v.
Sternoff L.p.
2016 NOV 7 An 8: In IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON CENTRAL PUGET SOUND REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY, a regional transit No. 75372-0-1 authority, dba SOUND TRANSIT, and CITY OF SEATTLE, DIVISION ONE Respondents, v. STERNOFF L.P., a Washington limited partnership; UNPUBLISHED OPINION Appellant, FILED: November 7, 2016 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.; W. STERNOFF LLC, a Washington limited liability company dba BODYGLIDE; KING COUNTY, a Washington municipal corporation; and ALL UNKNOWN OWNERS and UNKNOWN TENANTS, Defendants. Becker, J. — This is an appeal from the determination of public use and necessity authorizing Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) to move forward with condemnation proceedings against appellant's property. Because the Sound Transit board did not engage in arbitrary and capricious conduct when it approved condemnation and the board's resolution No. 75372-0-1/2 confers authority to condemn the property for a city of Bellevue (City) street widening project, we affirm. FACTS In 1992, the Washington State legislature authorized counties in the Puget Sound area to create a transportation agency "for planning and implementing a high capacity transportation system within that region." RCW 81.112.010. Voters later approved a ballot measure creating Sound Transit. Sound Transit has already completed light rail projects in Seattle and Tacoma. In 2008, voters approved the Sound Transit 2 plan to extend the existing light rail system to cities east of Seattle, including Bellevue. For the last few years, Sound Transit has been in the final planning and design stages of the East Link project. In July 2011, Sound Transit selected the route and station locations by adopting Resolution R2011-10. Appellant Sternoff LP is a business owned by William R. Sternoff. Sternoff owns property along the East Link route located at 1750 124th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue's Bel-Red area. There are two buildings on the property, each including office space and warehouse space. The only means of accessing the property are two driveways on 124th Avenue. Stemoff's tenants require regular access to conduct business, including to ship and receive goods. One tenant in particular, a medical device supplier, requires round-the-clock access. The East Link alignment will run along and through the south portion of Sternoffs property. The construction plans for 124th Avenue Northeast include building Sound Transit's light rail trackway, as well as the City's project of No. 75372-0-1/3 building a bridge over the trackway. The City also has a long-standing plan to widen the avenue to provide increased mobility and safety by creating a five lane section with landscape zones and sidewalks. The new bridge will be constructed to accommodate the wider roadway. In December 2011, Sternoff entered into an agreement with the City that permitted survey work on the property related to the City's plans to improve 124th Avenue. Sternoff entered into another access agreement in April 2013, this time with Sound Transit. The agreement permitted Sound Transit to conduct surveys on the property related to East Link construction. Both agreements guaranteed that Sternoff and his lessees would have largely unimpeded access to the property during the survey work. The City assured Sternoff that its representatives "will not block access to the business park or buildings or impede access around the buildings." Sound Transit assured Sternoff that "during and after the expiration of the Term, except as needed and temporarily, Sound Transit will not block access to the business park or buildings or impede access around the buildings needed for tenants, clients and deliveries, and will not otherwise interfere with the day to day business operations of the Property." In September 2013, Sound Transit began the process of condemning properties for East Link construction. At a meeting of the Capital Committee, Sound Transit's property director presented a proposed resolution, R2013-21, which identified 60 commercial properties as "necessary for the construction and permanent location of the East Link Project." This list included Sternoffs property. The resolution authorized condemnation proceedings "to acquire all, or No. 75372-0-1/4 any portion thereof, of the properties and property rights." The committee voted to recommend that Sound Transit's board pass the resolution. The board adopted the resolution as part of its consent agenda during a meeting on September 26, 2013. Sound Transit provided notice of the meeting to affected property owners, as required per RCW 8.25.290. In May 2015, Sound Transit and the City adopted an amended Memorandum of Understanding, superseding a previous version adopted in 2011. The previous version is not designated as part of the appellate record. The 2015 memorandum states that pursuant to the 2011 agreement, "the Parties engaged in a collaborative process for design and development of the East Link Project" and worked to "identify projects to be completed jointly for reduced impacts to the public, and overall cost savings and efficiencies." In a section titled "Project Coordination," under a subsection titled "Shared Cost Agreement," the memorandum explains that Sound Transit and the City coordinated their projects on 124th Avenue: The Project[1] is designed to cross under two existing roadways, 120th Avenue NE and 124th Avenue NE, which will require elevating the profile of the roadway as identified in Exhibit M, Section E. The City has identified 120th Ave NE, between NE 12th Street and NE 16th Street (CIP Plan Project PW-R-168), and 124th Ave NE, between NE Spring Boulevard and NE 18th Street (CIP Plan Project PW-R-166) for widening and other improvements. The City and Sound Transit desire to coordinate and share the costs for the design, right-of-way acquisition and construction of the two projects to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. Upon execution of this MOU, the Parties shall enter into the Funding, Right-of-Way No. 75372-0-1/9 No. 75372-0-1/11 No. 75372-0-1/12 No. 75372-0-1/13 No. 75372-0-1/14 No. 75372-0-1/15
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