King County, V. Friends Of Sammamish Valley

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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION ONE

KING COUNTY, a political subdivision
of the state of Washington, No. 83905-5-I

Petitioner, ORDER DENYING MOTION
FOR RECONSIDERATION
v. AND WITHDRAWING AND
SUBSTITUTING OPINION
FRIENDS OF SAMMAMISH VALLEY, a
Washington nonprofit corporation; and
FUTUREWISE,

Respondents.

The respondents, Friends of Sammamish Valley and Futurewise, have

filed a motion for reconsideration of the opinion filed on February 27, 2023. King

County, has filed a response. The court has considered the motion, and a majority

of the panel has determined that the motion should be denied but the opinion

should be withdrawn and a substitute opinion filed; now, therefore, it is hereby

ORDERED that the motion for reconsideration is denied; and it is further

ORDERED that the opinion filed on February 27, 2023 is withdrawn; and it is

further

ORDERED that a substitute published opinion shall be filed.
For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/.

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

KING COUNTY, a political subdivision
of the state of Washington, No. 83905-5-I

Petitioner, DIVISION ONE

v. PUBLISHED OPINION

FRIENDS OF SAMMAMISH VALLEY,
a Washington nonprofit corporation;
and FUTUREWISE,

Respondents,

A FARM IN THE SAMMAMISH
VALLEY LLC; MARSHALL LEROY
d/b/a Alki Market Garden; EUNOMIA
FARMS, LLC; OLYMPIC NURSERY
INC.; C-T CORP.; ROOTS OF OUR
TIMES COOPERATIVE;
REGENERATION FARM LLC;
HOLLYWOOD HILLS ASSOCIATION;
TERRY and DAVID R. ORKIOLLA; and
JUDITH ALLEN,

Defendants.

BIRK, J. — King County (County) adopted Ordinance 19030 (Ordinance),

amending its land use code governing winery, brewery, and distillery (WBD)

facilities. Friends of Sammamish Valley (FoSV) and Futurewise, among others,

challenged the Ordinance before the Growth Management Hearings Board for the

Central Puget Sound region (Board). FoSV and Futurewise contend that

proliferation of WBDs in the Sammamish Valley would have significant
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No. 83905-5-I/2

environmental consequences that the County failed to recognize and evaluate.

The Board agreed and invalidated most of the Ordinance. We conclude that when

its limitations are properly interpreted, Ordinance 19030 is not likely to lead to the

development FoSV and Futurewise predict, and the County was correct in issuing

a determination of nonsignificance that the Ordinance will not have a probable

significant adverse environmental impact. We reverse the Board’s order of

invalidity and remand for entry of a finding of compliance with the Growth

Management Act (GMA), chapter 36.70A RCW, and the State Environmental

Policy Act (SEPA), chapter 43.21C RCW.

I

A

Although Ordinance 19030 amends the King County Code applicable

throughout the county, the parties focus on its impact in the Sammamish Valley.

This area runs from Redmond, Washington, northward along State Route 202

toward Woodinville, Washington. To the west of the Sammamish Valley lie

incorporated areas of the cities of Redmond, Kirkland, and Woodinville. The

Sammamish Valley includes lands zoned agricultural in a designated agricultural

production district. The “broad Sammamish River Valley trough” includes a

migratory salmon river and prime farmland. To the east of the agricultural area lie

upslope lands zoned rural area. Upland areas to the east drain through 11 mapped

small creeks down the valley slopes and into the Sammamish River. Upland

drainage potentially affects agricultural land in the valley if increased drainage

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leads to the land being waterlogged. Drainage also potentially affects the

suitability of the river as a wildlife habitat.

Woodinville has become a destination known for its wineries and tasting

rooms. Eastern Washington is recognized as a grape growing region for wine. In

some cases, grapes from Eastern Washington have been transported to the

Woodinville area for fermenting and processing. Numerous wineries, breweries,

and distilleries have located inside the Woodinville city limits. Within its limits,

Woodinville provides urban services such as water, sewer, police, fire, traffic

control, and surface water management. Historically, a few wineries were

established outside the Woodinville city limits, in unincorporated King County. The

appropriateness and legal status of these establishments was disputed in

submissions to the County during its consideration of Ordinance 19030.

In September 2016, the County published the “Sammamish Valley Wine

and Beverage Study” (Study). The Study’s stated primary objective was to develop

County policy and code recommendations for economic development,

transportation, land use, and agriculture. The study area included Woodinville,

Kirkland, Redmond, rural areas, and agricultural production districts. The Study

found that wine production grew steadily from 1990 to 2013. Although King County

was found to be the second largest producer of wine in Washington, it is not noted

as a grape growing region and the wineries and tasting rooms in the County are

largely representative of wineries using grapes from Eastern Washington. The

Study found that Woodinville is one of two hubs in Washington for wine related

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No. 83905-5-I/4

retail. The Study was identified as part of the background for Ordinance 19030.

The Study was followed by a 2018 “Action Report” that was described as the

“County’s response to the policy recommendations outlined in [the Study].” The

Action Report included discussion of both transportation and agriculture in the

Sammamish Valley.

In 2017 and 2018, local residents documented in submissions to the County

that it had entered into agreements with property owners in the Sammamish Valley

concerning alleged nonconforming uses of their properties for adult beverage

businesses. One letter identified eight businesses in unincorporated King County

just outside Woodinville city limits that were asserted to be operating as “Tasting

Rooms” in violation of the King County Code with alleged pending code violations

in late 2019. Opponents of Ordinance 19030 asserted the prospect the County

might relax code requirements and permit new adult beverage business in the

unincorporated areas was resulting in land speculation, driving up prices into a

range that would make agricultural or traditional rural uses not cost effective.

Among the asserted code violations predating Ordinance 19030 was an

online review of Castillo de Feliciana Vineyard and Winery LLC complaining about

the establishment’s reliance on a “porta potty for [a] bathroom,” to which the

business replied it was “required by [the] County to have all patrons on Friday

nights” use portable toilets. A newspaper referenced Sal Leone, owner of a wine

tasting room asserted to be “running afoul of [the] County for operating in an area

set aside for agriculture,” who appealed and “says if he doesn’t win, he’ll get stinky

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No. 83905-5-I/5

pigs and loud roosters for rural ambience.” In a news story, the owners of Chateau

Lill Events LLC reportedly stated, “[T]here simply hasn’t been enough space” at

their location “to produce wine,” so “the tasting room and event facility has been

separate” and it was “ ‘already a stretch to call it a winery.’ ”

In another case, the County served a notice and order on Icarus Holdings

LLC and Vladen Milosavljevic. The County alleged proposed and existing

construction and businesses violated the subject property’s zoning as agricultural.

At a contested hearing, the hearing examiner declined to reach whether plans for

a winery and distillery use were consistent with code, because the plans had not

yet come to fruition and “the zoning code is in flux, with extensive pending

legislation on wineries and distilleries.” The hearing examiner concluded a bakery

on the site appeared to violate code, because it was not allowed in the agricultural

zone and it appeared to exceed the scope of a previous owner’s permit for “retail

agricultural products.” However, the hearing examiner allowed the bakery to

continue while the owners transitioned to a legal use.

Several documents were submitted in regard to “Matthews Estate”

(Matthews),1 including its construction of a 3,000 gallon holding tank for on-site

sewage disposal; stormwater pollutant violations dating back to 2006 associated

1 Throughout the record, the establishments owned by Cliff and Diane Otis

are referred to under several different names, including Matthews Estate Winery –
Rubstello/Otis LLC, Matthews Estate, Tenor Wines LLC, and Rubstello/Otis LLC.
For consistency, we refer to this group of establishments collectively as
“Matthews.”

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No. 83905-5-I/6

with fermentation tanks and effluent from grape crushing;2 a 2012 citation for

conversion of a garage into business space for wine production, a tasting room,

and an office without required permits and holding “Events/Concerts” without an

approved temporary use permit; and an agreement by Matthews not to protest

sewer extension if it becomes available. In an enforcement case, the owners of

Matthews entered into a settlement agreement with the County in anticipation of

pending adult beverage code changes.

Over a weekend in late August 2017, Matthews hosted what one resident

described as “[t]he outrage of the ‘White Party,’ ” photographs of which depicted

bumper-to-bumper traffic blocking the road “for hours,” open land filled with cars

parking under a cloud of dust, portable toilets, food trucks, King County sheriff

deputies directing guests across the road, and an assemblage of persons in all-

2 Opponents relied on an August 3, 2009 letter ostensibly written by Douglas

D. Navetski, supervising engineer with King County’s Water Quality Compliance
Unit. In the letter, Navetski directed Matthews to stop flushing the processing area
of crushed grapes toward the road drainage system, and instead “collect and
contain the process water from this grape crushing activity and dispose to your
onsite septic system.” In response to a motion by King County in this matter, FoSV
points to a letter filed in the clerk’s papers for King County v. Friends of
Sammamish Valley, No. 84659-1-I (Wash. Ct. App. Feb. 12, 2021). The letter is
dated February 12, 2021 and is from Katelynn Piazza, SEPA Coordinator with the
state Department of Ecology, to Ty Peterson with the County’s permitting division
and the responsible official who issued the determination of nonsignificance for
Ordinance 19030. Id. Piazza’s 2021 letter indicates that “[s]tate law does not allow
wastewater from alcohol production to be treated in onsite systems that are
designed to treat wastewater from toilets, shower and kitchens.” Id. Piazza
concludes the SEPA checklist for Ordinance 19030 “should also identify potential
impacts of wastewater disposal on drinking/groundwater from rural WBD
businesses.” Id. Piazza’s letter outlines options WBD facilities could use to
dispose of wastewater, though the letter states they are “expensive and entail
significant effort.” Id.

