Owners have a lot of control over how their property is used, but they are subject to various kinds of land use controls. You probably can't convert your house to a multiple family dwelling, even though you own it. That isn't to protect landlords from competition. You are probably aware of places where they have zoning where you aren't allowed to have an "adult" establishment within a certain distance of another one. That idea also isn't to prevent competition, but to prevent the formation of an "adult" district which drives out the other businesses. In Royal Oak, the idea would be that having restaurants and bars pushing out all other retail businesses is making the the town less desirable to live in, and it is perfectly reasonable to think that a town government which is primarily responsive to its residents might want to take steps to prevent that. Of course the owners could challenge those restrictions if they were ever put in place.
Bookmarks