The city of Huntington Beach, California, forced a homeowner to raze the top floor of his luxury home after it announced that city officials had mistakenly approved, after a lengthy study, his house plans in 1985. The Los Angeles Times reported on the city council members' rationale on the vote: "In rejecting [the owner's] request to allow his home to stand, council members noted that to grant a code variance, they must first determine that special circumstances justify waiving city zoning regulations. The fact that [the] home is already built does not constitute such a circumstance, they said."

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