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No. 83905-5-I/7

white attire, and which was reported as having “attracted about 1,500 millennials”

and involved “parking 500 to 600 cars across the street on farmland.” A resident

told the County that “up until 2016 the ‘wineries’ were having music past midnight”

and Matthews is not a winery but a “wine bar.” The County became aware that

Matthews was referred to as a “nightclub” in an online review.

On March 28, 2018, the County sent a letter to Matthews’s owners notifying

them that it had verified a complaint of an expansion of their business. The County

viewed Matthews’s use of a grass area for wine business related activities as an

expansion contrary to the settlement agreement. The County noted the property

continued to be used for events and activities, which required a temporary use

permit the owners had not requested. The County concluded these violations

breached the settlement agreement, advised Matthews’s owners to cease using

the grass area for winery activities, and advised Matthews’s owners to submit a

temporary use permit application for events occurring on the property. In response

to a letter from the owners’ attorney, the County paused enforcement action

pending an updated adult beverage ordinance.

B

On April 24, 2019, the County published its SEPA environmental checklist

(Checklist). The Checklist relied on both the Study and the Action Report. The

Checklist stated Ordinance 19030 was a nonproject action that is not site specific

and would apply throughout unincorporated King County. For section B of the

Checklist, which constituted most of the Checklist, the majority of the responses

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No. 83905-5-I/8

concerning the environmental elements of the proposal were “not applicable for

this nonproject action.” In response to a question asking about proposed

measures to ensure the proposal is compatible with existing and projected land

uses and plans, the County wrote, “The proposed regulations appropriately

regulate WBD land uses consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The proposal

will go through environmental review and a public hearing process, before being

acted on by the King County Council.” In the supplement to the Checklist, the

County noted that the “proposal generally increases the regulations on winery,

brewery, and distillery uses, and is not expected to increase discharges to water,

emissions to air or production of toxic or hazardous substances.” It also noted that

existing regulation on various environmental considerations, such as discharge to

water, emission to air, production of noise, and effects on plants and wildlife, are

already covered by existing applicable regulation on these activities. The Checklist

stated Ordinance 19030 was not expected to conflict with or change any

requirements for protection of the environment.

On April 26, 2019, the SEPA responsible official, Ty Peterson, issued a

determination of nonsignificance (DNS). Peterson reviewed the Checklist and

other information on file, considered the extent to which the proposed ordinance

will cause adverse environmental effects in excess of those created by existing

regulations, and considered mitigation measures that the agency or proponent will

implement as part of the proposal. Peterson found the available information was

reasonably sufficient to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed

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No. 83905-5-I/9

ordinance and concluded that the proposed ordinance will not have a significant

impact to current or continued use of the environment.

In May 2019, Peterson received several e-mails and letters from interested

parties, including FoSV and Futurewise, on the proposed ordinance and its DNS.

Futurewise argued that basing the DNS on a Checklist deferring analysis of

impacts by labeling the action as nonproject was error and that some aspects of

the proposed ordinance were more specific than nonproject actions. FoSV

requested the DNS be withdrawn and an environmental impact statement (EIS) be

prepared. Barbara Lau, an environmental scientist, opined the proposed

ordinance would legalize existing illegal businesses and authorize new

development that would cause significant environmental impacts. Roberta

Lewandowski, a former planning director and SEPA responsible official for the city

of Redmond, concluded the DNS was not appropriate. Lewandowski stated the

proposed ordinance had an after-the-fact approach of looking backward to

discover environmental impacts, which did not comply with the spirit or

requirements of SEPA. Lau and Lewandowski documented impacts that new

development in the Sammamish Valley could have on the environment and

agriculture.

On June 10, 2019, Peterson sent a memorandum to Erin Auzins, the King

County Council’s supervising legislative analyst, explaining his decision to issue

the DNS. Peterson stated he reviewed the Checklist, proposed ordinance, existing

codes, regulations and policies, associated studies, and public comments that

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No. 83905-5-I/10

were received after the DNS was issued and published. Peterson believed project

level impacts could not be anticipated with responsible certainty and attempting to

do so would result in “gross speculation.” Peterson characterized the proposed

ordinance as making “relatively minor” amendments that would not necessarily

allow for the reasonable anticipation of probable environmental impacts. Peterson

opined the majority of public comments failed to recognize that the proposed

ordinance amended existing regulations and the majority of amendments placed

restrictions that had not previously existed on WBD uses. Peterson considered

the potential for a likely significant impact or probable adverse impact 3 when he

reviewed existing conditions, the scope of this nonproject action, and whether

existing regulations mitigate any potential impact. Peterson listed 11 areas of

environmental regulatory protection or code that the proposed amendments did

not change and that would apply to any new development. Peterson found that

potential impacts of concern identified in public comment would be most

appropriately analyzed at the project level. Peterson characterized the public

comments as concerning character, policy, philosophical, growth management,

and land use arguments, as opposed to identifying unmitigated environmental

impacts likely to result from the code changes.

3 Peterson’s memorandum used the phrase “more than probable adverse

environmental impact” in reference to an agency’s threshold determination
process. This appears to be a typographical error. Peterson also described the
threshold determination as requiring consideration of any “likely” significant impact,
and he cited WAC 197-11-330. There the code directs the agency to “[d]etermine
if the proposal is likely to have a probable significant adverse environmental
impact.” WAC 197-11-330(1)(b). There is no information suggesting, and the
parties do not argue, that Peterson did not apply the proper standard.

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No. 83905-5-I/11

C

The County adopted Ordinance 19030 on December 4, 2019. Ordinance

19030 imposed a new license requirement on operating or maintaining an adult

beverage business in unincorporated King County. Generally, Ordinance 19030

established a schedule for adult beverage businesses to become licensed, either

through establishing a legal nonconforming use or through compliance with its new

requirements.

Ordinance 19030 superseded preexisting code which had permitted

“Winery/Brewery/Distillery” uses. The Ordinance replaced the former use with

“Winery/Brewery/Distillery/Facility” uses I, II, and III. The Ordinance continued

previous code that a WBD facility may be sited in agricultural areas only where the

“primary” use is “Growing and Harvesting Crops” or “Raising Livestock and Small

Animals.” Under Ordinance 19030, there is a new requirement for WBD facilities

in agricultural areas that 60 percent of the products processed must be grown on

site. This is more restrictive than former code, which required WBD uses only to

have 60 percent of the products processed grown in the Puget Sound counties, a

regional designation that did not require such facilities to process anything grown

on site.

Ordinance 19030 altered a former code restriction to tasting of products

“produced on-site.” Before, the code stated,

Tasting of products produced onsite may be provided in accordance
with state law.

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No. 83905-5-I/12

Ordinance 19030 amended this to provide,

Tasting and retail sales of products produced on-site may occur only
as accessory to the primary winery, brewery, distillery production use
and may be provided in accordance with state law.

This code provision addresses “[t]asting” and “retail sales” in both agricultural and

rural areas. In addition to the primary use requirement applicable in agricultural

areas of growing crops or raising livestock, for “[t]asting” and “retail sales” this

provision adds a new primary production use requirement applicable in both

agricultural areas and rural areas.

Ordinance 19030 imposed other new regulatory requirements. One is that

“[a]t least two stages of production of wine, beer, cider or distilled spirits, such as

crushing, fermenting, distilling, barrel or tank aging, or finishing . . . shall occur on-

site.” One of the on-site stages must be “crushing, fermenting or distilling.” The

Ordinance’s other new requirements include regulating floor area, operating hours,

parking, licensure, events, impervious surfaces, lot size, water connection, and

setbacks.

Ordinance 19030 established new provisions governing temporary use

permits for events. In considering a temporary use permit, the County must

consider building occupancy and parking limitations, and condition the number of

guests allowed based on those limitations. The Ordinance imposed limits of 150

guests at a WBD II and 250 guests at a WBD III. In the rural area, Ordinance

19030 changed the temporary use permit limitation from two events per month to

24 days in any 1 year period.

