Property Rights vs. Land Use Planning

Ross Reynolds
12/29/2004 at 1:00 p.m.

As more people move to Western Washington, the tension between growth and the environment, land use planning and property rights, is getting more intense. Just this week we saw two examples. A group of rural property owners in King County plunked down 51,000 signatures on referendums to roll back the county’s critical lands ordinance. They say the laws restrict their property rights. Also this week Governor Gary Locke said he would withhold millions of dollars in state tax funding to Snohomish County because he says the county council violated the state’s growth management act by supporting the location of a car dealership in a flood plain outside Arlington. County Council Chairman John Koster told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "We just think it's bogus." We’ll look at these two disputes and put them in the context of the ongoing roiling debate over how much government can restrict private property use for environmental goals.

Guests:
Sam Rodabough staff attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation