Abandonment of Property As a Salvage Yard

In Heichel v. Springfield Township Zoning Hearing Board, 830 A.2d 1081, 1086 (citing Latrobe Speedway, 553 Pa. 583, 720 A.2d 127 (1998), this Court considered whether a landowner had abandoned the use of her property as a salvage yard. The owner of the family business had died; nevertheless,no attempt was made by the Landowner to convert the property to some other use; no structures were demolished; no roads were removed; and no equipment was sold. The only change was in the volume of the inventory of abandoned cars, which is to be expected in a business of this type. Heichel, 830 A.2d at 1087. In addition, the landowner had been actively marketing the property as a salvage yard and had negotiated its sale at a price that contemplated that use. Based on these facts, the Court found that the non-conforming use of the property had not been abandoned.