Board refuses to rethink dismissal of Wright’s Crossing appeal

A quasi-judicial board refused to rethink a decision regarding a developer’s challenge to Island County.

On Monday, the Western Washington Growth Man-agement Hearings Board announced it wouldn’t reconsider its dismissal of Wright’s Crossing’s appeal of the Island County commissioners’ decision to exclude the developer’s request from the planning commission docket.

Wright’s Crossing wants the county to expand the Oak Harbor urban growth area, or UGA, as part of an effort to make room in city limits for a large-scale housing development.

The commissioners concluded that the city already had enough buildable land to handle 20 years of residential growth.

Also, the timing was off because the state is in the process of setting standards for buildable lands analysis, which is key to UGA expansion.

So far, Wright’s Crossing hasn’t had much luck.

On March 15, a Skagit County Superior Court judge granted Island County’s motion to dismiss a complaint by Wright’s Crossing for statutory and constitutional writ of review and the alternative complaint for declaratory relief.

Wright’s Crossing asked the city council to intervene in the lawsuit, but the council chose not to.

Dennis Reynolds, attorney for Wright’s Crossing, said previously that the developer would appeal the judge’s decision to the state Appeals Court and appeal the Hearings Board decision to the Thurston County Superior Court.

Wright’s Crossing has 30 days to appeal the Growth Management Hearings Board decision.

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson said she knows some people think the board took a no-growth stance.

“Hopefully now that the case was dismissed from the Skagit courts and by the Growth Board twice,” she said, “that there is a greater understanding of the process and Wright’s Crossing will take a step back and allow the community to focus its efforts on solutions to our housing shortage that are workable.”