Jodi Van, Et Ano, V. City Of Burien

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided December 2, 2024·No. 85077-6·Unpublished

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

JODI VAN, individually and as a No. 85077-6-I Trustee of the Van Living Trust, and BRIAN VAN, DIVISION ONE

Petitioners, ORDER DENYING MOTION TO PUBLISH, GRANTING v. RESPONDENT’S MOTION FOR LIMITED CITY OF BURIEN, a Washington RECONSIDERATION, AND municipal corporation, AMENDING OPINION

Respondent.

Respondent city of Burien filed a motion to publish and for limited

reconsideration of the opinion filed on August 19, 2024 in the above case. A

majority of the panel has determined that Respondent’s motion to publish should be

denied. The panel has also determined that Respondent’s motion for limited

reconsideration shall be granted and the above-mentioned opinion amended to

correct citations to reflect the ordinance in effect at the relevant time. Now,

therefore, it is hereby

ORDERED that Respondent’s motion to publish is denied.

It is also hereby No. 85077-6-I/2

ORDERED the Respondent’s motion for limited reconsideration is granted

and the above-mentioned opinion filed on August 19, 2024 shall be amended as

follows:

1. On Pages 12-13, the following sentences:

BMC 15.05.285 provides one means of ensuring that permits comply with all required laws and regulations:

(1) The issuance or granting of a permit shall not be construed as a permit for, or an approval of, any violation of this chapter, construction codes, or of any other Burien ordinance.

(2) Permits presuming to give authority to violate or cancel the provisions of any portion of the construction codes, other Burien ordinances, or any federal, state, or county guideline . . . shall not be valid . . . . This section shall be applied, implemented and interpreted consistent with the statutes and court decisions of the state of Washington.

shall be deleted and replaced with the following:

Former BMC 15.05.285 (2016) provides one means of ensuring that permits comply with all required laws and regulations:

The issuance or granting of a permit shall not be construed to be a permit for, or an approval of, any violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or the construction codes or of any other ordinance of the city. Permits presuming to give authority to violate or cancel the provisions of this code or the construction codes or other ordinances of the city shall not be valid. . . . This section shall be applied, implemented and interpreted consistent with the statutes and court decisions of the state of Washington.

2. On Page 13, the following sentences:

The building official may suspend or revoke a permit issued under the provisions of this code, whenever the permit is issued in error or based on or in reliance on the information. . . that is incorrect, inaccurate . . . or incomplete information, or when the permit violates

2 No. 85077-6-I/3

or permits a violation of any Burien ordinance, requirement, or regulation, or any federal, state, or county guideline . . . . This section shall be applied, implemented, and interpreted consistent with the statutes and court decisions of the state of Washington.

BMC 15.05.300.

The building official is authorized to suspend or revoke a permit issued under the provisions of this code, whenever the permit is issued in error or on the basis of incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete information, or when the permit is in violation of any ordinance or regulation or any of the provisions of this code. This section shall be applied, implemented and interpreted consistent with the statutes and court decisions of the state of Washington.

Former BMC 15.05.300 (2016).

The remainder of this opinion shall remain the same.

FOR THE COURT:

Judge

3 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

JODI VAN, individually and as a Trustee of the Van Living Trust, and No. 85077-6-I BRIAN VAN, DIVISION ONE Petitioners, UNPUBLISHED OPINION v.

CITY OF BURIEN, a Washington municipal corporation,

CHUNG, J. — Jodi Van obtained a shoreline exemption from the City of

Burien to repair a dilapidated garage and deck. Then, when she applied for a

building permit, she altered her plan to include replacement of the existing

structures. The City issued a building permit, but later, upon inspection, because

the project exceeded the shoreline exemption, the City suspended the permit and

issued a stop work order (SWO). Van appealed to the City’s hearing examiner,

who upheld the suspension and SWO. Van filed this petition under the Land Use

Petition Act (LUPA), chapter 36.70C RCW, arguing that because the City failed to

properly file a LUPA petition to suspend her building permit, her permit is final and

binding. We conclude the City was not required to file a LUPA petition because

local ordinances reserve to the City the ability to suspend or revoke an erroneously

issued permit. Therefore, we affirm the decision of the hearing examiner. No. 85077-6-I/2

FACTS

Jodi Van owns waterfront property on Puget Sound in Burien, WA. The

shoreline properties in that area are bisected by the 80-foot-wide SW 172nd Street

right-of-way, with residential development north and landward of the street and

accessory structures and parking on the unimproved right-of-way waterward of the

street. Between the shoreline and the street, Van’s property housed a garage

structure, uncovered wooden deck, and vehicle parking. The garage and deck

were rotting, and Van wanted to repair them.

On June 24, 2020, Van spoke with Burien City Planner Chad Tibbits about

possible repair or replacement of the existing garage and deck. Tibbits sent an e-

mail to Van summarizing their conversation, describing the proposal as a request

to “[r]ebuild existing shed and deck (rotted deck recently removed for safety

reasons).” He explained to Van that rebuilding the garage and deck would require

a shoreline exemption permit, a floodplain permit with a floodplain habitat

assessment prepared by a wetland biologist, a geotechnical report, a building

permit, and a right-of-way permit due to the property’s location within a floodplain,

a seismic hazard zone, and the SW 172nd Street right-of-way. Tibbits also noted

that work performed waterward of the Puget Sound high water mark may require

additional approvals and permits from agencies such as the Washington State

Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Van applied for a shoreline exemption on July 7, 2020. She described the

project as “repair existing garage and replace existing deck to provide a safe

environment for my family,” and requested an exemption under WAC 173-27-

040(2)(b), which allows for “normal maintenance or repair of existing structures or

developments.” The application included a site plan drawing showing the location

of the existing garage and deck. As a City planner, Tibbits was responsible for

reviewing Van’s application for a shoreline exemption. Tibbits confirmed that the

project fell within the City’s shoreline jurisdiction and reviewed the project

application for possible adverse impacts to the shoreline. Tibbits determined that

“the project involved repairing the existing garage structure and replacing the

existing deck structure with ‘like’ structures,” and “did not appear to impair

ecological functions or processes of the shoreline.” He concluded “[t]he proposal

to repair the existing garage and replace the existing deck within the current

footprint is considered normal maintenance and repair, therefore the proposal is

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