Municipal Land Use

A broad spectrum of clients—cities, counties and other government entities; housing and port authorities; school, water and sewer districts—trusts GordonDerr's knowledge of growth management, land use, planning, environmental, and infrastructure-related issues.

Focused Knowledge and Experience

• Environmental review and permitting of major mixed-use master-planned developments
• Growth Management Act plans and development regulations
• Hearings Board compliance and court appeals
• Defense of land use decisions (legislative, project permit and associated damage claims)
• SEPA / NEPA compliance for major development projects
• Public/private partnerships for construction of water and sewer infrastructure
• Inter-jurisdictional disputes and mediation
• Acquisition and strategic development of water rights
• Utility infrastructure planning and permitting
• Concurrency management, impact fees and other regulatory exaction and mitigation programs

Representative Accomplishments

• Assistance to local government staff during review of large, complex development proposals, including master-planned residential developments and resorts and large-scale commercial and industrial developments.
• Oversight of SEPA / NEPA environmental review, planning and permitting for major new public road, utility, and solid waste infrastructure. Successful defense of public permitting process.
• Counsel on water rights assessments, acquisitions, transfers, sewer and water infrastructure permitting, and innovative public/private partnerships.
• Negotiation and drafting of inter-local, development, infrastructure extension and pre-annexation agreements, staff reports, legislative body findings, and ordinances.
• Defense, at trial and appellate court levels, of actions before administrative tribunals and state courts, including Land Use Petition Act appeals and damage claims, and mediation and alternative dispute resolution to resolve long-standing inter-jurisdictional land use and environmental disagreements.
• Strategic advice to municipalities and urban service providers for meeting growth-related infrastructure needs in compliance with the myriad requirements of the Growth Management Act:
• Urban growth areas
• Limited areas of more intensive rural development (LAMIRDs)
• Critical areas ordinances
• Essential public facilities
• Natural resource land designation and de-designation
• Urban densities, concurrency, and urban service extensions
• Impact fees, exactions, and SEPA mitigation programs