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There is an exception for which a temporary use permit is not required at

WBD II and III facilities, if six conditions are satisfied regarding the business’s

liquor licensure, parcel size, setbacks, location in the rural area zone, access to an

arterial or state highway, and hours of use of amplified sound. If a facility is not

licensed as a WBD II or III and therefore cannot rely on the exception, a temporary

use permit is required if any of seven conditions exist, including exceeding building

occupancy, use of portable toilets, parking overflow, use of temporary stages, use

of tents or canopies requiring a permit, traffic control, or exceeding allowed

operating hours.

Ordinance 19030 created “Demonstration Project Overlay A” in 13 parcels

within the rural area zone adjacent to Woodinville. This aspect of Ordinance 19030

uniquely allows “remote tasting rooms.” Remote tasting rooms were not defined

or explicitly allowed before Ordinance 19030, but Ordinance 19030 provided a

means by which these uses can be regulated and licensed. The County

acknowledged Demonstration Project Overlay A may result in additional traffic and

congestion should new tasting rooms be developed beyond those existing before

the Ordinance was adopted. However, the County noted events at remote tasting

rooms are limited to two per year per parcel, and Ordinance 19030 limited the

number of permitted attendees, making it more restrictive than the former code.

D

On March 4, 2020, FoSV filed a petition with the Board challenging

Ordinance 19030 under the GMA and SEPA. On May 26, 2020, the Board granted

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summary judgment for FoSV that Ordinance 19030 violated SEPA and

substantially interfered with the fulfillment of the GMA’s planning goals. The Board

found the Checklist inadequate. The Board “remanded this matter to the County

to achieve compliance” pursuant to RCW 36.70A.300. There, the GMA provides

that in case of noncompliance with SEPA, the Board “shall remand the matter to

the affected . . . county” and “specify a reasonable time . . . within which the . . .

county . . . shall comply with” the GMA. RCW 36.70A.300(3)(b). The Board

established November 6, 2020 as the due date for compliance.

On November 5, 2020, the County issue a new SEPA checklist (2020

Checklist) “in response to the Growth Management Hearings Board Order on

Dispositive Motions . . . which granted the petitioners’ summary judgment motion

and invalidated most of the substantive sections of Ordinance 19030.” The 2020

Checklist included a supplemental sheet for nonproject actions (Part D) and four

attachments.

Attached to the 2020 Checklist, the County included a table comparing

Ordinance 19030 with the former code and an impact summary highlighting the

changes between the two versions of the code.4 Only five parcels countywide that

potentially could host WBD II or III facilities could hold events without a temporary

use permit, and these parcels were known to already be or potentially be WBD

facilities at the time Ordinance 19030 was adopted. The County noted the

4 The County’s response to FoSV’s and Futurewise’s motion for
reconsideration in this court establishes that the table was based on and furthered
analysis of code changes already included in the Action Report, which had been
considered as part of the original DNS.

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No. 83905-5-I/15

exemption could lead to a greater number and more frequent occurrence of events

on these properties than might otherwise occur under the former code, “which

could mean greater periodic traffic congestion, noise, or other impacts than would

otherwise occur under the former code.”

On April 16, 2021, the superior court reversed the Board’s May 26, 2020

order after finding that the Board exceeded its statutory authority and the order

was based on an improper application of the summary judgment standard. The

superior court remanded with direction that the Board conduct a hearing on the

merits, which the Board did. The Board issued its final, corrected decision on

January 23, 2022. Now reviewing the County’s revised 2020 Checklist, the Board

again found the County had not prepared an adequate checklist under SEPA and

again remanded for compliance under RCW 36.70A.300. The Board invalidated

sections 12-29, 31, and map amendments No. 1 and No. 2 of Ordinance 19030

and remanded to the County for action to comply with several statutes and

administrative requirements. King County filed an appeal from the Board’s

January 23, 2022 order in superior court, and the action was transferred to this

court pursuant to RCW 34.05.518(1)(b).5

5 On January 19, 2023, the County filed a “renewed motion for accelerated

review” of this matter or alternately a stay of the appeal filed under Friends of
Sammamish Valley, No. 84659-1-I. The motion discloses that pursuant to RCW
36.70A.330(1) and (2), the Board conducted a compliance hearing on August 15,
2022. The Board issued an order finding the County in continued noncompliance.
Friends of Sammamish Valley, No. 84659-1-I (Sept. 8, 2022). The County
appealed that order, and King County Superior Court transferred the matter to this
court. Id. We deny as moot the County’s motion for accelerated review in this
matter, and we deny without prejudice the County’s motion to stay Friends of
Sammamish Valley, No. 84659-1-I.

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II

The County argues the Board exceeded its jurisdiction by basing its GMA

and SEPA analysis on alleged code violations of several existing businesses in the

Sammamish Valley. The County argues that the GMA assigns the Board no

authority to review site specific land use decisions and, further, that unadjudicated

code complaints are unreliable for a GMA and SEPA analysis because even an

accurate complaint may not result in a determination that the use is unlawful. The

County argues the Board confused a use that is allowed but may not comply with

all aspects of governing code, with a use that is illegal and cannot exist in

compliance with code.

This distinction is supported by Seven Hills, LLC v. Chelan County, in which

the court held that a county’s resolution declaring a moratorium on siting new

cannabis production and processing activities did not amend or replace existing

ordinances, and Seven Hills established a nonconforming use before adoption of

the resolution. 198 Wn.2d 371, 376, 495 P.3d 778 (2021). After the county

changed the agricultural zoning laws, cannabis growing and processing became

nonconforming uses. Id. at 398. The county argued that absent compliance with

every required permit and license, a cannabis business could not continue

operations after its moratorium. Id. at 397. However, while Seven Hills’s failure to

obtain a final inspection put them out of compliance with a building permit, it did

not necessarily make the use unlawful. Id.

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Under RCW 36.70C.040(1), land use petitions fall within the exclusive

jurisdiction of superior courts. A “land use decision” means a final determination

by a local jurisdiction’s body or officer with the highest level of authority to make

the determination on “[t]he enforcement by a local jurisdiction of ordinances

regulating the improvement, development, modification, maintenance, or use of

real property.” RCW 36.70C.020(2)(c). Relevant here, the Board may review only

petitions alleging “a state agency, county, or city planning . . . is not in compliance

with the requirements of [the GMA], . . . as it relates to plans, development

regulations, or amendments, adopted under [the GMA].” RCW 36.70A.280(1)(a).

“Development regulations” are controls placed on development or land use

activities by a county or city, including, among other things, zoning ordinances,

official controls, and subdivision ordinances. RCW 36.70A.030(8).

We agree with FoSV that this case does not concern any final land use

decisions, which are subject to review in superior court and not before the Board.

A rezone involving a single site may fall within the Board’s jurisdiction “if it

implements a comprehensive plan amendment.” Spokane County v. E. Wash.

Growth Mgmt. Hr’gs Bd., 176 Wn. App. 555, 572, 309 P.3d 673 (2013). The

development regulations at issue here fall within the Board’s express statutory

jurisdiction under RCW 36.70A.280(1)(a). This remains so when evaluating the

effect of the development regulations for GMA and SEPA compliance involves

considering whether new development at the affected site or sites may “disrupt[]

the neighborhood’s rural character” under the GMA or “could significantly affect

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No. 83905-5-I/18

environmental quality” under SEPA. Id. at 577, 580. The Board did not exceed its

jurisdiction by addressing the probable effects of Ordinance 19030 in regard to

specific sites.

Additionally, FoSV argues that the Board did not exceed its jurisdiction in

making statements about the legal effect of Ordinance 19030, asserting that the

Ordinance legalizes, without appropriate consideration, existing operations that

the County had cited as unlawful. Under SEPA, “for a nonproject action, such as

a comprehensive plan amendment or rezone, the agency must address the

probable impacts of any future project action the proposal would allow.” Id. at 579.

Substantial evidence does not support the conclusion that Ordinance 19030

legalizes previously illegal uses.

When applying for a license under Ordinance 19030, a person must certify

the application under penalty of perjury and must include, “[f]or any adult beverage

businesses attempting to demonstrate legal nonconforming use status[,] . . .

documentation sufficient to establish that the requirements of [King County Code]

Title 21A have been met,” referring to the County’s nonconforming use rules. If an

adult beverage business was operating under an active Washington State Liquor

and Cannabis Board license for its current location before Ordinance 19030 was

effective and the County had not objected to that license, the operator can obtain

an initial six month license and then, if the County determines the operator has

taken “substantial steps” to document compliance with the County’s

nonconforming use rules, an additional six months. Thereafter, the County can

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No. 83905-5-I/19

approve further licensure only if the applicant has established a legal

nonconforming use, shows substantial steps toward doing so, or has conformed

with the new requirements for a WBD I, II, or III or remote tasting room regulations.

Ordinance 19030 requires operators to establish compliance with prior code or

with Ordinance 19030’s new requirements. The Board’s order makes frequent

reference to Ordinance 19030 allowing development “in contravention of current

code,” approving “existing code violations,” or “removal of regulatory bans on

previously illegal activities.” With one exception, the Board nowhere points to an

instance of a use it believes was illegal before Ordinance 19030 that would

become legal under Ordinance 19030.

