Mississippi Bluff Motel, Inc. v. County of Rock Island

Mississippi Bluff Motel, Inc., the plaintiff, brought a declaratory judgment action against the county of Rock Island. The plaintiff claimed the county’s zoning ordinance was invalid as applied to its land. The State of Illinois, by its Department of Conservation, appeals from an order denying it leave to intervene in that cause.

The facts are clear. Mississippi Bluff Motel, Inc. (Bluff Motel) owns a 14-acre tract of land in Rock Island County. On it plaintiff wants to build a 100-room motel complex. To do this a zoning change from rural agriculture to general commercial is necessary. The…