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When county roads are closed at the request of a property owner, the county code sets out ways for the county to be compensated for the value of the road.
But the Okanogan County code, which lists three categories of roads and multiples scenarios for …
The Washington State Supreme Court has denied a request to review a challenge to the closure of Three Devils Road, ending the lawsuit and allowing 3 miles of the remote road to be gated. The gated section traverses land owned by Gamble Land and Timber, which petitioned Okanogan County in 2015 to vacate the road to protect its adjacent property …
The Washington Supreme Court is still evaluating an April request from a citizens’ group to hear a lawsuit about whether the Okanogan County commissioners had the right to close a remote road in the Chiliwist.
This week the court agreed to consider …
The Okanogan County commissioners had the authority to close Three Devils Road to the public at the request of adjacent landowner Gamble Land and Timber, the Washington Court of Appeals has ruled.
Moreover, discussions between the commissioners and representatives of the company were a normal part of county business and not evidence of collusion, the court found.
Okanogan County is considering vacating 11 roads — about 36 miles — as the Public Works staff attempts to reconcile decades-old maps and road logs with actual roads on the ground.
Five of the roads are in the Methow Valley and Brewster areas; others are near …
The citizen group that wants to keep a primitive road in the Chiliwist open to the public has asked the state Supreme Court to hear the case and to impose a stay on closing the road until the case is resolved.
A deputy commissioner for the court imposed a temporary injunction on Okanogan County’s vacation of the road on Oct. 28, in effect until …
A final order has been signed closing Three Devils Road, affirming that vacating the road was a valid legislative decision by the Okanogan County commissioners.
The order also dismisses the plaintiffs’ claims of fraud and collusion against Gamble Land and Timber, the county commissioners and
A decision by Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss has found Okanogan County Commissioner Ray Campbell did not engage in conspiracy or unlawful action when Campbell voted to close a primitive county road.
Despite “significant suspicion” and questions about whether Campbell could …
The Okanogan County commissioners had the prerogative to close Three Devils Road as part of their management of the county’s road network, according to Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss. But Hotchkiss is still evaluating whether a jury trial is warranted to determine if the commissioners’ decision had been unlawfully influenced by their …
A hearing in the dispute over whether Three Devils Road should remain open to the public is scheduled in Okanogan County Superior Court for Friday (Sept. 18) at 10 a.m. The case is being heard by Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss, since the Okanogan County judges recused themselves. A citizen group called Chiliwist […]
