The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court alleges Park Township violated property owners’ constitutional rights by banning short-term rentals after allowing them for decades.
The lawsuit was filed by Park Township Neighbors, a nonprofit made up of property owners. It claims township officials repeatedly interpreted a zoning ordinance that was in effect before March 2024 to allow STRs in residential areas. A March 2024 amendment to that ordinance bans STRs in residential areas outright.
The lawsuit alleges that to prevent previously existing STRs from being grandfathered in and continuing to operate, the township created an “after-the-fact interpretation” of the previous zoning ordinance.
The township says for an existing STR to be grandfathered in, it would require operation prior to February 7th, 1974, and continued uninterrupted thereafter.
In a release, Park Township Neighbors wrote, “The township’s attempt to make their new 2024 zoning ordinance retroactive is the issue. When a Michigan zoning ordinance is changed, pre-existing uses are supposed to be allowed to continue.”
Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand and his wife are listed among the dozens of plaintiffs.
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