The exception is Demonstration Project Overlay A, which the Board asserts

allows “uses that are not currently allowable.” For Demonstration Project Overlay

A, the Ordinance establishes new regulations governing floor area, operating

hours, licensure, special events, and off-street parking. Although Ordinance 19030

contemplates that there will be ongoing evaluation and future permanent

legislation, it does not mandate that future legislation occur. Remote tasting rooms

in Demonstration Project Overlay A “may continue as long as an underlying

business license or renewal is maintained.” Ordinance 19030 “supersedes other

variance, modification or waiver criteria” of the County zoning code. However,

continuing a remote tasting room use remains “subject to the nonconformance

provisions” of the County code. Within Demonstration Project Overlay A, as well,

the Ordinance requires that businesses conform either to former code or to

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No. 83905-5-I/20

Ordinance 19030’s new requirements. In both agricultural and rural areas, and in

Demonstration Project Overlay A, businesses must show compliance with either

former or current code.

The Board’s decision does not identify any site it believed was not in

compliance, the justification for that conclusion, or a reason to believe the nature

of the noncompliance would have supported abatement by the County. Under

Seven Hills, it does not follow that because a business was ostensibly not in

compliance with a code provision, the County could succeed in code enforcement

resulting in cessation of the activity. Some of the violations and alleged violations

shown in the record concerned only certain activities on properties in the

Sammamish Valley, not the broad assertion that the uses on site were illegal and

could be subject to action to terminate them, and the possibility of nonconforming

use is not addressed for any site. The record does not contain substantial

evidence that the County had the ability under the former code to terminate any of

the preexisting uses asserted by FoSV and Futurewise to be noncompliant.

The Board did not exceed its jurisdiction under the GMA because it did not

conclude, and its record does not permit the conclusion, that any specific site’s

land use was legal or illegal.

III

The GMA requires that counties with specified populations adopt

comprehensive growth management plans. Futurewise v. Spokane County, 23

Wn. App. 2d 690, 694, 517 P.3d 519 (2022) (citing former RCW 36.70A.040

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(2014)). A jurisdiction’s comprehensive plan must contain data and detailed

policies to guide the use and development of land, as prescribed by the GMA. Id.

Because of legislative compromises at the time of the enactment of the GMA,

Washington courts do not grant the GMA liberal construction. Thurston County v.

W. Wash. Growth Mgmt. Hr’gs Bd., 164 Wn.2d 329, 342, 190 P.3d 38 (2008). The

Growth Management Hearings Boards are “charged with adjudicating GMA

compliance and invalidating noncompliant plans and development regulations.”

Lewis County v. W. Wash. Growth Mgmt. Hr’gs Bd., 157 Wn.2d 488, 497, 139 P.3d

1096 (2006); RCW 36.70A.280, .302.

When a party challenges a development regulation before the Board, the

regulation is “presumed valid upon adoption,” RCW 36.70A.320(1), and the Board

“shall find compliance unless it determines that the action by the state agency,

county, or city is clearly erroneous in view of the entire record before the [B]oard

and in light of the goals and requirements of [the GMA],” RCW 36.70A.320(3). To

find an action clearly erroneous, the Board must have a firm and definite conviction

that a mistake has been committed. Thurston County, 164 Wn.2d at 340-41. The

Board’s obligation to apply the “clearly erroneous” standard of review implements

a legislative directive that the Board must “grant deference to counties and cities

in how they plan for growth, consistent with the requirements and goals of [the

GMA].” RCW 36.70A.3201. Before the Board, the party challenging an agency

action has the burden of demonstrating failure to comply with the GMA. Thurston

County, 164 Wn.2d at 341. Here, FoSV and Futurewise had the burden before the

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No. 83905-5-I/22

Board to show that Ordinance 19030 was clearly erroneous in light of the record

and the goals and requirements of the GMA.

The GMA provides that a party aggrieved by a final decision of the Board

may appeal the decision in court pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act

(APA), chapter 34.05 RCW. RCW 36.70A.300(5) (citing RCW 34.05.514);

Thurston County, 164 Wn.2d at 341. Under RCW 34.05.518, in circumstances the

parties do not dispute exist here, the superior court may transfer review of a final

decision of an agency to the Court of Appeals. We review a Board’s order for

substantial evidence, meaning a sufficient quantity of evidence to persuade a fair-

minded person of the truth or correctness of the order. Thurston County, 164

Wn.2d at 341. On mixed questions of law and fact, we determine the law

independently and apply it to the facts as found by the agency. Id. at 341-42. We

review issues of law de novo. Id. at 341. We give “[s]ubstantial weight” to the

Board’s interpretation of the GMA, but the court is not bound by the Board’s

interpretations. Id.

Because of the legislative directive that the Board grant deference to the

agency, “deference to county planning actions, that are consistent with the goals

and requirements of the GMA, supersedes deference granted by the APA and

courts to administrative bodies in general.” Quadrant Corp. v. Cent. Puget Sound

Growth Mgmt. Hr’gs Bd., 154 Wn.2d 224, 238, 110 P.3d 1132 (2005). The Board’s

deference to an agency’s action under the GMA ends when it is shown that the

action is clearly erroneous. Id. However, if the Board’s decision fails to apply the

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No. 83905-5-I/23

deferential “clearly erroneous” standard to the agency action, then the Board’s

decision is not entitled to deference from the court. Id.

The party appealing a Board decision has the burden of demonstrating the

invalidity of the Board’s action. Thurston County, 164 Wn.2d at 341; Quadrant

Corp., 154 Wn.2d at 233. One ground on which an agency action may be

challenged is that the agency erroneously interpreted or applied the law. RCW

34.05.570(3)(d). We review a question of law de novo under the “error of law”

standard. City of Redmond v. Cent. Puget Sound Growth Mgmt. Hr’gs Bd., 136

Wn.2d 38, 49, 959 P.2d 1091 (1998). Under the “error of law” standard, the court

may substitute its own view of the law for the Board’s. Marcum v. Dep’t of Soc. &

Health Servs., 172 Wn. App. 546, 559, 290 P.3d 1045 (2012). “If the Board’s order

correctly found that the [agency’s] planning action was clear error, this court defers

to the Board’s determination of the GMA’s requirements. But if this court

determines that the Board erred when it found clear error or did not give sufficient

deference to the [agency], this court gives deference to the [agency’s] planning

action.” Heritage Baptist Church v. Cent. Puget Sound Growth Mgmt. Hr’gs Bd.,

2 Wn. App. 2d 737, 749, 413 P.3d 590 (2018).

Interpretation of a statute is a question of law we review de novo.

Ellensburg Cement Prods., Inc. v. Kittitas County, 179 Wn.2d 737, 743, 317 P.3d

1037 (2014). “The primary goal in statutory interpretation is to ascertain and give

effect to the intent of the Legislature.” Nat’l Elec. Contractors Ass’n v. Riveland,

138 Wn.2d 9, 19, 978 P.2d 481 (1999). Statutory interpretation begins with the

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No. 83905-5-I/24

statute’s plain language and ordinary meaning. Id. We apply the same principles

of interpretation to a county ordinance. Ellensburg Cement Prods., Inc., 179

Wn.2d at 743. We conclude the County has met its burden of showing that the

Board erred in interpreting Ordinance 19030 and, as a result, the Board erred in

assessing Ordinance 19030’s compliance with the GMA.

A

The Board and the parties first have focused on Ordinance 19030’s allowing

WBD II and WBD III uses in areas zoned for agricultural uses. The Board found

that Ordinance 19030 failed to restrict agricultural accessory uses and activities to

those that are consistent with the size, scale, and intensity of the existing

agricultural use of the property and the existing buildings on the site in violation of

RCW 36.70A.177(3)(b)(ii). Futurewise argues WBDs cannot qualify as agricultural

or nonagricultural accessory uses, in part because under Ordinance 19030 only

two of the five production steps are required to take place on site.

RCW 36.70A.177 permits counties to use “innovative zoning techniques” in

areas designated as agricultural lands of long-term commercial significance. RCW

36.70A.177(1). One such technique is to allow “accessory uses.” RCW

36.70A.177(2)(a). King County Code 21A.06.013 defines “accessory use” as “a

use, structure or activity that is: (A) Customarily associated with a principal use;

(B) Located on the same site as the principal use; and (C) Subordinate and

incidental to the principal use.” Section .177 permits agricultural and

nonagricultural accessory uses. Agricultural accessory uses include without

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limitation the storage, distribution, and marketing of regional agricultural products,

agriculturally related experiences, or the production, marketing, and distribution of

value-added agricultural products. RCW 36.70A.177(3)(b)(i). Section .177

permits nonagricultural accessory uses if they are consistent with the size, scale,

and intensity of the existing agricultural use of the property and the existing

buildings on the site. RCW 36.70A.177(3)(b)(ii). Nonagricultural accessory uses,

“including new buildings, parking, or supportive uses, shall not be located outside

the general area already developed for buildings and residential uses and shall not

otherwise convert more than one acre of agricultural land to nonagricultural uses.”

