Lamar Whiteco Outdoor Corp. v. City of West Chicago

These consolidated appeals each involve a challenge to a City of West Chicago (City) zoning ordinance that was amended on October 19, 1992, to ban certain commercial and noncommercial off-premises advertising structures, including all billboards. The amended ordinance provided for a seven-year “amortization” period, or grace period, for removing existing nonconforming structures or making them compliant with the ordinance. The ordinance did not provide for the compensation of an individual who lost the right to display a sign.

Plaintiffs allege that they lawfully erected billboards before the…