Opinion ID: 1822350
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Business Activities of The Bridges Make it a Business Area

Text: The Commissioner's decision relies on zoning labels. If the City rezoned The Bridges to commercial or industrial, this would not change the use of the property but would presumably satisfy the Commissioner's literal reliance on the commercial or industrial zoning labels to permit billboards. Conversely, the City's decision to place The Bridges in a PF zone was based on factors that have no relevance to the public policy concerns that underlie the billboard laws. It is a classification of convenience, that groups properties by ownership, irrespective of use. The billboard laws are indifferent to ownership. If the legislature had intended that governmental ownership would automatically disqualify property from being within a business area, it could easily have said so. Instead, it defined business areas by relying on the activities conducted on the property, not on ownership. I would affirm the decision of the court of appeals and direct MNDOT to issue the requested permits.