
    (Kesarkars) challenge two orders issued by the Court of Common Pleas of Chester
    County (Common Pleas). The first, issued on March 6, 2020, granted Constantine
    and Eleni Anastasiadis’ (Anastasiadises) motion to dismiss a number of land use
    appeals pertaining to a property they own, located at 1360 Old Wilmington Pike in
    West Chester, Pennsylvania (Property). The second, issued on May 28, 2020,
    granted the Anastasiadises’ petition to require the Kesarkars, John Brown, and
    Lucille Brown to post a bond in the amount of $500,000 to pursue an appeal before
    our Court regarding Common Pleas’ March 6, 2020 order.1 The Anastasiadises have
    also filed an application for relief with our Court, through which they request that
    we quash the Kesarkars’ appeals due to their failure to post this bond with Common
    Pleas. After thorough consideration, we affirm Common Pleas’ March 6, 2020 order
    and dismiss as moot both the Kesarkars’ challenge to Common Pleas’ May 28, 2020
    order and the Anastasiadises’ related application for relief.
    I. Facts and Procedural History
    On July 10, 2018, the Anastasiadises submitted a preliminary/final minor
    subdivision plan application (Subdivision Plan) to Birmingham Township, through
    which they sought the Township’s permission to subdivide the Property into three
    lots, each of which would be zoned for single-family residential development.
    Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 60a-67a. Under the Township’s Subdivision and Land
    Development Ordinance (SALDO),2 the Anastasiadises had to “send a written notice
    [detailing the particulars of the Subdivision Plan] to the last known address of all
    property owners within a five-hundred-foot radius of the [P]roperty.” SALDO § 103-
    8(D). This notice needed to be provided via both first-class and certified mail at least
    two weeks before the Township’s Planning Commission was scheduled to consider
    1
    Despite the multitude of individuals, including the Browns, listed along with the
    Kesarkars in the consolidated caption of these appeals, only the Kesarkars remain as appellants in
    these matters. See Notice of No Interest in the Outcome of Appeal Pursuant to Pa. R.A.P. 908 at
    2-4.
    2
    Birmingham Township SALDO, Chester County, Pa., as amended (1979), available at
    https://ecode360.com/9022967 (last accessed April 5, 2021).
    2
    the Subdivision Plan. Id. Without proof of the Anastasiadises’ compliance with this
    notice requirement, the Township’s Planning Commission could not consider the
    Subdivision Plan. Id.
    On August 27, 2018, the Anastasiadises sent notice via certified mail to the
    owners of 57 nearby properties, including the Kesarkars. See id. at 78a-87a. The
    Kesarkars reside at 1370 Old Wilmington Pike, which has been classified by the
    Township under its Zoning Code3 as a Class II Historical Resource. Id. at 582a.4 The
    United States Postal Service unsuccessfully attempted to deliver the certified mailing
    to the Kesarkars, subsequently marked it as unclaimed, and then returned it to the
    Anastasiadises in late September 2018. Id. at 597a-98a. There is no evidence
    establishing that the Anastasiadises ever sent notice to the Kesarkars via first-class
    mail.
    Meanwhile, the Subdivision Plan continued through the governmental review
    process. The Planning Commission considered the Plan at public meetings held on
    September 11, 2018, and October 9, 2018, voting during the course of the second
    meeting to recommend that the Township’s Board of Supervisors approve the
    Subdivision Plan. Id. at 94a-95a, 244a-46a. The Board agreed with the Planning
    Commission’s recommendation and unanimously approved the Subdivision Plan on
    November 5, 2018. Id. at 268a.
    3
    Birmingham Township Zoning Code, Chester County, Pa., as amended (1978), available
    at https://ecode360.com/9023978 (last accessed April 5, 2021).
    4
    Per the Township’s Zoning Code, a “Class II Historical Resource” is defined in relevant
    part as follows: “Buildings, outbuildings, sites, structures, roadways, objects and districts not
    meeting National Register criteria, but determined to be of historical significance to [the]
    Township and thus listed and included on the [Township’s] Cultural Resources Map and
    corresponding Cultural Resources Map Inventory which were adopted as part of the [Township’s]
    Comprehensive Plan.” Zoning Code § 122-6.
    3
    It was not until the following year that the Kesarkars discovered that this had
    occurred and took action. On March 21, 2019, Pratap Kesarkar emailed the
    Township’s zoning officer regarding fencing that was being constructed by the
    Anastasiadises along the property line they shared with the Kesarkars. Id. at 455a,
    660a-61a. Mr. Kesarkar then met with the zoning officer that same day and learned,
    for the first time, that the Subdivision Plan existed, had been submitted to the
    Township, and had been approved. Id. at 660a-61a. On March 26, 2019, Mr.
    Kesarkar attended a public meeting held by the Township’s Historical Commission,
    during the course of which he informed the Historical Commission that the
    Anastasiadises had neither given him timely or adequate notice, nor adhered to the
    historic preservation requirements contained in the Township’s Zoning Code. Id. at
    299a.5 On April 1, 2019, Mr. Kesarkar appeared at the Board’s public meeting and
    5
    Section 122-36.8 of the Zoning Code, which Mr. Kesarkar specifically referenced at this
    meeting, sets forth the following historic preservation-related requirements:
    Historic resource impact study.
    A. Applicability. An historic resource impact study
    (“HRIS”) shall be submitted to the Township, unless waived
    or modified by the Board . . . , in the following situations:
    (1) As part of a preliminary plan submission for any
    subdivision or land development application which
    proposes new construction of buildings, structures,
    roads, driveways, parking areas, or other land
    disturbance within 500 feet of the property line of a
    property upon which is situated a Class I, Class II or
    Class III historic resource.
    (2) As part of a preliminary plan submission for any
    subdivision or land development application which
    proposes adaptive reuse or demolition, alteration or
    modification of a Class I, Class II or Class III historic
    resource.
    B. Contents. The HRIS shall be prepared by a qualified
    professional in historic preservation, historical architecture,
    4
    planning, or related disciplines and shall contain the
    following information, unless waived or modified by the
    Board . . . :
    (1) Background information.
    (a) If not otherwise provided by the applicant,
    a general description of the site subject to the
    application,       including        topography,
    watercourses,      vegetation,     landscaping,
    existing drives, etc.
    (b) General description and classification of
    all historic resources located within 500 feet
    of any proposed land development or land
    disturbance.
    (c) Physical description of all historic
    resources.
    (d) Narrative description of the historical
    significance of each historic resource,
    relative to both the Township and to the
    region in general.
    (e) Sufficient number of black and white or
    color eight-inch-by-ten-inch photographs to
    show each historic resource in its setting.
    (2) Assessment of potential impacts to historic
    resources.
    (a) Description of potential impact(s) to each
    historic resource with regard to architectural
    integrity, historic setting, and future use.
    (3) Mitigation measures.
    (a) Suggested approaches to mitigate
    potentially negative impacts to Historic
    Resources, including design alternatives,
    buffering, landscaping, conservation of
    existing vegetation, and any other
    appropriate measures permitted under the
    terms of this chapter and other Township
    ordinances.
    5
    expressed the same concerns he had raised at the Historical Commission’s meeting
    six days prior. Id. at 303a-04a.
    The Board then directed the Anastasiadises to submit an HRIS and a
    landscaping plan to the Historical Commission, in order to remedy the Historical
    Commission’s previous failure to consider how the Subdivision Plan would affect
    the Kesarkars’ property. Id. at 304a. The Anastasiadises complied with this directive
    by presenting an HRIS and a landscaping plan at the Historical Commission’s April
    23, 2019 meeting. Id. at 306a-08a. The Historical Commission reviewed these
    materials and voted to recommend that the Board approve the landscaping plan,
    contingent upon a handful of modifications proposed by the Historical Commission.
    Id. at 308a-11a.
    On May 6, 2019, the Board convened a public meeting, at which it considered
    both the HRIS and the landscaping plan. Id. at 315a-17a. It does not appear from the
    meeting minutes that the Board voted upon the HRIS; however, during the course of
    this meeting, the Township’s solicitor stated that the HRIS was “not approved.” Id.
    at 317a. As for the landscaping plan, the Board voted to approve it, contingent upon
    the Anastasiadises submitting an amended landscaping plan that incorporated the
    Historical Commission’s proposed modifications, as well as a number of revisions
    C. The HRIS will be reviewed by the Historical
    Commission. Prior to the issuance of preliminary plan
    approval for a subdivision or land development, the
    Historical Commission shall set forth its evaluation and
    recommendations concerning the impact of the proposed
    development or subdivision upon the historic resource in a
    written report to the Board . . . . The Board . . . shall consider
    such report in its decision approving or denying the land
    development or subdivision.
    Zoning Code § 122-36.8.
    6
    called for by the Township’s engineer and the Board itself. Id. This decision was
    memorialized in a letter sent by the Township’s solicitor on May 9, 2019. Kesarkars’
    Br., App. B.
    Mr. Kesarkar then appealed the Board’s May 6, 2019 decision pro se to
    Common Pleas on June 6, 2019. R.R. at 327a-29a. This was followed on June 10,
    2019, by a substantially similar appeal, in which the Kesarkars and six other
    individuals were named as pro se appellants. Id. at 351a-54a. Two more appeals
    were filed on June 24, 2019, and July 3, 2019, which primarily served to enlarge the
    number of appellants to 50 pro se individuals, including the Kesarkars. Id. at 1a-2a;
    Trial Ct. Op., 8/28/20, at 2 n.4. Over the course of the ensuing months, the
    Anastasiadises intervened in those appeals, while the appellants unsuccessfully
    sought to compel the Township to supplement the record certified to Common Pleas
    with additional documents and to disqualify the Anastasiadises’ attorney. R.R. at 2a-
    4a, 367a-523a, 525a-621a, 710a; Kesarkars’ Br., Apps. C, D.
    On October 29, 2019, the Anastasiadises filed a motion with Common Pleas,
    through which they sought dismissal of those appeals (Motion to Dismiss). Therein,
    the Anastasiadises offered two reasons why Common Pleas should grant their
    Motion to Dismiss. First, the appeals were untimely, as the appeal window for
    challenging the Board’s approval of the Subdivision Plan had closed on December
    5, 2018, i.e., 30 days after this approval had been issued. R.R. at 626a-29a. Second,
    per Chester County Rule of Civil Procedure 5002(f), the appellants had been
    required to submit a brief in support of their appeals within 31 days of filing their
    notices of appeal. Id. at 629a. The appellants had failed to comply with this
    requirement and, as such, Chester County Local Rule of Civil Procedure 5002(g)
    enabled the Anastasiadises to move for dismissal of the appeals. Id. at 629a-30a.
    7
    Common Pleas subsequently heard oral argument regarding the Motion to
    Dismiss on January 3, 2020, and then granted it on March 6, 2020. Kesarkars’ Br.,
    Apps. E, F. In a lengthy footnote included in its March 6, 2020 order, Common Pleas
    explained its reasoning in detail. With regard to the Kesarkars, Common Pleas
    agreed with the Anastasiadises that the time period for challenging the Board’s
    approval of the Subdivision Plan had ended on December 5, 2018, and that the
    Kesarkars’ appeals were nothing more than untimely and/or collateral attacks upon
    the Board’s decision. Trial Ct. Order, 3/6/20, at 4-5 n.5. Furthermore, Common Pleas
    concluded that dismissal of Mr. Kesarkar’s appeal was also warranted under Chester
    County Local Rule of Civil Procedure 5002(g), due to his failure to file the required
    appellate brief. Id. at 5-6 n.5. Notably, neither the Kesarkars nor any of the other
    appellants ever filed a brief with Common Pleas in support of their appeals, despite
    the requirements set forth in the Chester County Local Rules of Civil Procedure and
    the roughly four months that elapsed between filing the Motion to Dismiss and the
    Common Pleas’ ruling thereon. On April 6, 2020, the Browns and Kesarkars
    appealed Common Pleas’ ruling in a pro se manner to our Court.6
    On May 5, 2020, the Anastasiadises filed a petition with Common Pleas
    (Bond Petition), through which they requested that Common Pleas schedule a
    hearing thereon, in order to determine whether the Browns and Kesarkars should
    post a bond as a condition for pursuing their appeal of Common Pleas’ March 6,
    2020 order. R.R. at 688a-97a. Instead of scheduling a hearing, however, Common
    Pleas granted the Bond Petition on May 28, 2020, thereby ordering the Browns and
    Kesarkars to post a bond in the amount of $500,000 within 30 days. Kesarkars’ Br.,
    6
    While the caption for this notice of appeal, which was filed under docket number 428
    C.D. 2020, lists 50 individual appellants, only the Browns and Kesarkars signed the notice. See
    Notice of Appeal, 4/6/20, at 7.
    8
    App. G. The Browns and Kesarkars then appealed this ruling to our Court pro se on
    June 26, 2020. Thereafter, the Anastasiadises submitted an application for relief to
    our Court on July 16, 2020, through which they sought quashal of the Browns’ and
    Kesarkars’ appeal of Common Pleas’ March 6, 2020 order, due to their failure to
    post this bond. Application for Relief at 2-5.7
    II. Discussion
    The Kesarkars raise a number of arguments8 for our consideration in their
    appellate brief.9 However, we need only address one issue in order to effectively
    dispose of their appeals: did Common Pleas improperly grant the Anastasiadises’
    Motion to Dismiss due to their failure to file a brief?10
    We granted the Kesarkars’ request to consolidate these appeals on August 6, 2020.
    7
    Commonwealth Ct. Order, 8/6/20, at 2-3.
    8
    “Our standard of review, where [a court of common pleas] takes no additional evidence,
    is limited to determining whether constitutional rights were violated, [whether] an error of law was
    committed[,] or whether necessary findings of fact were supported by substantial evidence of
    record.” SSEN, Inc. v. Borough Council of Borough of Eddystone, 
    810 A.2d 200
    , 208 n.11 (Pa.
    Cmwlth. 2002).
    9
    To briefly summarize, the Kesarkars argue: 1. the lack of proper, SALDO-compliant
    notice regarding the Subdivision Plan relieved them of the responsibility to appeal to Common
    Pleas within 30 days of the Board’s approval; 2. they did not have to appeal within 30 days of
    receiving actual notice of that approval, because the Board directed the Anastasiadises in April
    2019 to submit an HRIS and landscaping plan to the Historical Commission, so that it could
    conduct legally required review steps that had been neglected during the first go-around; 3. Both
    of them timely appealed to Common Pleas, as the appeal window pertaining to the Board’s May
    6, 2019 decision did not begin to run until May 9, 2019, when the Township’s solicitor formalized
    that decision via letter; 4. Common Pleas’ dismissal of their appeals pursuant to the Chester County
    Rules of Civil Procedure due to their failure to file a brief violated the Pennsylvania Rules of
    Judicial Administration; and 5. Common Pleas erred by granting the Bond Petition because the
    Kesarkars’ appeals were not frivolous and because Common Pleas did so without first holding the
    statutorily mandated hearing thereon. Kesarkars’ Br. at 25-46.
    10
    Common Pleas did not specifically express that dismissal of Ms. Kesarkar’s appeal was
    warranted by her failure to file a timely brief; however, Common Pleas did state in relevant part
    9
    There is no dispute that both the Anastasiadises and Common Pleas followed
    the procedural requirements set forth in the Chester County Local Rules of Civil
    Procedure regarding dismissal of the Kesarkars’ appeals. Broadly, Chester County
    Local Rule of Civil Procedure 5002 governs “Zoning and Local Agency Appeals.”
    C.C. R.C.P. 5002. Of particular importance to this matter are two subsections of that
    rule, 5002(f) and 5002(g). The former states:
    Within thirty-one (31) days of the filing of the returned
    record, the appellant shall file a supporting [b]rief and a
    [p]raecipe for [d]etermination. Appellee and any
    intervenors shall have thirty (30) days from the receipt of
    the appellant’s [b]rief to file a reply [b]rief. The assigned
    [j]udge, in [their] discretion, may extend the time for filing
    of [b]riefs.
    Id., 5002(f). Should the appellant fail to file their brief in a timely manner, the latter
    sets forth a roadmap for dismissing their appeal:
    If the appellant fails to file [their b]rief within the time
    prescribed by these rules, or within the time as extended,
    the appellee or intervenor may move for dismissal of the
    matter. Such motion shall be served in accordance with
    these rules upon the appellant, who may file and [a]nswer
    thereto, and the motion shall be thereafter determined by
    the Court as it deems just and proper. If an appellee or
    intervenor fails to file [their] brief within the time
    prescribed by these rules, or within the time as extended,
    the Court may consider such appellee or intervenor to have
    abandoned [their] position, and will proceed to dispose of
    the appeal on the merits.
    Id., 5002(g). Here, the Kesarkars never filed a brief with Common Pleas in support
    of their appeals, prompting the Anastasiadises to move for dismissal on October 29,
    that “[a]ll Plaintiffs/Appellants were required to file their supporting [b]rief and [p]raecipe for
    [d]etermination by August 3, 2019. To date, none of the Plaintiffs/Appellants have done so.” Trial
    Ct. Order, 3/6/20, at 6 n.5. Furthermore, “[we] may uphold an order of a lower court for any valid
    reason appearing from the record.” Ario v. Ingram Micro, Inc., 
    965 A.2d 1194
    , 1200 (Pa. 2009).
    10
    2019. Common Pleas then held oral argument regarding the Anastasiadises’ Motion
    to Dismiss on January 3, 2020, and granted it on March 6, 2020. In short, the
    Kesarkars failed to comply with Rule 5002(f), which kick-started the process, as
    authorized by Rule 5002(g), and ended with the dismissal of their appeals.
    The Kesarkars’ only rejoinder to this is their claim that dismissal of their
    appeals pursuant to Rule 5002(g) violated Pennsylvania Rule of Judicial
    Administration 103(d)(8). Kesarkars’ Br. at 37-38. This Rule reads as follows:
    No pleading or other legal paper shall be refused for filing
    based upon a requirement of a local rule. No case shall be
    dismissed nor request for relief granted or denied because
    of failure to initially comply with a local rule. In any case
    of noncompliance with a local rule, the court shall alert the
    party to the specific provision at issue and provide a
    reasonable time for the party to comply with the local rule.
    Pa. R.J.A. No. 103(d)(8). The Kesarkars maintain that, as Common Pleas did not
    affirmatively notify them that they had failed to file the required brief and give them
    a reasonable amount of time to comply, Common Pleas therefore violated Rule
    103(d)(8) when it granted the Motion to Dismiss. Kesarkars’ Br. at 37-38.
    The Kesarkars’ argument, however, is defective for several reasons, on both
    procedural and substantive grounds. First, the Kesarkars failed to raise it before
    Common Pleas and did not mention it in their concise statement of errors complained
    of on appeal. Therefore, they have failed to preserve this argument, rendering it
    waived. Pa. R.A.P. 302(a), 1925(b)(4)(vii); Lamar Advert. Co. v. Zoning Hearing
    Bd. of Municipality of Monroeville, 
    939 A.2d 994
    , 1001 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2007).
    Second, even if they had preserved this argument, Common Pleas’ decision
    to grant the Motion to Dismiss did not contravene Rule 103(d)(8). Common Pleas’
    November 20, 2019 order, which scheduled argument on the Motion to Dismiss,
    explicitly stated in relevant part “the parties shall be prepared to argue . . . [w]hether
    11
    Appellants have timely complied with [Rule] 5002(f).” Common Pleas Order,
    11/20/19, at 1 n.1; Kesarkars’ Br., App. E. This, coupled with the substance of the
    Motion to Dismiss itself and the length of time between this order’s issuance and the
    oral argument it scheduled, undoubtedly put the Kesarkars on notice that they had
    not abided by Rule 5002(f) and gave them a sufficient period in which they could
    have corrected their mistake.
    Third, Rule 5002(g) clearly tracks the discretionary authority that courts of
    common pleas possess in this type of situation. When sitting in an appellate capacity
    under the Local Agency Law,11 a court of common pleas “may look to the
    Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure for guidance” and, upon motion, may
    dismiss a statutory appeal in the event the appellant fails to file a brief. King v. City
    of Philadelphia, 
    102 A.3d 1073
    , 1076-77 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014); see Cook v. City of
    Philadelphia Civil Serv. Comm’n, 
    201 A.3d 922
    , 928 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2019) (a court
    of common pleas does not have power to sua sponte dismiss a statutory appeal in
    the event an appellant fails to file a brief, but may only order dismissal if an opposing
    party has sought such relief); see also Civil Serv. Comm’n of City of Philadelphia v.
    Wenitsky, 
    521 A.2d 80
    , 82 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1987) (an appellant has the “affirmative
    duty to prosecute the[ir] appeal[,]” which includes an obligation to file a brief).
    “[L]ocal courts are entitled to impose sanctions for noncompliance with procedural
    rules and such determinations will not be disturbed absent an abuse of discretion.”
    Muth v. Ridgway Twp. Mun. Auth., 
    8 A.3d 1022
    , 1027 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2010) (quoting
    Haney v. Sabia, 
    428 A.2d 1041
    , 1042 n. 2 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1981)). Given the sequence
    of events in this matter, Common Pleas did not err or abuse its discretion by
    dismissing the Kesarkars’ appeals.
    11
    2 Pa. C.S. §§ 551-555, 751-754.
    12
    III. Conclusion
    In light of the foregoing analysis, we affirm Common Pleas’ March 6, 2020
    order granting the Anastasiadises’ Motion to Dismiss. Furthermore, as this resolves
    the underlying appeal that gave rise to Common Pleas’ May 28, 2020 order which
    granted the Anastasiadises’ Bond Petition, we dismiss as moot both the Kesarkars’
    appeal of that order, which was docketed under 642 C.D. 2020, as well as the
    Anastasiadises’ application for relief, which was docketed under 428 C.D. 2020.
    __________________________________
    ELLEN CEISLER, Judge
    Judge Fizzano Cannon did not participate in the decision of this matter.
    13
    IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
    Pratap Kesarkar, Elizabeth Kesarkar,     :
    Lucille Brown, John Brown, Mark          :
    Dulik, Mary Dulik, Jean B. Russell,      :
    David Russell, Caldon Driscoll,          :
    Bernadette Driscoll, Christina R.        :
    Condelles, James Condelles, Lian Hu, :
    Chi Li, Zhen Ye, Jia Liu, Jeffrey Smith, :
    Kathryn Smith, Gabriel Tribuiani,        :
    Douglas P. Marshall, Catherine R.        :
    Marshall, Mary Werner Denadai, Sherry :
    Kerstetter, Lincoln Kerstetter, John R. :
    Simpson, Donna H. Simpson, Gary          :
    Wardius, Joyce Wardius, Kyle W. Brun, :
    Julie R. Brun, George C. Murphy, Anita :
    L. Murphy, Shun Ying, Jenny Ying,        :
    Jakob Speksnijder, Yookyin               :
    Speksnijder, Thalia Speksnijder, Martin :
    Leff, Andrea Leff, Alexander Leff,       :
    Daniel Saxman, Kim Saxman, Elizabeth :
    Hiver McKnight, Brent S. McKnight, :
    Jason Kaplan, Stephanie Kaplan, Tao :
    Zhao, Yi Fang, Maureen Capuzzi Tibbs, :
    and Franklin Tibbs                       :
    :
    v.                                :   No. 428 C.D. 2020
    :
    Birmingham Township and Constantine :
    Anastasiadis and Eleni Anastasiadis      :
    Appeal of: Pratap Kesarkar, Elizabeth    :
    Kesarkar, Lucille Brown and John         :
    Brown                                    :
    Pratap Kesarkar, Elizabeth Kesarkar,     :
    Lucille Brown, John Brown, Mark          :
    Dulik, Mary Dulik, Jean B. Russell,      :
    David Russell, Caldon Driscoll,          :
    Bernadette Driscoll, Christina R.        :
    Condelles, James Condelles, Lian Hu, :
    Chi Li, Zhen Ye, Jia Liu, Jeffrey Smith, :
    Kathryn Smith, Gabriel Tribuiani,        :
    Douglas P. Marshall, Catherine R.        :
    Marshall, Mary Werner Denadai, Sherry :
    Kerstetter, Lincoln Kerstetter, John R. :
    Simpson, Donna H. Simpson, Gary          :
    Wardius, Joyce Wardius, Kyle W. Brun, :
    Julie R. Brun, George C. Murphy, Anita :
    L. Murphy, Shun Ying, Jenny Ying,        :
    Jakob Speksnijder, Yookyin               :
    Speksnijder, Thalia Speksnijder, Martin :
    Leff, Andrea Leff, Alexander Leff,       :
    Daniel Saxman, Kim Saxman, Elizabeth :
    Hiver McKnight, Brent S. McKnight, :
    Jason Kaplan, Stephanie Kaplan, Tao :
    Zhao, Yi Fang, Maureen Capuzzi Tibbs, :
    and Franklin Tibbs                       :
    :
    v.                                :   No. 642 C.D. 2020
    :
    Birmingham Township and Constantine :
    Anastasiadis                             :
    :
    Appeal of: Pratap Kesarkar and           :
    Elizabeth Kesarkar                       :
    ORDER
    AND NOW, this 6th day of April, 2021, it is hereby ORDERED that the Court
    of Common Pleas of Chester County’s (Common Pleas) March 6, 2020 order is
    AFFIRMED. It is FURTHER ORDERED that Appellants Pratap Kesarkar and
    Elizabeth Kesarkar’s appeal of Common Pleas’ May 28, 2020 order, which was
    docketed under 642 C.D. 2020, and Appellees Constantine Anastasiadis and Eleni
    Anastasiadis’ application for relief, which was filed on July 16, 2020, and docketed
    under 428 C.D. 2020, are DISMISSED AS MOOT.
    ______________________________
    ELLEN CEISLER, Judge