Primary Focus & Experience
Rich's practice emphasizes the land use entitlement process throughout Western Washington. He assists private and public sector clients in obtaining governmental approvals for commercial, residential, educational, life sciences and recreational developments. He has extensive experience in all areas of Washington land use law, including growth management, comprehensive planning, zoning, landmarks, impact fees and project conditioning, transferable development rights, shoreline management, and wetlands regulations. He has successfully litigated to resolution several of the most notable and often-cited court cases in Washington land use law.
In addition to his private practice, Rich has served as Adjunct Professor of Land Use Law at the University of Washington Law School, Chair of the American Bar Association’s Land Use Committee, Chair of the Washington State Bar Association’s Environmental and Land Use Section, President of the Pacific Real Estate Institute, and Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Washington Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.
Recent Significant Engagements
- Representation of private sector clients to successfully entitle major downtown Seattle office, residential and hotel projects.
- Renovation and rehabilitation of Seattle’s most significant landmark structure.
- Represented client in the largest office and residential development in the City of Kirkland.
- Land use representation of several of the largest school districts in the state of Washington, the region’s largest public housing authority, one of the nation’s most accomplished cancer research institutes, health facilities, developers of affordable housing, and religious and civic institutions.
- The redevelopment of two city blocks which included the adaptive reuse of two existing landmark structures, as well as preservation of an existing park space. The project required a Land Use Code amendment for a density transfer. The density transfer was the first of its kind in Seattle.
Recognition & Community Involvement
- Chambers USA (Band 1)
- Best Lawyers in America
- Seattle Magazine: Best Lawyers in Seattle
- Washington Law & Politics: Top 100 Lawyers
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Education
- University of Minnesota, B.A., magna cum laude, 1973
- University of Minnesota, M.A., 1975
- Yale University School of Law, J.D., 1978