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Washington Supreme Court hears challenge to King County ordinance over farm-zone uses and environmental review
Summary
The Supreme Court on May 21 heard arguments in King County v. Friends of Sammamish Valley over Ordinance 19030, with petitioners saying the law permits urban-serving uses on rural/agricultural land and the county arguing the ordinance adds protections and licensing rather than loosen rules. The court took no immediate action.
The Washington Supreme Court heard oral arguments on May 21, 2024, in King County v. Friends of Sammamish Valley over King County Ordinance 19030, which establishes licensing and development rules for wineries, breweries and distilleries in unincorporated county agricultural and rural zones.
Petitioners’ lead counsel Peter Eglick told the court the ordinance "manifestly transgresses" the statutory line between urban and rural uses under the Growth Management Act and conflicts with mandatory King County Comprehensive Plan policies (referred to in the record as r201 and r324). Eglick said the county’s 2019 determination of nonsignificance (DNS) and the later 2020 checklist were inadequate and that the Growth Management Hearing Board correctly invalidated the ordinance; he asked the court to uphold that invalidation rather than remanding for further process.
Eglick pressed two factual points in argument: that a significant portion of King County farming occurs on land designated…
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