From the City of Shoreline
Shoreline has retained Foster Pepper to review the City’s legal strategy regarding Point Wells. While the City feels confident that negotiating with Point Wells developer BSRE Point Wells is currently the City’s best option to protect the community’s interests, it is seeking Foster Pepper’s expertise and advice on all options.
In announcing the retention, City Attorney Ian Sievers stated, “We are pleased to have Foster Pepper join us in assessing opportunities both in the negotiations we are committed to try, or further litigation if those negotiations fail to reach the City’s objectives. We will have the participation of Steve DiJulio and Richard Settle, who have are well known experts in municipal law, SEPA and GMA. Steve successfully defended the SEPA/NEPA challenge to the Aurora Project for the City.”
It is expected the City Attorney and Foster Pepper will narrow the legal issues that are important in resolving the Shoreline community’s objections to the BSRE project with input from the Council. The Council will then be briefed on the review in executive session. As was discussed at the September 6th Council study session on the City’s Letter of Intent to BSRE, the questions for review by Foster Pepper and their responses and advice will be considered attorney/client privilege and will not be released to the public.
If I recall correctly, the City of Shoreline won the SEPA and lost the NEPA.
ReplyDeleteBut there was no mention at the last city council meeting of how much Foster, Pepper contract was going to cost the City of Shoreline. Did the city obtain competitive bids prior to deciding whether or not to spend more than $40,000 on a contract for legal services as required by Shoreline Municipal Code? There are other very good land use attorneys out there, we need to be sure that our money is spent wisely.