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James Gregorius <br />March 19, 1997 <br />Page 2 <br />owners can make." Id., at 34. For this reason alone, the owner's <br />equitable (it's not fair and we should encourage upgrading of <br />trailers) argument must fail. <br />Dane County Ordinance section 10.21(5) provides that "any <br />nonconforming use, the location of which is changed to another part <br />of the premises, shall be considered abandoned one (1) year after <br />the locational change and, in any event, any nonconforming use at <br />the new location shall be invalid." (emphasis added) The Supreme <br />Court has recognized this same general principle by holding <br />"nonconforming uses are closely limited and are not to be enlarged <br />in derogation of the general scheme of the ordinance, and hence the <br />right to continue such a use may be lost by such acts ... as moving <br />the structure to a different though near -by location." State ex <br />rel. Brill v. Mortenson, 6 Wis. 2d 325, 331a (1959) citing, <br />Yorkville v. Fonk, 3 Wis. 2d 371, 378 (1958). Therefore, the <br />relocation of trailers may be held to result in the loss of the <br />right to continue the nonconforming use. It should also be noted <br />that this mobile home park is nonconforming as to the spacing and <br />parking requirements and not zoning. Therefore, their argument <br />that they should be able to move the trailers as they wish within <br />the park so long as they do not increase the number is of even less <br />weight. <br />Replacement of old trailers with new ones will likewise waive <br />the right to continue the nonconforming use. Ordinance section <br />10.23 prohibits alteration or restoration of a nonconforming use <br />that exceeds 50% of the assessed valuation of the structure. In <br />County of Columbia v. Bylewski, 94 Wis. 2d 153, 170 (1980), the <br />Supreme Court specifically held that when the owner "demolished and <br />removed the old mobile home and substituted it with a new one, he <br />thus made alterations in excess of 500 of the assessed value of the <br />nonconforming structure and, therefore, lost the protection of the <br />nonconforming use doctrine." Therefore, replacement of trailers in <br />this case should also result in loss of the right to continue the <br />nonconforming use. The argument of the owner that upgrading of <br />trailers should be encouraged flies in the face of the intent of <br />zoning ordinances, which is to eliminate nonconforming uses as soon <br />as possible. <br />In conclusion, the spirit of zoning law is to eliminate <br />nonconforming uses as quickly as possible. Clearly, substitution <br />of a new mobile home is an alteration in excess of 500 of the <br />assessed value and may not continue as a nonconforming use. Since <br />the location of some of the trailers is currently nonconforming <br />because there is not 30 foot spacing, the movement of these <br />