In a typical permitting process, the local government may place certain conditions on issuing a building permit to further a legitimate public purpose.  While the local government has “substantial authority to regulate land use,” its regulation cannot violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.  The Fifth Amendment, in relevant part, states “nor shall private property be

In the world of real estate development, parties creating and negotiating real property documents—leases, easements, or purchase agreements—must exercise a great deal of care to ensure that the documents perform exactly their intended function at the time they are operative. Careful drafting can serve another end—to anticipate the developer’s future engagement with the relevant permitting

For all their exposure to the plans, drawings, and related design documents needed at all stages of a construction project, owners and contractors, as well as many highly experienced practitioners involved in development and construction disputes, are only vaguely familiar at best with the law that governs ownership and use of architectural works. Architectural drawings

Bringing a construction project to fruition involves significant risks to project owners, designers, and contractors. Many of those risks will be allocated in the parties’ contracts, in turn requiring those parties to obtain insurance and further allocating risks to insurance companies. Several commonly used insurance policies are at the heart of any construction project insurance

[1/2/2025 UPDATE] Since the date this article was originally posted, the City has issued the summary document, which can be found here.

On December 12, 2023, Seattle’s former City Council passed Ordinance 126982 in an effort to increase commercial rent affordability for small businesses. The Ordinance, returned unsigned by the Mayor, became law on

Under Washington law, prime contractors perform construction for consumers, while speculative builders construct on property they own. The differentiation between these classifications is important because prime contractors are subject to Washington’s business and occupation (“B&O”) tax and retail sales tax, while speculative builders are not. In Lanzce G. Douglass, Inc. v. Department of

Originally published by the Daily Journal of Commerce on March 5, 2024.

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, flexibility is paramount. The recent widespread adoption of remote work has led companies across the country to shed office space. As companies navigate changes in market dynamics, the ability to flexibly manage real estate assets becomes increasingly valuable.

In a case of first impression in Washington, the Washington State Supreme Court held that a landowner may satisfy its duty to guard an invitee “against known or obvious dangers on the premises by delegating the duty of protection to an independent contractor.”  Eylander v. Prologis Targeted U.S. Logistics Fund, LP, 539 P.3d

Parties negotiating a design and construction contract for a large project will often leave for the end discussions of a few provisions that one side or the other has characterized as “deal-breakers.” Though the deal may be doomed to fail, one of the parties may also make a concession or concessions, have its bluff called

Purchase agreements for construction, development, or real estate-related projects frequently offer parties the option of early mediation for settling a dispute before proceeding to arbitration or court litigation. While in my experience early mediation sessions tend to fail, additional mediation sessions held months later have a better chance of succeeding. In my latest column for