Publications

The Dodd-Frank Act (“DFA”), approved by Congress and the President in 2010 and effective April 1, 2011, affects almost every aspect of the U.S. financial services industry. The purpose of DFA is to restore public confidence in the financial system, preventing another financial crisis, and allowing any future asset bubble to be detected and deflated before a crisis like that of 2009 occurs again.

11/19/2010: Recently, the Board of Commissioners adopted a "fee holiday" resolution, intended to encourage certain types of development in unincorporated Clark County to help stimulate job growth. This resolution waives fees for preliminary site plan review, development engineering plan review, building inspection, and fire marshal. (Transportation impact fees have not been waived, since amendments to the County's comprehensive plan and appropriate capital facilities plan would be required to waive those fees.)

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts (formerly Shidler Journal of Law , Commerce + Technology).

http://digital.law.washington.edu/dspace-law/bitstream/handle/1773.1/431/vol5_no4_art17.pdf?sequence=1

The From the Ground Up Real Estate Team at Miller Nash feels compelled to respond to an article entitled "County Aids Some Plans for Building" that appeared on the front page of the Columbian on Sunday, September 13, 2009, and a follow-up editorial that appeared on September 15, 2009, entitled "What's That Smell?" We offer a different perspective and one that provides evidence that the Board of County Commissioners made policy decisions similar to those of other jurisdictions up and down the West Coast.

The proposed Columbia River waterfront development is the right next step for the City of Vancouver.  Involving the transformation of 32 acres of defunct industrial land along downtown Vancouver’s southernmost riverfront property – formerly home to Boise Cascade – the multi-use project is an integral component of revitalizing the downtown core while alleviating urban blight. It will provide our community with much-needed jobs and our citizens with significant new access to the waterfront. In addition, it will create new residential, office, shopping and retail opportunities for our City's core.

The Washington Secretary of State's Office, Division of Corporations and Charities, is conducting a review of organizations that are incorporated in the state of Washington. As a nonprofit corporation, you may be required to file an additional registration if your entity is conducting fund-raising activities to support a charitable purpose.

Real estate developers typically create limited liability companies ("LLCs") as their choice of business entity for undertaking development projects. With exceptions, LLCs limit the personal liability of the real estate developer that is the "member" of an LLC. Those making claims against the LLC while it is in existence will generally find that while they may have claims against the LLC, they cannot bring an action against the member or members of the LLC. But what happens after the LLC is dissolved, either "administratively" by the Washington Secretary of State for failure to file an annual report and pay the fee, or by the members of the LLC through the procedures prescribed under Washington's LLC statute? In other words, do actions against the LLC or its members survive once the LLC dissolves and ceases to exist?

After three years in the making, the Clark County Board of Commissioners adopted a new Growth Management Plan on September 25. Miller Nash is pleased to provide a comprehensive overview of the new plan for Clark County and its cities. An unprecedented 19 square miles of rural land has been added to the urban growth area of the various cities—perhaps one of the biggest expansions in any community since the Washington State Legislature adopted the Growth Management Act in 1990.

In both 1994 and 2004 as part of its Growth Management Plan, Clark County adopted an urban holding comprehensive plan designation as a special implementation procedure. This designation placed a "hold" on development until Clark County determined that the public facilities needed to support development were available.

In December 1994, Clark County adopted its first Comprehensive Plan under Washington's Growth Management Act. Clark County and its cities embarked on a 5-year update of the 20?year Comprehensive Plan. Although the local jurisdictions intended to complete this plan within two years, it remains unfinished with the approach of a statutory deadline for the ten?year update: December 31, 2004.