Land Use Case Law Update – Winter 2026

REGISTER

Registration closes on Wednesday, December 9 at 5 PM. All registrants will also receive a link to view the webinar recording.

Webinar Overview

Which recent court decisions might impact your local government’s regulatory or legislative efforts when it comes to land use and management? What trending topics might be impacting your agency in the near future? Join our panelists to learn more!

Educational Objectives

This semiannual webinar will review recent court decisions as well as other legal and regulatory developments impacting planning and land use administration in Washington State. Our panelists will also provide practical advice and guidance to help local governments improve their land use regulation and prepare for potential changes.

Who Should Attend?

Planners, attorneys, and local government appointed and elected officials, as well as anyone who possesses a basic understanding of Washington's land use laws and is interested in current developments in land use court opinions.  

Credits

This training is eligible for:

• 1.0 hour of CM Law credit from the American Planning Association (Pending Approval).
• 1.5 hours of CLE credit from the Washington State Bar Association (Pending Approval).

Presenters

• Phil Olbrechts, Attorney, Olbrechts and Associates, PLLC. Phil is heavily involved in local government, currently serving as hearing examiner for 35 municipalities, alternate examiner for a few others, and land use counsel and city attorney for several cities. He writes about land use law and is the editor of the Short Course on Local Planning, published by the Washington State Department of Commerce. He has taught several land use courses at the University of Washington and frequently makes presentations on land use law throughout the state.  
• Alex Sidles, Board Member, Washington Growth Management Hearings Board. Alex is an environmental lawyer from Seattle. He was appointed to the Growth Managements Hearings Board in 2024, having been a land use hearing examiner for two years prior to that, and a land use and environmental litigator for five years prior to that.
• Jill Dvorkin, Legal Consultant, MRSC (Moderator). Before coming to MRSC, Jill worked for nine years as a civil deputy prosecuting attorney for Skagit County where she advised the planning department on a wide variety of issues including permit processing and appeals, Growth Management Act (GMA) compliance, code enforcement, SEPA, public records, the legislative process, and public records.
• Lisa Pool, AICP, Public Policy Consultant, MRSC (Moderator). Lisa has been with MRSC since 2021, where she conducts research, writes, and answers inquiries on a whole host of planning and policy topics. She has experience with both current and long-range planning at the city, county, and regional scales, with a focus on sustainable communities. Lisa holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Kansas. 

Training Scholarships

• The Washington Counties Risk Pool (WCRP) will provide one (1) training scholarship per member-county for this webinar. Those wishing to take advantage of this offer are asked to contact your county risk manager who will provide you with a free discount code to be used during registration. To learn if you are a WCRP member or if you have questions about WCRP scholarship opportunities, please contact MemberServices@wcrp.wa.gov.
• Read about other scholarship opportunities.

Payment Policy: Payment is completed online by card. If you need to be billed to pay offline, there will be a $5.00 administrative fee added to the total cost of registration. To request an invoice, please contact Jacob Rice (jrice@mrsc.org).

Refund Policy: Refunds will be provided minus a 5% administrative fee until the registration deadline at 5 PM on Wednesday, December 9. No refunds for cancelations or no-shows after the registration deadline. To request a refund, please contact Jacob Rice (jrice@mrsc.org).

If you are registered for the webinar and are unable to attend, you will still be able to view the recorded webinar afterwards. However, if you cancel your registration, you will not receive a link to the recording.