Reschke v. Village of Winnetka

2 N.E.2d 718, 363 Ill. 478
Illinois Supreme Court·Decided May 12, 1936·No. Nos. 23227, 23228. Reversed and remanded.·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinions

Mr. Justice Farthing

delivered the opinion of the court:

Paul Reschke and A. G. Erikson, appellants, filed separate complaints in equity in the Cook county circuit court to restrain the village of Winnetka from prosecuting certain suits and from interfering with the respective uses appellants were making of the real estate owned and occupied by each of them in that village. Both complaints attacked the reasonableness of the zoning ordinance of appellee in its application to the property of the appellants. The village contended that appellants were using their real estate in a way forbidden by the zoning ordinance, and it filed a counterclaim in each suit and asked that the appellants be enjoined from continuing such use. In the two separate decrees the court found the zoning ordinance to be reasonable and that appellants were violating its terms. The complaints were dismissed and injunctions were issued in accordance with the prayer of the counterclaims. In each of the cases, the trial judge certified that the validity of a municipal ordinance was involved, and that in his opinion, the public interest required the appeal to be prosecuted directly to this court. The two appeals have been consolidated for hearing.

The village had begun several proceedings and threatened to institute others against each appellant for alleged violations of its zoning ordinance. The appellant Reschke lives in a single-family dwelling on his property. He also stored on such premises paving materials, machinery and equipment.

A. G. Erikson also lives in a single-family house on his lot, and stored six light delivery trucks in his garage. He operated a delivery service from his home. The appellee says that such uses are forbidden upon property which is zoned for single-family residences by section 3 of its zoning ordinance.

Winnetka is located approximately eighteen miles northwest of Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is predominantly residential in character. It adopted a zoning-ordinance on January 17, 1922.- The five districts created by the ordinance included all the property in the village. Only single-family residences were allowed in the “A” acre) and “A” (¿4 acre) districts. Two-family apartment houses were permitted in the “B” residence district, certain commercial uses in the “C” commercial district, and certain industrial uses in the “D” industrial district.

The two pieces of property in question abut Center street on its west side in the block between Pine street on the south and Westmoor Road on the north. Center street was formerly known as Railroad avenue. When the zoning ordinance was adopted the street had a 20-foot brick pavement which was in poor condition. It was not a through highway. The planning commission, appointed before the ordinance was adopted, recommended that this street "be widened, paved and connected up in such a way as to create a continuous highway through Winnetka, from north to south, to which heavy traffic might be diverted from streets in the residence districts. This recommendation was followed. The through highway was constructed and Center street was improved with a 40-foot concrete pavement. This was the last link and it was completed in 1931. This highway extends from Chicago through Evans-ton, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park and north along Lake Michigan. Sheridan Road is the only other through highway. It is winding and only pleasure cars are permitted to use it. Both trucks and pleasure cars are permitted on Center street and the traffic there is heavy. Traffic counts taken in March and April, 1:935, between 7:00 A. M. and the same hour in the evening, showed from 730 to 1250 vehicles passed along Center street every hour.

Power and other lines are strung along the east side of the pavement on Center street. The right of way of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway with two main tracks, a switch-track and a team-track, adjoins the street on the east. On week days 69 passenger trains pass in front of appellants’ property daily. Freight cars are placed on the team-track where they are unloaded with trucks. This is the only distributing point for freight in the village. There is a pavement alongside of this team-track, which connects with Center street. Adjoining this right of way on the east are the right of way and tracks of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. Over these tracks 143 electric trains "pass daily, except Saturday and Sunday, when the numbers are 127 and 77 trains, respectively. East of the electric railway’s right of way, lies a tier of lots facing Foxdale street which parallels the right of way a half block to the east.

North of Cherry street, which is in the south part of Winnetka, there are three blocks on both sides of Center street which are zoned in a “C” commercial district. Erom there north, the property east of the railroads is zoned as “A” (}i acre) residence district.

Spruce street runs into Center street and is the north boundary of part of the commercial district already mentioned. North of Spruce street the property on the west side of Center street for one block, — that is, to Pine street,— and for a distance north beyond Pine street of 652.5 feet, is zoned as a “D” industrial district. The remainder of the property in the block between Pine street and Westmoor Road lying on the west side of Center street, is zoned as “A” (Y, acre) residence property. This includes the property of both appellants. The next two blocks on the west side of Center street are in the “A” (Y> acre) residence district, and from Chatfield Road to the northern village limits, lies another "C” commercial district, on the west side of Center street.

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Reschke v. Village of Winnetka, 2 N.E.2d 718, 363 Ill. 478 (Ill. 1936).

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