Id.

In King County v. Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings

Board, 142 Wn.2d 543, 547, 14 P.3d 133 (2000) (hereafter Soccer Fields), the

County and a local youth soccer association began acquiring land to develop into

new athletic facilities. The effort targeted properties in the same Sammamish

Valley area that is the focus of this case, which contained prime agricultural soil,

and at the time the first property was acquired, the County’s comprehensive plan

discouraged active recreational uses within agricultural production districts

(APDs). Id. The County amended its comprehensive plan and zoning code to

allow active recreation in APDs. Id. at 548. Soccer Fields held that RCW

36.70A.020(8), .060(1), and .170 evidenced a legislative mandate for the

conservation of agricultural land, and that section .177 must be interpreted in a

manner consistent with that mandate. Id. at 562. The court concluded the GMA

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did not allow the county to permit recreational facilities to supplant agricultural uses

on designated lands with prime soils for agriculture. Id.

1

The Board’s finding that Ordinance 19030 authorizes uses in violation of

section .177 is based on an erroneous reading of the Ordinance as allowing the

repurposing of agricultural lands. The Board stated that Ordinance 19030 is an

attempt by the County to “permit previously unallowable uses within the

[Sammamish Valley] APD,” relying on decisions finding GMA violations where

there were “no restrictions” on accessory uses in agricultural areas. The Board

never explains what uses it believed were allowable beforehand in the area zoned

agricultural. Ordinance 19030 replaced a previous use of

“Winery/Brewery/Distillery,” which was allowed in the agricultural zone but was

“only allowed on sites where the primary use is . . . Growing and Harvesting Crops

or . . . Raising Livestock and Small Animals.” This same limitation is retained for

the new described uses WBD II and WBD III when established in the agricultural

zone. Compared to the superseded previous allowed use, the new WBD II and

WBD III uses have amended provisions for lot size, floor area, structures, and on-

site tasting, and new regulations governing parking, on-site production, location of

nonagricultural facility uses, retail sales, and impervious surfaces. Like the

previous use category, a WBD II or WBD III use under Ordinance 19030 is

permitted in the agricultural zone only on sites whose primary use is growing crops

or raising livestock. The new WBD II and WBD III uses must additionally comply

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No. 83905-5-I/27

with Ordinance 19030’s new requirements. Ordinance 19030 does not allow a

previously unallowed use, but redefines a previously allowed use with new, more

extensive requirements.

FoSV and Futurewise argued before the Board that Ordinance 19030

violated section .177 because its new regulations “do not require that WBDs be

located in already developed portions” of agricultural parcels. Ordinance 19030

states that for WBD IIs and WBD IIIs in the agricultural zone, structures for

nonagricultural facility uses “shall be located on portions of agricultural lands that

are unsuitable for agricultural purposes,” which the Ordinance describes as “areas

within the already developed portion of such agricultural lands that are not

available for direct agricultural production, or areas without prime agricultural

soils.” Focusing on the reference to areas “without prime agricultural soils,” the

Board saw a danger that suitable, but not prime, agricultural soils would be

repurposed to accessory uses. This interpretation errs by overlooking the

requirement that facilities be located only on land “unsuitable for agricultural

purposes.” In applying Ordinance 19030, the County must follow section .177, it

may permit WBDs in agricultural lands only when the primary use on site is growing

crops or raising livestock, and it may permit WBD facilities to be sited only on

portions of agricultural lands unsuitable for agricultural purposes.

The Board further concluded that Ordinance 19030 was inconsistent with

state law in requiring that “sixty percent” of the products processed at a WBD in

the agricultural zone be grown “on-site.” This was inconsistent, the Board stated,

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No. 83905-5-I/28

with the requirement of the GMA that agricultural land must be “land primarily

devoted” to commercial agricultural production under RCW 36.70A.030(3). The

requirement that WBDs in the agricultural zone process products grown on site is

a new requirement Ordinance 19030 imposes that did not exist before. Prior code

for a winery, brewery, or distillery required only that 60 percent of the products

processed be grown “in the Puget Sound counties.” In allowing accessory WBD

facilities only if the majority of the products processed are grown on site, Ordinance

19030 is more protective of agricultural production on site than previous code.

The Board raises the specter of the 60-percent-grown-on-site requirement

being meant to create the appearance of promoting agriculture while in reality

encouraging “banquet venues and distillery tasting rooms.”6 The Board described

this provision of Ordinance 19030 as meaning that “consuming a hamburger at a

fast-food tasting room is an agriculturally-related experience if some portion of the

meat, lettuce, tomato or other ingredient are produced onsite.” The Board

described its task as determining “whether the WBDs allowed under Ordinance

19030 are legitimately accessory to fruit production, or whether fruit production

merely justifies/is accessory to beverage-tasting and event venues.” Futurewise

makes a similar argument, based on Ordinance 19030’s requiring only two stages

of production to occur on site (another requirement new from prior code), meaning

that three could occur offsite. We take these arguments as envisioning a nominal

6 The Board’s reference to “tasting rooms” in this context is somewhat
misleading, because Ordinance 19030 does not allow what it refers to as “remote
tasting rooms” except in Demonstration Project Overlay A.

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No. 83905-5-I/29

winery, for instance, processing grapes grown on site into wine, whose main

purpose is to serve as a wine bar providing tasting of other wines besides that

produced on site.7

We do not agree that Ordinance 19030 disguises such intent. Before this

scenario could occur, the County, applying Ordinance 19030, would need to

conclude, consistent with section .177, the primary use on site is growing crops or

raising livestock; winery facilities could be located only on portions of the lands

unsuitable for agricultural uses; and enough of the site would need to be devoted

to agricultural production so that 60 percent of the products processed came from

the site. Other limitations would come into play as well, such as restrictions on the

floor area devoted to on-site tasting or retail sales compared to production. Unlike

the proposal in Soccer Fields, Ordinance 19030 when properly interpreted does

7 For the first time in this court in a motion for reconsideration, FoSV and

Futurewise argue that lines 510-12 of Ordinance 19030 eliminated what they call
the “ ‘sales rule,’ ” and that appreciating the consequence of this is “essential for a
fully informed analysis under SEPA and the GMA.” This court generally does not
consider arguments raised for the first time in a motion for reconsideration. Hous.
Auth. v. Ne. Lake Wash. Sewer & Water Dist., 56 Wn. App. 589, 595 n.5, 784 P.2d
1284, 789 P.2d 103 (1990). We note, however, that FoSV and Futurewise focus
on an alteration of preexisting code without recognition of its being replaced by
new and different requirements. In the agricultural zone, former code allowed a
use of “Liquor Stores,” but only as accessory to the previous category of “SIC
Industry No. 2081 Malt Beverages,” and limited to sales of products “produced on
site” and “incidental items” where the “majority” of sales was required to be from
products “produced on site.” Ordinance 19030 eliminates the allowance of “Liquor
Stores” in agricultural zones. In agricultural zones, such use is superseded by the
new WBD II and III uses, subject to the primary use requirement of growing crops
or raising livestock, the 60-percent-grown-on-site requirement, retail sales limited
to accessory use, and the other new restrictions set forth in the ordinance. While
it is true there is not a majority sales requirement as there was before, that
requirement is replaced by new and different requirements protective of
agricultural lands consistent with section .177.

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No. 83905-5-I/30

not repurpose agricultural lands into nonagricultural uses. The Board erred when

it interpreted Ordinance 19030 otherwise.

2

The Board alludes to the prospect of events occurring in the agricultural

zone and conflicting with agricultural uses. Ordinance 19030 creates new

requirements and conditions for issuance of temporary use permits at the WBD

facilities it allows. FoSV and Futurewise complain of several preexisting use

patterns in the Sammamish Valley, such as activities exceeding building

occupancy; involving “portable toilets”; exceeding the number of allowed parking

spaces; using “temporary stages,” “tents,” or “canopies”; requiring “traffic control”;

or extending “beyond allowable hours of operations.” Ostensibly in response to

these patterns, Ordinance 19030 newly requires a temporary use permit with

certain exceptions. In the agricultural zone, the temporary use shall not exceed

two events per month. During permit review, the County must “consider” building

occupancy and parking limitations “in addition to all other relevant facts,” and “shall

condition the number of guests allowed for a temporary use based on those

limitations.” The County may not authorize more than 150 guests at a WBD II, or

more than 250 guests at a WBD III. The Board found, without further analysis,

“events of that size in agricultural areas without regulations ensuring adequate

setbacks to prevent conflicts between agricultural activities and events” violates

section .177’s requirement that accessory uses do not interfere with agricultural

use of neighboring properties.

