Developers and owners navigating the regulatory process are represented by Schwabe.
Overview
To address future development needs, Schwabe’s land use lawyers guide clients through the planning and zoning regulatory process, comprehensive plan amendments, and zoning and development regulations.
Our land use team is well-versed in local land development and zoning codes, urban growth boundary amendments, the Washington Growth Management Act and Shoreline Management Act, and development regulations and requirements.
The collective expertise and ability to collaborate with elected officials, developers, and community members allow our land use team to obtain permit and zoning approvals and negotiate the development agreements, easements, and licenses necessary to get each new project moving in a timely manner.
Our team is adept at navigating the planning and zoning process, including:
- Site plan review, development review, and design review
- Development agreements
- Conditional uses, variances, and nonconforming uses
- Rezones and comprehensive plan amendments
- Zoning and development regulations
- Traffic, transportation, and access management issues, including application of the Oregon Highway Plan, local transportation system plans, and the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission’s Transportation Planning Rule
highly ranked
National Tier 1
Land Use and Zoning Law
band two
Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use – OR
Experience
- Negotiated a development agreement and rezone to allow phased development of a large master-planned resort community on the Washington coast.
- Represented large landowners in a comprehensive plan amendment, rezone and development agreement for large-scale projects in King and Pierce Counties.
- Obtained comprehensive plan and zone change approvals for a former diatomaceous earth mine, from surface mine and EFU to rural residential (RR-10).
- Engaged in property acquisition and achieved land use approvals for siting numerous public lands with K–12 school facilities, obtaining site-plan approval, transportation concurrency, and environmental permits.
- Obtained development approvals for a retail warehouse club including site-plan approval, zoning determination, wetlands permitting, and transportation management solutions.
- Obtained land use approvals and final subdivision plats for the following residential subdivisions in the City of Bend: Gardenside, Stonegate, Troon/17th Street, Foxborough, Sky Harbor, Tuscany Pines, Westerly, Promise Lane, Harvest Lane and Crosswinds.
- Obtained land use approval in City of Bend Water Overlay Zone to locate residential utility facility consisting of a heat exchanger in the Deschutes River.
- Obtained an exception to the Statewide Planning Goals, Comprehensive Plan, Zone Change and land use approval for the Narrows RV Park and Campground.
- Successfully amended Sisters UGB to re-designate Agricultural land to Light Industrial and annex to City of Sisters.
- Secured highly controversial rezone of 700+ acre property from farm use zone to rural residential in Central Oregon.
- Represented a large landowner in a comprehensive plan amendment and rezone for a project in Jefferson County.
- Obtained a zone change, Comprehensive Plan Amendment and site plan approval for 10 mixed use big box and commercial shopping centers.
- Advocated for and secured Clark County comprehensive plan designation and map change, overcoming Planning Commission recommendation to deny application.
- Advocated for, negotiated, and obtained City of Vancouver ordinance re-designating property in comprehensive plan; amending development agreement; and entitling development of one-of-a-kind 176 acre mixed use property.
- Advised Malheur County on planning initiative to designate new rural residential lands.
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