Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Rent Free. As interesting as zoning policy is, writing about it can sometimes feel a little dry.
Writing and reading about local code updates and state legislative reforms can sometimes cause one to forget that zoning is the sum of all evils and the enemy of all good things.
This past week, an Ohio judge dismissed a civil lawsuit brought by the fire chief of Bryon, Ohio, against a local church that had been letting people stay on its property during its overnight ministry.
Fire Chief Douglas Pool's suit argued that local church Dad's Place had converted its property to a residential use by allowing nightly stays without getting the proper zoning approvals or adopting all the fire safety measures required of residential properties.
Dad's Place, and its pastor, Chris Avell, contended that the expense of installing a sprinkler system was cost-prohibitive for the church. The requirement to install one was thus an effective demand to shut down their nighttime ministry, which the church argued violated their Free Exercise rights.