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No. 83905-5-I/31

The Board’s focus on events appears to stem from its concern that

Ordinance 19030 will promote the establishment of “banquet venues” in the

agricultural zone. This interpretation neglects Ordinance 19030’s requirement that

sites in agricultural areas must be devoted to a primary use of growing crops or

raising livestock. It also overlooks that temporary use permits are subject to the

County’s discretion to impose limitations to avoid the conflicts the Board fears. As

discussed above, Ordinance 19030 alters the restrictions on temporary use

permits in areas zoned rural area so that annual averages are applied, allowing

events to be clustered in the summer months. But the same is not true in the

agricultural zone in which events remain limited to two per month as they were

under prior code. Finally, the Board’s reference to the capacity limitations for

events at WBDs ignores that these are caps newly imposed by Ordinance 19030

where none had existed before. Ordinance 19030 cannot be viewed as an

expansion of the permissions allowed for events held in agricultural areas, and the

Board erred in construing it to do so.

B

The Board and Futurewise maintain that Ordinance 19030 violates the GMA

because it does not conform to the County’s comprehensive plan. A land use

decision need only generally conform to the comprehensive plan. Spokane

County, 176 Wn. App. at 574-75; Woods v. Kittitas County, 162 Wn.2d 597, 613,

174 P.3d 25 (2007). We conclude that the Board’s erroneous interpretation of

Ordinance 19030 led to an erroneous conclusion that Ordinance 19030 failed to

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No. 83905-5-I/32

“generally conform” to the comprehensive plan. The Board found that Ordinance

19030 was inconsistent with County Policy R-201. As emphasized by the Board,

R-201 calls for development standards to “protect and enhance” “[t]he natural

environment,” “[c]ommunity small-town atmosphere, safety, and locally owned

small businesses,” and “[t]raditional rural land uses.” The County’s policy follows

the GMA’s requirement for the rural element of a comprehensive plan, which must

“protect the rural character of the area.” RCW 36.70A.070(5)(c). The Board

concluded Ordinance 19030 thwarted these requirements based on its omitting

adequate environmental review or sufficient development regulations to ensure

“new allowable uses” are compatible with the “natural environment,” “traditional

rural land uses” of appropriate size and scale, and rural uses that “do not include

primarily urban-serving facilities.” The Board rejected the County’s reliance on its

“discretion to enhance the job base in rural areas and create opportunities for

business development.”

1

The Board asserted the County improperly ignored “the illegal nature” of

existing uses “which could be addressed by code enforcement.” The Board

speculated that these uses, which the Board did not specifically identify, were

“apparently not protected as prior non-confirming uses.” (Emphasis added.)

As discussed above, the Board had no justifiable basis for concluding that

any existing use was “illegal” or “could be addressed by code enforcement.” As

was true for agricultural lands, likewise for areas zoned rural area, prior code had

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No. 83905-5-I/33

allowed a previous use of “Winery/Brewery/Distillery.” Prior code stated tasting of

products produced on site “may be provided in accordance with state law.” Under

Ordinance 19030, the accessory use is broadened to tasting and retail sales, but

is subject to a new requirement that it “may occur only as accessory to the primary

winery, brewery, distillery production use.” The Board adopted an erroneous

interpretation of Ordinance 19030 when concluding it led to “new allowable uses,”

and improperly speculated when it assumed that Ordinance 19030 legalized

previously illegal uses. When properly interpreted as imposing new regulations

over what had been allowed under the previous “Winery/Brewery/Distillery” use,

Ordinance 19030 does not fail to “generally conform” to R-201.

2

FoSV argues that Ordinance 19030’s new provision for “[t]asting and retail

sales” at WBD facilities creates a hidden expansion of retail sales, because,

according to FoSV, “state law” permits a winery to sell wine “of its own production”

at an off-site “additional location.” RCW 66.24.170(3). FoSV theorizes that the

new language would allow a WBD functioning merely as a “retail” “storefront” for

an Eastern Washington winery. FoSV does not establish (and we do not decide)

that state law would operate in this manner. In any event, Ordinance 19030

creates a new requirement that a WBD facility may occur “only” as “accessory” to

a “primary” winery, brewery, or distillery “production” use. When read in the context

of this new requirement, Ordinance 19030 does not create a hidden expansion of

“retail” “storefront” operations without a primary production use on site.

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FoSV also disputes the import of the new requirement that two stages of

production occur on site, describing this as an “[i]llusory” production requirement.

FoSV argues that Ordinance 19030 addresses production in a manner amounting

to a “loophole,” by allegedly allowing WBDs “with no realistic production

capabilities” if there is “a single barrel out back labelled ‘fermenting’, ‘aging’, or

‘finishing,’ but only constituting a negligible fraction” of sales. FoSV points out that

prior code required that in the rural area 60 percent of the materials processed be

grown in Puget Sound counties. As noted above, Ordinance 19030 changes this

to a 60-percent-grown-on-site requirement, but it also limits that requirement to

agricultural areas. As a result, FoSV argues, in the rural area, Ordinance 19030

replaces the former requirement of 60 percent grown in Puget Sound counties with

a new definition of production requiring only that two stages of production occur on

site, a requirement FoSV argues can be exploited by a site primarily importing wine

from Eastern Washington having a “single barrel out back.”

These arguments also overlook that Ordinance 19030 imposes a new

requirement in the rural area that the “primary” use at a WBD be winery, brewery,

or distillery “production use.” By requiring a primary production use in the rural

area, Ordinance 19030 does not authorize a WBD lacking realistic production

capabilities and attempting to justify a primary retail use through two stages of

production of a negligible or sample production quantity. When properly

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interpreted, Ordinance 19030 does not authorize uses inconsistent with traditional

rural land uses under R-201.8

3

FoSV contends that Ordinance 19030 does not generally conform to the

County’s Policy SO-120. This policy explains that “[t]he purpose of the agricultural

production buffer special district overlay” is to provide a buffer between agricultural

land “and upslope residential land uses.” KING COUNTY CODE 21A.38.130(A). To

implement this policy, the code applies to “residential subdivisions locating in an

agricultural production buffer special district overlay,” and requires that “[l]ots shall

be clustered . . . and at least seventy-five percent of a site shall remain as open

space.” KING COUNTY CODE 21A.38.130(B). FoSV does not demonstrate that

Ordinance 19030’s amendments to the uses allowed in the rural area zone

implicate this policy applicable to “residential subdivisions.” Ordinance 19030 does

not authorize any “residential subdivisions” and does not authorize any use that

would not still be subject to SO-120.

While this code provision governs residential subdivisions, Futurewise and

FoSV nevertheless argue that the purpose of the code is to limit surface

development to prevent damaging runoff flowing from upslope lands into the

agricultural lands and the river. Ordinance 19030 imposes a protection against

8 FoSV and Futurewise’s new argument in seeking reconsideration that the

elimination of the “sales rule” violates the GMA makes the same error in regard to
the rural area as noted above in regard to the agricultural zone. In superseding
the former use of “Liquor Stores,” Ordinance 19030 makes WBD uses in the rural
area subject to new and different requirements, including a primary production use
and limiting retail sales to a use accessory to the primary production use.

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No. 83905-5-I/36

surface development for WBD facilities in requiring that “[t]he impervious surface

associated with the winery, brewery, distillery facility use shall not exceed twenty-

five percent of the site, or the maximum impervious surface for the zone in the

according with [King County Code] 21A.12.030[(A)] or 21A.12.040[(A)], whichever

is less.” This is both a new requirement for WBD facilities and one that generally

conforms to SO-120’s requirement that 75 percent of a residential subdivision in

an agricultural buffer overlay remain as open space. This requirement is not

imposed on a “remote tasting room” established within the 13 parcels within

Demonstration Project Overlay A, which lie within the agricultural buffer overlay.

But FoSV and Futurewise point to no evidence that Demonstration Project Overlay

A will likely increase impervious surface on or runoff from these 13 parcels.

Ordinance 19030 does not exempt these parcels from existing law imposing

impervious surface regulations and surface water management regulations. There

is no basis for concluding that there will be increased runoff from these parcels in

a manner that does not generally conform to SO-120.

4

The Board found that Ordinance 19030 failed to “generally conform” to the

County’s general code provisions for the vesting of prior nonconforming uses

under King County Code 21A.32.040. But this conclusion was based on the

Board’s assumption that Ordinance 19030’s Demonstration Project Overlay A

coincides with “sites on which illegal operations are currently known to be in

existence.” This assumption was unjustified, because nothing supported the

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No. 83905-5-I/37

Board in concluding any individual use was “illegal,” nor does Ordinance 19030

legalize any preexisting “illegal” use. When properly interpreted, Ordinance 19030

does not fail to “generally conform” to the County’s existing vesting rules.

IV

In addition to reviewing GMA compliance, “hearings boards may review

petitions alleging a county did not comply with SEPA in adopting or amending its

comprehensive plan or development regulations.” Spokane County, 176 Wn. App.

at 569-70. The legislature enacted SEPA in 1971, expressing the aim of injecting

environmental awareness into governmental decision-making. Wild Fish

Conservancy v. Dep’t of Fish & Wildlife, 198 Wn.2d 846, 855, 502 P.3d 359 (2022).

