Peyote Canyon, LLC v. County of Benton

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided July 27, 2017·No. 34600-5·Unpublished

Opinion

FILED

JULY 27, 2017

In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

PEYOTE CANYON, LLC, a Washington ) limited liability company, ) No. 34600-5-111 )

and )

)

JERRY VAN ZUYEN, d/b/a/ PEYOTE ) CANYON, LLC, ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION )

Appellants, )

)

v. )

)

COUNTY OF BENTON, a Political ) Subdivision of the State of Washington, )

)

Respondent. )

SIDDOWAY, J. -Jerry Van Zuyen, d/b/a Peyote Canyon, LLC, appeals a trial court decision declaring valid a moratorium on marijuana production in Benton County's Rural Lands 5 zoning district, adopted by the county's Board of Commissioners (Board) in an emergency ordinance. Contrary to Mr. Van Zuyen's contentions, the Board's action was supported by sufficient facts establishing an emergency. We affirm.

No. 34600-5-111 Peyote Canyon, LLC v. County ofBenton

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND After Washington voters approved Initiative Measure No. 502, legalizing recreational marijuana use, the Benton County Board of Commissioners adopted a policy allowing marijuana to be grown in the county's agricultural, rural lands 5 (RL-5), rural lands 20, light industrial, and heavy industrial zoning districts. Resolution 2014-167 (Feb. 25, 2014). 1 Sometime thereafter, Jerry Van Zuyen applied along with his wife for a tier 3 marijuana producer license, identifying the location of production as 18708 S. Clodfelter Road in Kennewick.

While the application was pending, Mr. Van Zuyen, who owned the Clodfelter Road property through Peyote Canyon, began modifying a pole building at the property t originally permitted as a residential garage and erecting an eight foot high fence, without obtaining either change of use or building permits. Beginning in April 2015, residents learning of Mr. Van Zuyen's plans began writing Benton County officials and attending Board and planning commission meetings to express concern about the incompatibility of a marijuana production operation with existing uses in the RL-5 zone. According to a staff report prepared on May 12, 2015, public comments at Board meetings held on April 28 and May 5 addressed concerns about the pungent aroma of a marijuana crop, the

1 http://mrsc.org/getmedia/72dd0c2b-97 4d-4 f3a-8e2b-c4e32e60c34c/b461r2014-

167 .pdf.aspx [https://perma.cc/52BT-4RCA].

No. 34600-5-111 Peyote Canyon, LLC v. County ofBenton

nature and use of pesticides, aesthetic concerns about lighting, possible attraction of criminal activity, and security measures either required by a State license or electively installed by growers of marijuana.

In addition to complaining to Benton County officials about Mr. Van Zuyen's marijuana production plans, residents reported on his apparent failure to obtain permits for his construction. On May 1, 2015, the county sent a letter notifying Peyote Canyon that it had violated the Benton County Code by not obtaining a building permit for the fence or a change of use permit for modifications to the pole building. Peyote Canyon submitted building permit applications for the pole building and the fence a few days later, on May 4 and 6, 2015. On May 7, 2015, the county responded with a plan check correction list identifying a few additional items that needed to be addressed before permits could be issued.

At the same time county officials were corresponding with Mr. Van Zuyen about additional requirements for the building permits, they considered and began taking action toward imposing a moratorium on marijuana growing operations in the RL-5 zone.

At its meeting on May 12, 2015, without prior notice, the Board considered and unanimously passed Resolution 2015-357, adopting an emergency ordinance, Ordinance 561. The resolution described Ordinance 561 as "an immediate emergency interim

No. 34600-5-111 Peyote Canyon, LLC v. County of Benton

zoning amendment to prohibit the production of marijuana in the [RL-5] District." Clerk's Papers (CP) at 118. The resolution set a date for a public hearing, established a termination date for the interim zoning amendment, declared an emergency, and temporarily amended a prior ordinance and county code provision. In addition to making findings, the ordinance recited the county's decision that "it is appropriate to prevent additional marijuana growing operations in the RL[-]5 District that allegedly are incompatible with surrounding uses during the period of time necessary for the County to consider permanent zoning amendments." CP at 120.

Mr. Van Zuyen submitted documentation the county had requested to support his building permits, providing a revised floor plan on May 14, and the final item, a sewage disposal construction permit on June 12. In the meantime, however, the county published notice of the statutorily-required public hearing on Ordinance 561 on May 20 and conducted the hearing itself on June 2. Minutes of the June 2 meeting summarize the testimony of over three dozen community members, the majority of whom expressed concern about marijuana production facilities in the RL-5 zone and asked that the Board permanently prohibit marijuana production in the zone. Following the public testimony, the Board voted to continue the hearing to June 16, 2015, to allow for preparation of proposed written findings in support of continuing Ordinance 561.

No. 34600-5-111 Peyote Canyon, LLC v. County ofBenton

On June 16, 2015, Benton County denied Peyote Canyon a building permit for the pole building remodel, citing Ordinance 561 and pointing out that while the permit application was now complete, it was incomplete on May 12 and therefore was not vested at the time the ordinance was adopted. Also on June 16, 2015, the Board passed Resolution 2015-442, adopting Ordinance 562, which continued Ordinance 561 for the remainder of the six-month period with the intention of referring to planning staff and the planning commission whether to adopt permanent legislation. Ordinance 562 made 11 additional findings, including a finding that individuals who spoke in favor of continuing Ordinance 561 had stated "valid" concerns. CP at 461.

In September 2015, the planning commission reviewed information from the planning department and conducted a public hearing, after which it recommended a permanent prohibition of marijuana in the RL-5 zone. In October 2015, the Board accepted the planning commission's recommendation and adopted Ordinance 565, permanently prohibiting marijuana production in the RL-5 zone and amending the Benton County Code to reflect the prohibition.

Peyote Canyon appealed the denial of the building permit to the Mid-Columbia Building Appeals Commission, which affirmed the denial. Mr. Van Zuyen, "d/b/a Peyote Canyon, LLC," then filed the action below, appealing the permit denial pursuant to the

No. 34600-5-III Peyote Canyon, LLC v. County of Benton

Land Use Petition Act (LUPA), chapter 36.70C RCW, and seeking declaratory relief, including a declaration that the Board had not sufficiently identified facts constituting an emergency in support of Resolution 2015-357 and Ordinance 561. CP at 1.

Both parties moved for partial summary judgment on the issue of whether the emergency resolution and ordinance were valid. The trial court granted the county's motion. It also dismissed Peyote Canyon's LUP A claim with prejudice, affirming the Mid-Columbia Building Appeal Commission. Mr. Van Zuyen, d/b/a Peyote Canyon, LLC, appeals.

ANALYSIS

The principal issue on appeal is Mr. Van Zuyen's contention that Ordinance 561 was insufficiently supported by findings of facts supporting an emergency. Before turning to that issue, however, we address threshold arguments made by the county.

I. Mr. Van Zuyen 's opening brief was not required to address the trial court's legal conclusion that no finding of an emergency was required; the finding of an emergency was required

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