zta The ReaItA BtrueBook of Californ*t

!I6Fa-

G. GoRDoN WHiTNALL
Director Citj! Ptdknilq Contmitsioh
Las Alr|eles
 The Redl,taBLueBook of Cablornid 2L9

LOnrng
B? C. CoRDoNWIIITNAT,L

Lego,t StatuA-Pre,renk Wa,ste of PropertA Vul es-

Pre! enb " Incongniti$" -N ot Arbiti'ar! R estq'iatioi-Mu,st
be Comprehensiae a,nd, R.asonalbl.e-Origi.n of Tetm
"Zoning" Menace of Und,esirtfile Ma,nufactlni,ng.

ONING is the teran applied to the public regulation of th€ use

of pr-ivate propelty. It is a relatively new exercfueof the police
power pioneerred by the City of Los Angeles. Since its irst
bmad enployment about 1911, zoning has become extensively used,
especially in the east. New York was probably the fiIst large city to
make intensive use of zoning. The New York zoning coiirdinated for
the first time on a compr€hensive scale, the three t)?es of regulation
now gener-allyemployed. They consist of
1. Use
2. Height
3. Bulk or acres of ground covered
ZONING-ITS LDCAL STATUS

zoning findsits legaljustification in its effectuponconservingtJIe

public peace, safety, health and general welfare. Its emploj4nent to
these ends brings it clearly within the restdctive legislation war-
rantedby the Constitution. This has beendefinitelyestablishedin its
basic application through United States Supreme Court decisions.
Two of these,popularlyrefelred to as the HaddachekBdck Yard case
ard the QuongWo Laundry case,eachoriginated in Los Angeles.
Though the constitutionality of employing the police power to
regulatethe use of property is quite definitely establishedas a basic
principle,there is still questionin the minds of someas to the extent
to \a'hichthat power may be €mployed. As is customary with the
adventof any new function of government,made necessaryby new
conditionsnot anticipatedby statute law, zoning legislation is now
being subjectedto the closestscrutiny of the cou*s throughout the
land. The result to datenaturally brings to light a variety of opinions
renderedin the face of vart'rng circumstances, no two of which are
the same. A legal analysis of the available caseswould probably
result in no definiteconclusionthrough the fact that in probably not
two cases are the deterrnining facto$ the same. It is significant,
however, that in the general run of casesreferred to, the more recent
opinionsdo not specificallytreat of the constitutionalityof zoning as
such,but rather subjectthe individual casesin questionto the test as
 1'lLeRetltlJ BLueBooh ol Cdilomia

