Dettore v. Brighton Township

Plaintiff-appellant Louis J. Dettore 1 owns a 70-acre parcel of land in Brighton Township, Livingston County. This parcel has long been used for mining purposes, a nonconforming use in an area zoned R-l residential. Dettore sought to create a sanitary landfill, solid waste disposal operation on 20 acres of the parcel. The state, by virtue of a license obtained from the Department of Natural Resources, has given him permission to do so. However, the local governing body — here the Brighton Township Board of Appeals — refused to grant Dettore the zoning variance he requested to expand the scope…