City of Richmond v. Randall

Dr. Russell E. Randall, Jr. and J. W. Keith (plaintiffs) wanted to build a three-story building for medical and general office use in the city of Richmond, Virginia (the city) (defendant). The proposed office site was in a district zoned for residential use. Randall and Keith requested a change to residential-office-district zoning and requested a special-use permit from the city council, which had jurisdiction over zoning and special-use permits under the city charter. The city council rejected Randall and Keith’s request. Randall and Keith sought declaratory relief against the city, arguing that the residential-zoning classification on the property was invalid; that the refusal to grant a special-use permit was unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious; and that the court should order the city council to issue the special-use permit. The trial court found that the existing zoning ordinance was unreasonable, confiscatory, and unconstitutional as applied to Randall and Keith and that the special-use permit had been improperly denied. The court entered a decree directing the city to either adopt an ordinance granting the special-use permit or to rezone the land to permit the proposed construction. The city appealed, arguing that the trial court had erred in granting relief because zoning was a legislative function.