to whether the q:p[l.icotia]L111the ]rartiutkLr case \s a reasotLableat:.d

disc-r'iminatoly application of public legulation. Alr unbiased study
of the attitude of cour.tstorvard rren-functions, and zonjDg il1 particu-
lar, reveals an urlquestioned tendency to{.ard ar ever bloidening
intelpretation of constitutional autholit].. This has already pro--
gressed to the point of estnblishillg the constitulionalit). oI enploying
the police porver to legulate use ol Dropelty- The discussjonsiorv so
generali]: irldulged jn, centel mostly rround casesiD\,ohiDg lhe degree
and chAractclrof such r€gulation.
XIUST DD CO]fPNEHE\SIVII AND EDASONA]]LD
To be.justj{iedaud legitimate,zoning lnust be comlnehersiveand
lelrsonable. Such zoning necesszlrii1'r'ecogrrizesa corrrmuDityas a uuit
aud tends to codrdinate ilto a single l:1yout, the se!,eral distinctive
t]'pes of development arld thc distlicts th:1t lesult. ComDr.ehensive
zoDing fully recogrizcs the factors thnt trale contr.ibuted ilr the past
to the sDecializedand different typcs ol de\'elopnrent. It goes fulther,
a|d emDloJs thc ADo$'ledge of these terdcncies ij1 encour.agirg a
contirlrolrs arld uDhampercd prooessof develoDnent. In t)ris lespect,
zoning i.s norc ot a positil.e act than a negati\,e one. Il eDcouragei
Iather than restl.icts. The vely r1:rtnre of the considelatiors em-
ploye.l al.esuch:s to discourAgcnny arbitlar'x ilnirositjoDof bulden-
somc restlictions. Such dilficulties as oc(tlsionltl-vafise and consti-
tute the subject of col[.t cases,do not inro]vc thc constitutionality oi
zoning regulation, but question only jts I exsonableness. Those cascs
lesult frequently flo lach of comprehensil'e ess in the zonirg plan
and fnd their oligin Dr'obably ir] the ne\1.ncssol the fulction rvith its
consequent l:rck of plecedents_ SLlch c:rpcliences arc to be expected
iD any pioreering \!or'1i. The ilnpor.tarlt and sjgnificant corsi.teiation
js the fact that zonjrg is be(oming e\,er n]oll' extensively used as
the
Iesult of ar ircl'easins popul:rl demand, and this js justjfiect rnd re-
flecled iD the ge eral xttitu.le ol ihe cour.ts.
ZONINC PNEVEN1S \VASTD ()T |ROPDRTI VAI,UES
fhe pun)ose and e{fccl ol zoriDg is to prcverrt thc appallirg 1\'aste
of improv€ ent v:rlues aud plo]rcr'l): vl1ucs so pr.etalcirt irr tirc past
thlough the scr.appilg of inpro\.eneuts due lo the ercloachment of
uses dctlimeDtal to furthel. dc\,elopment and maintennnce of a dis-
trict. This is accomplished b\. zonjng thr.c,Lrghthc cor)fialenceanil
stabilitv it Droduces.
PREVDN'r.ING,IINCONG&UITIDS']
Contlar'\' to lhe sometinles expressedopinio , a celtain propedy
Lrse,ir itself wholl-\- rmob.jectionable and nccess:1r'y{hen proierli
locrted, {'hen wlongly iocated becomesan nrcongr.uousenctoacnmeni
upon other types of impr.ovements_ Such use lnay act as :r direct
r . p i 3 t . d - 'Lr ,oo r h F I d , \ ' e l o n r n p r . ,t a, . r r r r o . , . hL , \ i . . r i : r , o r l d I o t b e
d e " r l o l l |snf l . d r s a I J i . r n ," i | | L l ^ pu " L p t r p j r r . . n g o 0f ( . $ u t , . J . T \ u s ,
r 1 . o m np r . r l s r , l ' : a i s . o r . . i d e ' e J: . t u h i i . . , " " s r \ . J , hardty
0 a r r r r ' r p d 1 0 b e n I l r . s i . p . Y . l . ' 1 n u L r l l .: r r r g - o f "pocul pt ddi n . a
mrdsLol an ol l^cr'$ile r'.sidAni;r.di5Ui, r \ : l co ul,!ot rur.llrpr .or _
fidence in th€ future of the district as to ple\-cni firr.fher' ilevelopment.
 Tke Realtg BItueBook of Caktornia 221

The net result is the decadenceof an other-wisevaluable residence

district into a nondescript area where the only hope is "to await the
marcl1 of plogress." In the meantime eisting improvements become
dilapidated and will not be kept in repair"because the districris due
for a changp." Thus the decadenl areaof thecityis increased while
the better tlTe of developmentspreadsever outward,leavingits wake
of destructionbehind.

