LeAnne M. Bremer

Representative Experience

• Public Projects Plus

  • Port Representation

    • Provides general counsel services to Port of Longview, which involves providing and managing a variety of legal services related to real estate leasing and development, infrastructure needs, environmental cleanup and permitting, procurement contracts, open public meetings laws, public records requests, and the review, drafting and negotiating of a variety of contracts with agencies, tenants, and other parties.
    • Represents other Washington ports on land use permitting and real estate matters, as well as development of zoning ordinances and regulatory documents.

  • Local School Districts. Representing a number of Washington K-12 school districts on land use permitting and real estate transactions.

  • Transportation Cooperative. Assisted in purchase of land for transportation cooperative composed of public agencies.

  • Interlocal Agreements. Drafting numerous interlocal agreements among public agencies for joint projects or services.

• Land Use Plus

  • Gorge Regulations. Challenged the U.S. Forest Service’s refusal to allow for a minor boundary line adjustment of two parcels in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in GLW Ventures, LLC v. Department of Agriculture in federal court and before the Gorge Commission.

  • Shoreline Permitting. Successfully challenged the designation of Mill Pond as a regulated water body under the Shoreline Management Act before the Shoreline Hearings Board in Camaslakeland, LLC v. the Department of Ecology. Assisted other clients in obtaining shoreline permits or challenging conditions attached to shoreline permits.

  • Development Agreements. Drafted and negotiated many development agreements, covenants, and other contracts to facilitate new or revised development proposals for private and public projects.

  • Land Use Hearings and Administrative Appeals. Present projects to hearings examiners and local, regional, and state land use boards, and at times, when necessary, defend projects in courts.

  • Land Use Permitting. Prepared, negotiated with staff, and obtained approval for all types of land use applications: comprehensive plan amendments, rezones, conditional use permits, site plan review applications, subdivisions, short plats, shoreline permits, development agreements, planning director interpretations, temporary use permits, habitat permits, and wetland permits.

  • Legal Lot Determinations. Won several contentious appeals for clients in which jurisdictions have denied the clients historic, buildable lots.

  • Vested Rights. Assisted many clients in preserving vested rights for development projects and their immunity from later-enacted land use control ordinances.

• Land Use Appeals—Judicial Plus

  • Simon’s Way Development Inc. v. Clark County. Prevailed in challenging Clark County’s impermissible attempt to regulate a Class III forest road approved by the Department of Natural Resources at the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II.

  • Benchmark v. City of Battle Ground. The Supreme Court ruled that the city’s requirement for a developer to improve street frontage was unlawful. The key in that case was the fact that the developer would put few trips on the street that the city was requiring the developer to improve. The required connection between an impact of the development and the need for the public improvement was lacking.

  • Habitat Watch v. Skagit County. The Washington Supreme Court ruled that an environmental group’s challenge to golf course project was untimely under the Land Use Petition Act. The court found that not only did the environmental group not file an appeal in time after learning the project was going forward, but that filing a motion for reconsideration with the county, instead of court, was the wrong venue in which to challenge the permit.

  • Isla Verde v. City of Camas. The Washington Supreme Court ruled that the city’s requirement for a developer to set aside 30 percent of its land as open space as a condition of subdivision approval was unlawful. The court resolved an important issue that had yet to be firmly determined in prior cases: that a Washington statute, RCW 82.020.020, prohibits governments from requiring developers to pay fee, dedicate land, or make an improvement as a condition of a permit unless the condition directly mitigates an impact of the development. The court stated this statute applied even though the city would not take title to the open space.

• Real Estate Plus

  • Real Property Tax Appeals. Successfully challenged county’s assessment of back taxes, penalties and interest for alleged removal of property from the open space program in GG One, Inc. v. Clark County. The Board of Equalization found that the property conveyed to the county for wetland and storm water purposes was still open space and that the property owner was entitled to a tax refund.

  • Condominium Projects

    • Prepared condominium documentation for a four-tower mixed-use development with an underground public parking garage, commercial and office space, apartments, and nested residential condominium units.
    • Prepared condominium documentation for several office, commercial, and industrial buildings in Washington and Oregon.
    • Converted several apartment buildings and duplexes into condominiums.

  • Mixed-Use Development. Ongoing representation for a developer of a mixed-use business park, consisting of a 374-acre master planned development for industrial use and office, retail, and residential space.

  • Office Development. Assisted clients in developing sites in Clark County, Washington, for a medical clinic, professional office buildings, and retail businesses.

  • Real Estate Sales. Assisted major company as local counsel in reviewing a purchase and sale agreement, lease, and other real estate documentation involved in the sale of its campus.

  • Office Leasing. Developed form lease and assisted in negotiating leases with tenants on behalf of downtown Seattle building owner.

  • Zoning and Comprehensive Plan Amendments. Represented clients in changes to zoning and comprehensive plan amendments, including advocating for property to be included in urban growth area.

  • Energy Projects

    • Assisted client in obtaining land use approval for biomass facility.
    • Represented energy client contesting requirement for environmental impact statement.
    • Assisted client in shoreline permitting and environmental review for expanded energy project in Anacortes, Washington.
    • Represented fuel industry in commenting on proposed local legislation regulating industry.

  • Homeowners Association Documentation. Drafted numerous CC&Rs, articles of incorporation, bylaws, public offering statements, and other documents for developer clients consistent with the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act.

  • Purchase and Sale Agreement. Negotiated a purchase and sale agreement for the sale of 200 acres of a soon-to-be former dairy farm in Camas, Washington.

• Legislation, Ballots & Lobbying Plus

  • Drafted and advocated for local or state legislative amendments on behalf of clients or as volunteer member of committees to ensure good planning rules and regulations. Examples include proposed amendments to expand funding options for transportation benefit districts, to allow a school district partially located in a non-Growth Management Act county to collect impact fees, and to provide for a property tax exemption for school or college foundations.

  • Drafted ballot measure for light rail vote.

  • Drafted ballot measure for school district asking for advisory vote on whether school district should charge and collect school impact fees.

  • Assisted in drafting Employment Mixed Use Overlay ordinance in Ridgefield, Washington.

• Cannabis Business Projects Plus

  • Secured regulatory exemption from shoreline management rules for cannabis business as a non-agricultural use.

  • Advised clients on whether cannabis business met local zoning regulations.

  • Obtained zoning amendment to allow cannabis business in commercial zone.