Blue Square Appeals Point Wells Decision

Last week, King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum ruled to suspend Blue Square Real Estate’s (BSRE) application to develop an urban center at Point Wells. Before the ink was dry on the judge’s decision, representation for BSRE declared that they would appeal.

Lum heard arguments from Save Richmond Beach, the town of Woodway, Snohomish County and BSRE. He ruled that BSRE failed to prove that the development company was vested in the Point Wells project and suspended processing of BSRE’s development application.

“This victory means that the development cannot proceed,” Shoreline Councilwoman and Richmond Beach resident Doris McConnell said. “Knowing it was an uphill battle, we are surprised and very excited the outcome is exactly what we wanted.”

BSRE responded to the ruling in a prepared statement. “The developer of the proposed mixed-use community at Point Wells will immediately appeal today's ruling by King County Superior Court halting further processing of its redevelopment application as an urban center.”

Shoreline mayor Keith McGlashan is happy with the decision, but knows the case is far from over.

“I think This is great for the citizens of Shoreline,” he said. “We will see where the next steps take us.”

Gary Huff, an attorney representing BSRE, said that the decision is inconsistent with the language in Washington’s longstanding vesting rules and that the appellate courts have already addressed similar issues. Huff is confident that the Court of Appeals will follow its prior rulings and overturn Lumm’s decision.

No matter the ruling in the appellate court, no one expects the fight to be over. Even Lum speculated that this case could go to the State Supreme Court.

Now, Save Richmond Beach and the town of Woodway, the plaintiffs in the case, will wait for the appeal process. For now, they are enjoying the victory. McGlashan is cautiously optimistic about the future of the case and knows that it will not be resolved quickly.

The crowd was quickly ushered out into the hallway to prepare the chambers for the next case. While the people for BSRE and Snohomish County stepped off to collect themselves after the verdict, for spectators from Richmond Beach, it was a good way to start the long holiday weekend.

McConnell is happy for the victory and what this means for her and her neighbors. “I live in Richmond Beach,” she said, “and I am very excited.”