Sheffield Development Co. v. City of Troy

Defendant appeals the entry of a pretrial discovery order which directed municipal officials to answer questions concerning the reasons behind their decisions in acting upon zoning applications.

In the fall of 1975, Sheffield Development Company, the owner of 160 acres of undeveloped land (zoned in part "single family residential” and "commercial”), petitioned for the rezoning of this parcel. After a public hearing, the Troy Planning Commission recommended to the Troy City Council that the proposed rezoning be denied. By a vote of 3 to 3, the council subsequently refused to conduct a public…