SEPA is a procedural statute to ensure that environmental impacts and

alternatives are properly considered. Save Our Rural Env’t v. Snohomish County,

99 Wn.2d 363, 371, 662 P.2d 816 (1983).

SEPA and its implementing regulations require that the government

conduct environmental review, through at least a threshold determination, for any

proposal that meets the definition of an action. Int’l Longshore & Warehouse

Union, Loc. 19 v. City of Seattle, 176 Wn. App. 512, 519, 309 P.3d 654 (2013). A

project action involves “a decision on a specific project, such as a construction or

management activity located in a defined geographic area.” WAC 197-11-

704(2)(a). “Nonproject” actions are “actions which are different or broader than a

single site specific project, such as plans, policies, and programs.” WAC 197-11-

774. The purpose of SEPA rules is to ensure an agency fully discloses and

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No. 83905-5-I/38

carefully considers a proposal’s environmental impacts before adopting it and at

the earliest possible stage. Spokane County, 176 Wn. App. at 579. An agency

may not postpone environmental analysis to a later implementation stage if the

proposal would affect the environment without subsequent implementing action.

Id.

The agency must use an environmental checklist to assist its analysis and

must document its conclusion in a threshold determination of significance, a

determination of mitigated nonsignificance, or a DNS. Id. at 578-79; WAC 197-11-

350. A determination of significance requires the preparation of an EIS. RCW

43.21C.030(2)(c); WAC 197-11-400(2). The agency must base its threshold

determination on “information reasonably sufficient to evaluate the environmental

impact of a proposal.” WAC 197-11-335. A threshold determination must not

balance whether the beneficial aspects of a proposal outweigh its adverse impacts

but, rather, must consider whether a proposal has any probable significant adverse

environmental impacts. WAC 197-11-330(5). If the responsible official determines

there will be no probable significant adverse environmental impacts from a

proposal, the agency must issue a DNS.9 WAC 197-11-340.

9 There is no dispute the responsible official was charged with determining

whether Ordinance 19030 would have probable significant environmental impacts
when making the threshold determination. Futurewise takes out of context a
statement from Heritage Baptist when it further argues that the responsible official
could not consider other code requirements that would necessarily bear on any
future projects in evaluating the likelihood that Ordinance 19030 would have
probable significant environmental impacts. In Heritage Baptist, we stated, “[A]
county, city, or town may not rely on its existing plans, laws, and regulations when
evaluating the adverse environmental impacts of a nonproject action.” 2 Wn. App.
2d at 752. This referred to the requirements for a supplemental EIS examining a

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No. 83905-5-I/39

The agency has the burden of showing prima facie compliance with the

procedural requirements of SEPA. Juanita Bay Valley Cmty. Ass’n v. City of

Kirkland, 9 Wn. App. 59, 73, 510 P.2d 1140 (1973). A threshold determination that

an EIS is not required is reviewed under the “clearly erroneous” standard.

Chuckanut Conservancy v. Dep’t of Nat. Res., 156 Wn. App. 274, 286, 232 P.3d

1154 (2010). The scope of review is broad, and the search for significant

environmental impacts must be considered in light of the public policy of SEPA.

Id. The public policy of SEPA is consideration of environmental values. Nor. Hill

Pres. & Prot. Ass’n v. King County Council, 87 Wn.2d 267, 275, 552 P.2d 674

(1976). In any action involving an attack on a determination by a governmental

agency relative to the requirement or the absence of the requirement, or the

adequacy of a “detailed statement,” the decision of the governmental agency must

be accorded substantial weight. RCW 43.21C.090.

rezone, in which it is settled “ ‘the environmental consequences are discussed in
terms of the maximum potential development of the property.’ ” Id. (quoting Ullock
v. City of Bremerton, 17 Wn. App. 573, 581, 565 P.2d 1179 (1977)). Moreover,
Heritage Baptist relied on a statement in a footnote in Spokane County noting that
a statute directed issuance of a DNS in certain situations in which existing
development regulations “ ‘provide adequate analysis of and mitigation for the
specific adverse environmental impacts of the project action,’ ” but this “exception”
does not apply to a nonproject action. 176 Wn. App. at 578 n.4 (quoting RCW
43.21C.240(1)). The responsible official in this case did not attempt, as the agency
had in Heritage Baptist, to undertake an EIS let alone assume something less than
maximum potential development following the rezone in doing so or, as the court
alluded to in Spokane County, to rely on a statutory provision directing the outcome
of the threshold determination.

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No. 83905-5-I/40

A

The County challenges the Board’s finding that the responsible official

included “illegal uses” as a baseline condition for the SEPA threshold

determination, because it was not supported by evidence in the record. Futurewise

argues that the Board correctly concluded that Demonstration Project Overlay A

legalized uses that are not currently allowable and that the impacts of legalizing

these uses were never considered by Peterson or in the Checklist.

In Chuckanut Conservancy, the court addressed the “baseline” against

which to evaluate the environmental impacts. 156 Wn. App. at 283. The term

“baseline” is a term borrowed from National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42

U.S.C. § 4321, jurisprudence, and is a practical tool often employed to identify the

environmental consequences of a proposed agency action. Chuckanut

Conservancy, 156 Wn. App. at 284 n.8. In Chuckanut Conservancy, Blanchard

Forest was proposed to be divided into four management zones: for conservation

and recreation, for habitat conservation, for logging, and for revenue production.

Id. at 281. It was undisputed the forest had been logged before the new

management plan and would continue to be under the new plan. Id. at 280-82.

Those challenging the management plan argued that the “decision to protect the

core zone from logging demonstrates that all of the Blanchard Forest need not be

logged” and that the environmental impacts “must be evaluated against a ‘no

logging’ use.” Id. at 289. We rejected this argument, holding the agency’s task is

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No. 83905-5-I/41

to “analyze the proposal’s impacts against existing uses, not theoretical ones.” Id.

at 290.

In Quadrant Corp., the court held that agencies planning under the GMA

should consider vested development rights when determining whether an area

“already is characterized by urban growth” according to RCW 36.70A.110(1). 154

Wn.2d at 228. The vested rights doctrine establishes that land use applications

vest on the date of submission and entitle the developer to divide and develop the

land in accordance with the statutes and ordinances in effect on that date. Id. at

240. The Growth Management Hearing Board had determined that counties could

consider only the “built environment.” Id. The court found this unreasonably

precluded local jurisdictions from considering vested rights to divide and develop

land and erroneously forced counties to ignore the likelihood of future

development. Id. at 241.

Under both Chuckanut Conservancy and Quadrant Corp., the appropriate

baseline from which to gauge Ordinance 19030’s impact was the existing uses

ongoing in the Sammamish Valley at the time Ordinance 19030 was enacted. It

would be speculative to attempt to evaluate the impact of Ordinance 19030 based

on the possibility—which was never established—that the County could have

forced the cessation of one or more businesses had Ordinance 19030 never been

enacted. Those challenging Ordinance 19030 point to Matthews’s case as one

demonstrating the environmental threat to the Sammamish Valley from the

prospect of new development. The County points to it as demonstrating the

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No. 83905-5-I/42

challenge of enforcement against such establishments under preexisting code.

Ordinance 19030 does not legalize any previously terminable uses but explicitly

requires that uses comply with former code or its new requirements. To the extent

code violations are documented, they establish that some businesses in the

Sammamish Valley were required to address code violations over a period ranging

at least from 2006 to 2017, but they do not establish that any of the businesses

could not exist in their current form either because they could be abated under

code or because they could not continue as nonconforming uses.10

B

The County challenges the Board’s finding that the DNS impermissibly used

potential benefits of Ordinance 19030 to balance the potential negative impacts of

the proposal, in violation of WAC 197-11-330(5). FoSV responds by stating that

the SEPA checklist is neither a bibliography nor a balancing act, but is a full

disclosure document that must provide enough information to adequately inform

the County Council as to the likely significant environmental impacts of their action.

Relying on WAC 197-11-330(5), Futurewise argues that the Board was correct to

10 Another new argument in FoSV and Futurewise’s motion for
reconsideration is their contention that five businesses were illegal before
Ordinance 19030 because they had insufficient lot size. They cite a spreadsheet
they say was prepared by the County showing winery establishments in the county
and listing lot sizes, which FoSV and Futurewise compare to former code. The
spreadsheet does not identify the businesses as illegal or subject to abatement,
the Board did not find existing uses were illegal on this basis, and FoSV and
Futurewise did not make this argument in their briefs. We decline to consider this
new argument. Hous. Auth., 56 Wn. App. at 595 n.5.

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No. 83905-5-I/43

conclude that the responsible official engaged in illegal balancing of positive and

negative impacts of Ordinance 19030.

Under WAC 197-11-330(5), Peterson was not permitted to balance any

beneficial aspects of Ordinance 19030 with its adverse impacts but rather had to

consider whether the proposal had any probable significant adverse environmental

impacts. The Board first seemed to believe that the County was engaged in

improper balancing by touting the benefits of, as the Board put it, “[b]uilding out the

rural area of the Sammamish Valley into a string of upscale spirit tasting and

wedding venues.” Nothing in the DNS suggests this was a motivation in evaluating

the probable impacts of Ordinance 19030, or a likely effect of the Ordinance. By

imposing requirements of primary agricultural and production uses across the

areas in question, the Ordinance does not allow primary spirit tasting and event

venue businesses.

