Latest Update: On September 19, 2024 the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the Growth Management Hearings Board invalidation of King County’s Adult Beverage Ordinance. The Court ruled that the Ordinance violated the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the Growth Management Act (GMA). Originally passed in December 2019 by the King County Council in a 5-4 vote, the Adult Beverage Ordinance would have allowed tasting rooms, wine bars, taverns, and event venues on protected agricultural and rural lands.
Friends of Sammamish Valley (FoSV) and Futurewise, together with other nonprofits, farmers, rural and urban residents, businesses, and community groups, appealed the Adult Beverage Ordinance to the Growth Management Hearings Board in 2020. After a lengthy and expensive legal battle, the recent Supreme Court decision is a big win for protection of agricultural and rural lands in King County and sets a strong precedent for those protections across the state.
Who We Are
FoSV is a grassroots nonprofit organization working to uphold the Urban Growth Boundary and protect the Sammamish Valley Agricultural Production District (APD), watersheds, open spaces, wildlife habitat and the Rural Area residential neighborhoods from illegal urban sprawl. Learn more.
JOIN US
Please become a member (free) to stay up-to-date on land use and development activities in our area, and to know when and where to weigh in on issues. We send few emails - usually one every 6 to 8 weeks.