Miller v. Board of Zoning Appeals of Rochester

I dissent. There is no evidence to support the Rochester Board of Zoning Appeals’ determination that Thermogas, Inc., endures the “unnecessary hardship” which is a statutory prerequisite to obtaining a variance. IC 1971, 18-7-5-82, Ind.Ann.Stat. § 53-969 (Burns Code Ed.).1 The Majority’s reliance on the existing nonconforming use enjoyed by Thermogas to justify the variance grant contravenes the well-recognized principle that the expansion or enlargement of nonconforming uses subverts the ultimate purposes of zoning. Jacobs v. Mishawaka Bd. of Zon. App. (1979), Ind.App., 395 N.E.2d 834, 836.

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