Council delays vote on wineries/breweries/distilleries ordinance after public hearing; new hearing set for May 27

The Metropolitan King County Council opened a public hearing on April 15, 2025, for proposed substitute ordinance 2024-0387, the ordinance that would change how wineries, breweries, distilleries and remote tasting rooms (WBDs) are regulated in unincorporated King County. Dozens of residents, business owners and community groups testified, and the council postponed final action after staff said additional State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) steps and related procedural items remain.

Key points: The clerk read item 7 (proposed substitute ordinance 2024-0387) into the record at the start of the hearing. Multiple speakers representing wineries in Woodinville and the Sammamish Valley described their businesses as longstanding, rule-compliant operations and asked the council to allow existing tasting rooms to remain in their current King County locations. Owners of KB Estate Winery testified the tasting room location generates about 25% of annual revenue and provides family-friendly outdoor space.

Several residents and land-use advocates, including representatives of the Sammamish Valley Alliance and Friends of Sammamish Valley, urged the council to adopt restrictions that prevent urban-serving alcohol retail and production from locating on rural or agricultural lands. Public commenters and land-use attorneys referenced the Growth Management Act and recent court rulings that invalidated earlier county code changes, arguing that WBD uses attract urban customers and require urban infrastructure not appropriate for rural areas.

Council response and status: Councilmember Jeanne von Reichbauer, who chairs the Regional Policy Committee, explained that the ordinance had been voted out of committee with a do-pass recommendation but staff later advised that SEPA and other planning steps remained incomplete. Council staff and the clerk confirmed a new hearing date will be May 27; the ordinance will remain in council until those steps are completed and does not need to be re-referred to committee.

Why it matters: The issue has been the subject of prolonged litigation and appeals under Washington’s Growth Management Act. Public commenters said past county policy (Ordinance 19030) allowed urban-serving tasting rooms to operate in rural zones; the Supreme Court and the Growth Management Hearings Board had previously invalidated aspects of the county’s earlier approach. The council must balance economic impacts on small wineries with statutory limits on rural and agricultural land uses.

Ending: Council staff will publish a new hearing notice next week and the ordinance will return to the council on or after May 27, 2025, following completion of required SEPA steps and any other procedural requirements.