Opinion ID: 1828424
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Question of spot zoning.

Text: The appellants next argue that the rezoning of the 42-acre tract constituted illegal spot zoning; and they request the court to hold the ordinance null and void as being arbitrary and unreasonable and in excess of the legislative discretion of the village board. Appellants face the burden of a heavy presumption against their claim. We must start with the premise that a zoning ordinance enacted pursuant to sec. 62.23 (7), Stats., is presumed to be valid and such ordinance must be liberally construed in favor of a municipality. Consequently, an alleged invalidity of the ordinance must be clearly shown by the party attacking it. . . . Cushman v. Racine (1968), 39 Wis. 2d 303, 306, 159 N. W. 2d 67; Heaney v. Oshkosh (1970), 47 Wis. 2d 303, 307, 177 N. W. 2d 74. It has likewise been stated by the court that although it may differ with the wisdom of a zoning change, it is the opinion of the zoning authority which controls in the absence of abuse of discretion, excess of power, or error of law. Buhler v. Racine County (1966), 33 Wis. 2d 137, 147, 146 N. W. 2d 403. The court in the case of State ex rel. Zupancic v. Schimenz (1970), 46 Wis. 2d 22, 32, 33, 174 N. W. 2d 533, stated: . . . [S]pot zoning is usually understood to be zoning `by which a small area situated in a larger zone is purportedly devoted to a use inconsistent with the use to which the larger area is restricted.' Higbee v. Chicago, B. & Q. R. R. (1940), 235 Wis. 91, 292 N. W. 320. . . .  Although such a small area of use which is inconsistent with the use of the larger surrounding area may be spot zoning, it is likewise clear that all spot zoning is not per se illegal in Wisconsin. Heaney v. Oshkosh, supra, at page 308. In Buhler v. Racine County, supra, at pages 150 and 151, the then Mr. Chief Justice CURRIE set forth in his concurring opinion the standard which the court should follow in determining whether a municipality's action will amount to illegal spot zoning: . . . Spot zoning to be accomplished through rezoning should only be indulged in where it is in the public interest and not solely for the benefit of the property owner who requests rezoning, absent any showing that a refusal to rezone will in effect confiscate his property by depriving him of all beneficial use thereof. . . . This approach has been followed whenever the court is confronted with an allegation that illegal spot zoning has taken place. Cushman v. Racine, supra, at page 309; and Heaney v. Oshkosh, supra, at page 308. The size of the tract rezoned in the case at bar indicates that spot zoning is not involved, as noted in 1 Anderson, American Law of Zoning (1968), p. 252, sec. 5.07, a leading treatise on the subject: If any single attribute of an amendment can fairly be regarded as more significant than all others in determining the presence of spot zoning, it is the size of the area reclassified. The classic definitions refer to spot zoning as an amendment which affects a `small parcel of land,' and the bulk of cases in which amendments have been disapproved as spot zoning involve reclassifications of relatively small parcels. It is neither surprising nor irrational that the size of the area reclassified should have figured prominently in the cases where the challenge to the amendment was based upon a charge of spot zoning. It is inherently difficult to relate a reclassification of a single lot to the comprehensive plan; it is less troublesome to demonstrate that a change which affects  a larger area is in accordance with a plan to control development for the benefit of all. No authority can be found where rezoning of a tract as large as the 42-acre tract involved here was called spot zoning. In Cushman v. Racine, supra , the property in question was 74 feet by 125 feet; in Heaney v. Oshkosh, supra , the property was 4.5 acres. We are of the further opinion that this ordinance does not involve spot zoning because the recommendations of the village board and plan commission were based upon long-range planning and considerations which affect the whole community. This is evidenced by the fact that CAM's request for rezoning was included within the master zoning ordinance for the entire community, which was the subject of numerous studies. We conclude that the rezoning was legal and in accordance with the law and statutory requirements and was a reasonable exercise of the legislative power of the village of Menomonee Falls. By the Court. Judgment affirmed.