City of Bloomfield Hills v. Ziegelman

This case involves an architect who constructed a home on a 1.14-acre lot owned by him and his wife in the City of Bloomfield Hills and later applied for a permit to build a backyard tennis court. The city disapproved the tennis court , plans, basing its refusal on the fact that the tennis court would violate the zoning ordinance which prohibits any structure within 35 feet of the rear property line.

Defendants sought a rear yard variance but the zoning board of appeals denied the request, finding that the word "building” included the word "structure” and that a building or structure included…