Enough is Enough: Amortization and the End of Uniformity

Abstract

Nonconforming uses are the “sore thumbs” of land use planning. By definition, they are relics of the past, either because the surrounding neighborhood has already changed or because the city wants it to change in the future. Nonconforming uses stand as obstacles to the separation and uniformity of districts in the city’s zoning plan. They are tolerated only as long as the harm they inflict on their surroundings is deemed manageable.