Can you win Zoning fights with City Hall?

[useruser]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? California

The local school district is planning to lease a closed elementary school within my R1 neighborhood to the military. The mayor and city council fully support this action with the stated attitude: “It will bring money into the school district and it will not be a significant impact to the neighborhood.” I have two questions:

Is there any way to fight this?

What are my chances of winning, if I do try to fight it?

Thank you for your advice.

 

[John Se]

why do you think this is a zoning issue?

seems to me that it is already zoned as a school, just hasnt been in active use. Therefore what's your beef?

 

[useruser]

The reasong for my complaint

As a school the property was used M-F from 8:00 - 3:00.

The new use will be for offices for active duty military DoD civilians and includes:
Use from much earlier to much later during the day and on weekends
Widening the street from 2 lanes to three
Increasing parking from 30 spaces to 200
Placing floodlights in the expanded parking lot
Adding a 6-foot fence and security control

The net result is more noise, more traffic, more light and placing a more significant target for potential terrorist attacks within the neighborhood.

The school district will get money, but it will cost the local homeowners both quality of life and home equity. As I understand it, that is the type of loss from which zoning rules are supposed to protect you.

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: Is there any way to fight this?

A: Yes.


Q: What are my chances of winning, if I do try to fight it?

A: Since you would have to go through the mayor and the city council to change this and since they have already stated their position, I doubt that there is any way you could win.

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? California

The local school district is planning to lease a closed elementary school within my R1 neighborhood to the military. The mayor and city council fully support this action with the stated attitude: “It will bring money into the school district and it will not be a significant impact to the neighborhood.” I have two questions:

Is there any way to fight this?

What are my chances of winning, if I do try to fight it?

Thank you for your advice.

**A: will the military use the property for offices, training schools or heavy artillery and demolition excercises?

 

[useruser]

The new use will be offices and "educational" testing

 

[HomeGuru]

The new use will be offices and "educational" testing

**A: then I see no problem. Are you an American?