Real Property : Zoning – Variance Approval –  Church Digital Sign

Where a  church challenged the denial of a zoning board’s decision denying it a nonuse zoning variance for a digital sign, the board had the authority to grant the variance since the sign remained a monument sign despite the addition of a digital display, but the church did not show that it would meet “practical difficulties” in operating without the variance, so the decision to deny the variance was supported by the evidence.

Judgment is affirmed.

Antioch Community Church v. Board of Zoning (MLW No. 71532/Case No. SC96215 – 25 pages) (Supreme Court of Missouri, Stith, J.; all concur) Appealed from circuit court, Clay County, Sutton, J. (Bernard J. Rhodes, Kansas City, Missouri, for respondent) (M. Margaret Sheahan Moran, Kansas City, Missouri, for appellant).

Read the full text of this opinion. (PDF)