Articles

Kitsap County rejects non-conforming use designation for shoreline homes

February 05, 2013 | By BRIAN HODGES

For nearly a decade, PLF was locked in litigation with Kitsap County over its critical areas ordinance.  Although the ordinance was ultimately upheld, we scored quite a few wins along the way. One of those wins may have turned the tide on a growing trend among local governments of addressing conflicts between homes and newly … ...

Articles

U.S. Supreme Court declines review of PLF’s big buffer case

March 26, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied PLF’s petition for a writ of certiorari in the case, Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners v. Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board.  The petition asked the Court to consider whether a Kitsap County regulation requiring that shoreline property owners who seek building permits dedicate ...

Articles

Constitutionality of Kitsap County’s shoreline buffers submitted to U.S. Supreme Court

March 05, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

PLF’s constitutional challenge to Washington state’s shoreline buffer scheme is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.  The case, Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners v. Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board (KAPO) , began over a half decade ago, when Kitsap County, acting under the mandate of Washington’s Growth Man ...

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A musing on the destructive nature of government power

February 07, 2012 | By BRIAN HODGES

Good science fiction bends expectations in a way that encourages us to reexamine the way we think about things.  This morning, I finished Zero History, a noire thriller from science fiction great William Gibson (inventor of the term “cyberspace”).  While primarily focused on the tension between cutting edge and mainstream culture in a ...

Articles

If at first you don’t succeed, change the rules!

April 28, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brian T. Hodges Earlier today, Washington’s Supreme Court granted review of a petition asking whether the Legislature can enact a bill that would operate retroactively to wipe out several years of final judicial decisions. Last year, Pacific Legal Foundation successfully argued that Kitsap County, Wash. failed to comply with the ...