Michigan man must sell all of his 216 unregistered cars on property.

[DRIVEN]

There is obviously way more to the story that we can only speculate on. I can tell you that many cities/counties/states have obscure and often ambiguous statutes on the books that just aren't enforced unless someone is targeted as a "problem". I know this from personal experience and would gladly elaborate if anyone cared to hear about it.
My point is, maybe the old guy knew he was in violation, maybe he didn't. Maybe the rules happened around him and he got caught up. I still feel he should have the right to do as he pleases on his own land. But, he's making little effort to be a good neighbor. That pissed someone off and now he has a problem.
I wish him the best of luck. Hopefully he can learn to let go of the junk cars and maybe raise enough capital for a building to house the special ones and keep them out of sight. And for crying out loud, mow the lawn.

 

[Monte Cristo]

(Ord. of 7-22-2013, § 60.05)
I'd say he should be grandfathered in or at least given a reasonable amount of time. The law looks 4 years old to me, but I ain't no lawyer.

It's an important point when the law was passed. If it was passed only four years ago, it would explain some things, like how his collection got to be so big without any complaint in the 15 years that he has lived there. Being grandfathered in works for zoning of a business, but might not work if the township claims his cars pose a risk to the public somehow.

It's good that you admit to not being a lawyer and not knowing everything, but at least you are an American and understand how things do work, and how they should work. There still is a constitutional protection requirement that the government pay just compensation when it takes private property, and it especially applies if his cars were there before they changed the law.

i say "follow the money". whenever reasonable logic doesn't explain the actions being taken, there is only one conclusion i come to and that is money. either one of his neighbors is looking to sell his property and wants to raise its value, or a developer, real estate agent, government entity is eyeing the properties potential value.
no I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but i do believe in greed.
joe

A reasonable conclusion. I would say either a neighbor thinks this man's cars negatively affect his or her property value, or the township wants to raise his property value so it can raise his taxes, or both.

I can tell you that many cities/counties/states have obscure and often ambiguous statutes on the books that just aren't enforced unless someone is targeted as a "problem". I know this from personal experience and would gladly elaborate if anyone cared to hear about it.
My point is, maybe the old guy knew he was in violation, maybe he didn't. Maybe the rules happened around him and he got caught up.

Yes, they do selectively enforce the rules. From what I can remember these laws were enacted starting in the 90's. This guy is an extreme case, but anyone who has old cars could have a problem. That's what makes it good for discussion.