Washington Construction Law Blog

Fireworks of a sort at yesterday's Snohomish County Council meeting, where by a 3-2 vote the Council adopted a somewhat more restrictive GMA development blueprint than was anticipated.

In 1991, Washington first authorized the GC/CM delivery system for certain public works. Since that time, about 53 major projects have been built under this model. The Legislature wanted to know how things are going. The attached study gives the report card.

Division I wasn't impressed by City Light's claim that spending $3 million on public art had the required "close nexus" to the agency's primary task of supplying electrical power:

The City's evidence consists only of broad, general statements about the applicability of the disputed projects to the goals of conservation and education without any explanation as to how the projects furthered these goals.

Division I holds that arbitration award is akin to jury verdict rather than final judgment, and thus does not accrue prejudgment interest.

Those who dare to contract on an oral, cost-plus basis are subject to the rules made by the court to determine exactly what costs are included -- and excluded -- from the definition of reimbursable cost. And in Washington, despite the unfortunate frequency with which owners and contractors resort to this informal process, this is precious little law on the issue.

The most intriguing part of this article is not that the region's tower cranes are booked up, but that they are booked up largely on residential and mixed use projects - not office towers.

Idaho's selection of the Washington Group/CH2M Hill team for program administration in connection with the state's ambitious highway redevelopment plan has triggerred a federal lawsuit by Parsons Brinckerhoff, according to ENR. PB (teamed with HDR Engineering) alleges in the suit that Idaho violated federal law by weighting the selection process with in-state preferences.

There is a lot of litigation by developers against cities for arbitrary conduct in permit application -- but much of it is invisible, gets settled and rarely reaches a jury for decision. Here's what happened to the City of Burien in a long-running dispute in connection with a proposed 200 unit complex: $10.5 in damages awarded to the developer. The City intends to appeal.