The Board also implies that Peterson engaged in impermissible balancing

when he stated that the vast majority of Ordinance 19030’s amendments result in

new limitations on WBD uses, as opposed to expanding or introducing new uses

previously unpermitted. For instance, the Board stated that Ordinance 19030

eliminated the “on-site production requirement” of the former code and reduced

the minimum lot size for some WBD uses in the rural area from 4.5 acres to 2.5

acres, which, the Board asserted, “Common sense dictates” will increase “the

number of parcels eligible” for siting WBD uses. These statements take the

provisions of Ordinance 19030 out of context. Simultaneously the Ordinance

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No. 83905-5-I/44

newly limits WBD uses in the agricultural and rural area zones to sites whose

primary use is growing crops, raising livestock, or winery, brewery, or distillery

production, and requires at least two stages of production to occur on site.

“Common sense” might dictate that removing an on-site production requirement or

reducing the minimum lot size alone would logically open up more parcels to more

allowed uses, but the same does not hold for an overlay of extensive new

regulation with new and different terms.

Futurewise argues an analysis of rural area parcels FoSV presented to the

County should have been considered in the Checklist and DNS. The analysis lists

43 rural area parcels greater than 2.5 acres and the theoretical permissible amount

of commercial space for WBD II or III uses Ordinance 19030 would allow.

However, 29 of these parcels are equal to or greater than 4.5 acres and already

qualified for WBD uses under preexisting code without any of the new restrictions

Ordinance 19030 imposes. It remains speculative that any parcels, including these

43, would be the site of new development, and no representation is offered that

they lie in the Sammamish Valley or that their development would have any of the

environmental consequences FoSV and Futurewise attributed to the Ordinance.

FoSV and Futurewise rely on evidence that existing uses for events and

tasting rooms dependent on wine produced in Eastern Washington has in the past

created traffic, commercialization, and encroachment concerns. Under Ordinance

19030, new WBD I, II, and III uses must, in the agricultural zone, be based on 60

percent of their product being grown on site, and in the rural area zone, be based

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No. 83905-5-I/45

on a primary production use. FoSV and Futurewise identify no substantial

evidence in the administrative record, and we have found none, that, on a

nonspeculative basis, new WBDs are likely to occur in any numbers or cause any

new or increased traffic, commercialization, or encroachment concerns. FoSV and

Futurewise identify no substantial evidence that new remote tasting room uses are

likely, considering that they can exist only on 13 parcels in Demonstration Project

Overlay A, several of which are already occupied. In concluding that Ordinance

19030 does not exhibit a likelihood of generating new, nonspeculative adverse

impacts, Peterson did not engage in improper balancing.

C

The County challenges the Board’s finding that the Checklist, as

supplemented by the 2020 Checklist, failed to evaluate all reasonably foreseeable

impacts of the proposal by impermissibly delaying environmental review to the

project phase, in violation of WAC 197-11-060. Futurewise contends that the

Checklist’s repetitive variation on the phrase “not applicable for this nonproject

action” as a response to most of the Checklist’s questions violates SEPA. The

Study of wineries in the Sammamish Valley and the Action Report are referenced

in the Checklist. The Study and Action Report are high-level documents, and

neither contains detailed discussion of any environmental concerns for the

Sammamish Valley or any potential impacts of potential legislation. We agree with

FoSV and Futurewise that the Study and Action Report by themselves cannot

satisfy the requirement of SEPA that the Checklist “provide information reasonably

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No. 83905-5-I/46

sufficient to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposal.” Anderson v.

Pierce County, 86 Wn. App. 290, 301, 936 P.2d 432 (1997) (citing WAC 197-11-

315 to -335).

However, the County prepared an amended checklist on remand from the

Board’s first order pursuant to RCW 36.70A.300. The 2020 Checklist discusses

the likelihood that Ordinance 19030 will lead to the development identified as

posing a risk to the Sammamish Valley and is supplemented by an analysis of the

code changes Ordinance 19030 makes as compared to prior code. If the checklist

does not contain sufficient information to make a threshold determination, the

applicant may be required to submit additional information. Moss v. City of

Bellingham, 109 Wn. App. 6, 14, 31 P.3d 703 (2001) (citing WAC 197-11-335(1)).

We agree with the County that when the appropriate baseline is used and the

restrictive provisions of the Ordinance are taken into account, the 2020 Checklist

is adequate to support the DNS.

In Spokane County, the court held the hearings board did not err in finding

SEPA noncompliance because the record showed that the county failed to fully

disclose or carefully consider specific, probable environmental impacts before the

amendment was adopted and at the earliest possible stage. 176 Wn. App. at 581.

The county characterized the proposals as nonproject actions, leaving much of the

required environmental analysis to be determined if site specific developments are

proposed. Id. at 563. The checklist did not tailor its scope or level of detail to

address the probable impact resulting from the amendment. Id. at 580. The

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No. 83905-5-I/47

checklist repeated formulaic language postponing environmental analysis to the

project review stage and assuming compliance with applicable standards. Id. at

580-81. The court found the checklist lacked information reasonably sufficient to

evaluate the proposal’s environmental impacts. Id. at 581.

In Chuckanut Conservancy, the court held the DNS did not clearly err in

determining that a forest management plan did not require an EIS. 156 Wn. App.

at 293. The management plan called for a recreational overlay applicable to all

management zones in the forest and changed no existing regulations, policies, or

plans; new projects would be subject to environmental review. Id. at 282-83. The

DNS reasoned that the management plan was a nonproject action outlining

management objectives to be implemented under existing rules and policies and

therefore generated no environmental impacts by themselves. Id. at 283. The

DNS considered the entire regulatory and policy system governing forestry on

state lands. Id. at 290. The management plan had no bearing on the selection of

future forest practices. Id. at 292. The challenger did not clarify what adverse

impacts may result from the management plan, and its true argument was that the

management plan did not eliminate all environmentally adverse impacts on the

forest. Id. The agency did not improperly rely on the existing regulatory and policy

framework in its threshold review, since the management plan made no changes

to existing uses except to preserve some tracts from harvest. Id.

The Board’s decision, Futurewise, and FoSV do not point to substantial

evidence that Ordinance 19030’s provisions will likely have a nonspeculative

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No. 83905-5-I/48

adverse impact that the County failed to consider. Their concerns for the

legalization of existing uses are almost entirely confined to 13 parcels where, much

as the challengers alleged in Chuckanut Conservancy, they allege long-standing

existing uses will not be curtailed by the new Ordinance. The County did not

postpone environmental analysis of the potential impacts of Ordinance 19030 to

the extent they are probable and not speculative. The comparative analysis of

code changes between Ordinance 19030 and prior code added to the 2020

Checklist bears out this conclusion. This both relied on the appropriate baseline

of the ongoing use patterns and appropriately incorporated Ordinance 19030’s

restrictive elements. This analysis considered, among other things, impacts to

water use within the Woodinville water district, impacts of event and WBD II and

III locations including traffic congestion and noise, impacts of decreasing on-site

parking requirements for WBDs including a potential reduction in visitors, and

impacts of reductions to impervious surface requirements. Analogously to

Chuckanut Conservancy, Ordinance 19030 creates new and different

requirements alongside an existing array of environmental and other development

regulations. We agree with the County that it is speculative to say that the

Ordinance is likely to result in the proliferation of WBD uses to a degree different

than was already allowed under the former code.

When Ordinance 19030 is considered as a whole, in agricultural areas it

restricts WBD uses to those that are accessory within the meaning of King County

Code and section .177 to primary uses of growing crops or raising livestock, and

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No. 83905-5-I/49

in rural areas it restricts them to uses accessory to primary production uses. These

overarching restrictions, like many others appearing in the ordinance, are never

mentioned in the Board’s 55-page order. Because, correctly interpreted,

Ordinance 19030 is more restrictive than the Board interpreted it to be, Peterson

was correct to conclude that it would be speculative to forecast that it will result in

redevelopment of the Sammamish Valley to any identifiable degree. The County

was entitled for this nonproject action to rely on project-level requirements that

individual developments comply with SEPA, existing legal requirements, and

Ordinance 19030’s requirements as described in this opinion.

V

A correct interpretation of Ordinance 19030 demonstrates that it does not

violate section .177 and generally conforms to the County’s comprehensive plan,

Ordinance 19030 does not violate the GMA, the Board erroneously interpreted or

applied the law in violation of RCW 34.05.570(3)(d), and the DNS supporting

Ordinance 19030 did not violate SEPA. We reverse the Board’s order of invalidity

and remand to the Board with instructions to reinstate the DNS and enter a finding

of GMA and SEPA compliance.

WE CONCUR:

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