R.V.S., LLC v. City of Rockford

266 F. Supp. 2d 798, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9605, 2003 WL 21354607
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJune 10, 2003
Docket03 C 50048
StatusPublished

This text of 266 F. Supp. 2d 798 (R.V.S., LLC v. City of Rockford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
R.V.S., LLC v. City of Rockford, 266 F. Supp. 2d 798, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9605, 2003 WL 21354607 (N.D. Ill. 2003).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

REINHARD, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff, R.V.S., LLC (“RVS”), filed this action against defendant, the City of Rockford (“City”), seeking a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) and to preliminarily and permanently enjoin the City from enforcing its ordinance number 2002-308-0 requiring certain business establishments identified as “exotic dancing nightclubs” to obtain a zoning special use permit and making locations not more than 1000 feet from a church, school, residential district, or another exotic dancing nightclub ineligible for such a special use permit. RVS, prior to the adoption of the ordinance, was preparing to open a business establishment which arguably falls within the definition of an exotic dancing nightclub. The premises leased for this business is within 1000 feet of a residential district and thus ineligible for a special use permit under the ordinance. RVS contends the ordinance violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It argues the ordinance is vague, overbroad, an unlawful prior restraint on expression, was not properly adopted according to the zoning ordinance, and was not adopted as a valid attempt to control deleterious secondary effects associated with exotic dancing. Jurisdiction and venue are proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1331, 1391. The court denied the request for a TRO and subsequently conducted a bench trial combining the preliminary and permanent injunction hearings. This memorandum opinion and order sets forth the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law.

II. FACTS

On August 26, 2002, at a meeting of the Rockford City Council, Alderman Douglas Mark suggested the adoption of a resolution amending the City’s zoning ordinance to add adult entertainment, including uses such as exotic dancing, to uses that require a special use permit. The matter was *804 referred to the council's codes and regulations committee. On September 30, 2002, the city council adopted the codes and regulations committee’s report recommending that the City file text amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding exotic dancing night clubs. Accordingly, the text amendments were filed with the City’s zoning officer pursuant to the City’s zoning ordinance and a hearing was held on the proposed text amendments by the zoning board of appeals (“ZBA”) on November 19, 2002, which voted to approve the text amendments. On November 27, 2002, the codes and regulations committee of the city council voted to recommend sustaining the ZBA’s decision to approve the text amendments. On December 9, 2002, the city council adopted ordinance 2002-308-0. 1

The minutes of the November 19, 2002, ZBA meeting reflect that City Attorney Kathleen Elliott and Alderman Mark testified concerning the proposed text amendment. The minutes contain the following passage: “It is the City’s experience that this use in a concentrated area or near residential uses attracts prostitution and other problems that are part of this atmosphere. Alderman Mark stated there have been incidents where liquor sales were procured with the intent of establishing dancing clubs. The proposed text amendments would allow the City more control over the location of these type of clubs to prevent adverse effects on adjoining neighborhoods.” The minutes of the council’s codes and regulations committee meeting for November 27, 2002, contain the following: “Although they are not considered sexually oriented business [sic], strip clubs have similar secondary effects in the neighborhood as sexually oriented businesses.” Ordinance 2002-308-0 does not contain any preamble or legislative findings and the journal of proceedings for the city council meeting at which it was adopted does not state any findings.

III. ANALYSIS

A. Ordinance Adoption Procedure

RVS argues the ordinance is invalid because the City failed to follow the procedure for adopting a text amendment set forth in the City’s zoning ordinance. The zoning ordinance provides the council must, upon receipt of a ZBA recommendation on a text amendment, take action “not less than sixty (60) days thereafter.” It is undisputed the City acted in less than sixty days. The City presented evidence at trial that “less” was a scrivener’s error, that “more” was actually intended, and that the City’s practice was always to require action in not more than sixty days.

A city’s failure to comply with its own procedural ordinances in adopting an ordinance is insufficient under Illinois law to invalidate the ordinance adopted. See *805 Nevel v. Village of Schaumburg, 297 F.3d 673, 680 (7th Cir.2002). Rather, the ordinance may be invalidated only if the enactment violates federal or state lav/. Id. at 679. RVS argues the failure to follow the procedure was a procedural due process violation. RVS contends it was ready to open its business and would have been open before the city council could have passed the ordinance if the council had waited the required sixty days. However, RVS does not explain how this is a deprivation of its liberty or property without due process. A violation of local law is not a denial of due process. Coniston Corp. v. Village of Hoffman Estates, 844 F.2d 461, 467 (7th Cir.1988). Legislative bodies may enact generally applicable laws without affording affected parties notice and an opportunity to be heard even where the legislation is provoked by fear of one particular actor. See Pro-Eco, Inc. v. Board of Comm’rs of Jay County, Ind., 57 F.3d 505, 513 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1028, 116 S.Ct. 672, 133 L.Ed.2d 522 (1995). The fact that a statute (or statute-like regulation) applies across the board provides a substitute safeguard. Philly’s v. Byrne, 732 F.2d 87, 92 (7th Cir.1984). Here, the City adopted a generally applicable ordinance. It conducted a ZBA hearing on the amendments which had been properly noticed. 2 No one appeared in opposition. This is sufficient process for the adoption of the ordinance. See Coniston, 844 F.2d at 469. The adoption of the ordinance did not violate federal or state law and cannot be overturned on that basis. See Nevel, 297 F.3d at 679.

B. Prior Restraint

RVS raises a facial challenge to the zoning ordinance by arguing it is an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech because it gives City officials unbridled discretion to deny an application for a special use permit and does not limit the time within which the decisionmaker must issue a permit. RVS has not sought and been denied a special use permit.

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Bluebook (online)
266 F. Supp. 2d 798, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9605, 2003 WL 21354607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rvs-llc-v-city-of-rockford-ilnd-2003.