ME\ACE OF''U\DESTRABLE'' MANUFACTURINC

And what appliesto the destructionof residenceareas,is equally

true of high classbusinessareas. An otherwiseexcellentretail sec-
tion.suchpossiblyas Fiflh Avenuein Ne\ York, will suddenlvfind
itselfjeopafdized by thF injecrionof undpsirabte manufacturin;,
It is sometimesclaimed that such turnover is normal and in keep-
ing with the progressof a town's dev€lopment.By suchreasoningthe
locating of a gaHge in an otherwiseresidencesectionis iustiffed on
thegroundihar the lime is 'fipe' andbesides, othergaragiscango in
and the property used in that 'way. The fallacy of such position is
found in the fact that the areas necessarily so considered are so ex-
tensiveas to be whoily out ol proportion jo the suppoding areas. If
suchbethe policy of a town, muchof its area is foredoompdjo remain
idle with all of the resultant economiclossboth to tbe ownersanalthe
crly.
ZONINC NOT AEBITRARYXDSTRICTION

Zoning,however,by no meansrequiresthat a distr.ictoncea resi-

dencedistrict shall alwaysremain so. That would indeedbe blockinc
the march of prrogress. It is frequently found in zoning that certaii
porlionsof a strictly residence areaare zonedfor business.Usuallv.
it js found that such classificationaniicipates the almost,inevitabie
developmentthat would occur in the nor.mal progress of the district
upon the expiratioi of deed restrictions that for the present make of
the disrricl a residential alea. Under such conditions, frequent)y
found, the original deedrestrictions prove to be a hindrance to norntl
progress. This results probably through develope$and subdivjders
consideringa given tracl large]y as a separate enlity with l;ll,le
thoughtas to its relationshipto the rest of the tov.n.
In the final analysis,it is found that the old practice of aban-
doDingva-stareasbecausethey were rhoughl to be ,.Doomedbv the
March of Progress' is basedupon a wholly mistaken belief that a
city developsin regular cycles from a given center like t]1e waves oD
a pond expanaling ever outward from the center where a Debblevras
tfirown. Ciliesdo not expandor developin ihat way. espeiiallyfrom
the standpointof property use. The processcan better be colitDared
io the incoming tide as it sweepsupon a broken shore line. ffowing
ever in through the low places; swirling around a rock here and i
prominencethere. and finally coveringall tle low placesbut leaving
Iil|e islandsand jagged rockrsprojpcring. So with a clty-it blowi
atrdil swirls and gradually "coversthe low places."leaving ,.islands,'
and "jagged rocks" high and dry abovethe human tide of traffic.
??2 ThERe&IfuBLueBook ol Ca,Iit'orni(L

ZONINGNEITIILS MYSTERIOUS NORARBITRARY

.. .?oTnC, thprefofe, s mprFly lhc pro.ess oi sludvins rhF .,shor.e
Itne' oj a commurrrtJa',d bJ obspr.\ irrg lha adr ancpof r hp r ide of
g l p s sd e l e r m r n e . . o' ; r ' a s h u n a r r l yp o s s i b i pr.h p , r r e v r r a b l e rrt.o_
c o r r r . "iel
wlll rakp. lt r! thc pro(essof Ialing advanrageol lhe cxDpr.ien.c
ot.
I n e . p a s aL l d a p n t t r g t h a t k n o s l e d g e t o r h e g a i D o l l h e i u r u l s . 1 1i .
.rvr. arcnttp.rur. thflt definitaly puts lhp s,ova in rhe
kilche . rhe
Drano.n l.hel.\ ._rg rour,r.aId tl.a Lnd in lhe bpd|oom,a d rhe ar :r. tne
:999:iedj
nutsa lF'lle,r a !to\e. nor a piairo.nor a bed. I o" an jrx, is a
'cp r t'.pti. Lrul nray easily bpcomeso if incor,gt.uouslv o,r'ced,
Inus, a sto\c, In a Uedluorl ot onl) be.ompsn nuisan.p io lljp bcd_
Toom3nd deslIoJs I rre\ a lup o I il^el.oomfor its uqualput.pose, but t he
stove actually losesmuch of its valu€ thr.ough bei"g r;;";;tir;; ll;
ploper surroundirgs and adjuncts.
.. s nprrhel mysteriousnof arbitrary. It is the samp Dr.ac_
u.e "onll,q
appnpdto the crvir houspholdrhaj cvery bus;nessman insictsshall
be employed in his office Steciahzatiun.