Citizens and public interest groups filed petition in the Superior Court for review of Management Hearings Board order finding county in compliance with Growth Management Act (GMA) for designation of agricultural lands of long–term commercial significance. The Board then granted certificate of appealability allowing direct review which was granted.
The Court of Appeals held that:
- County’s point system for designating agricultural resource lands was consistent with GMA;
Ordinance assigning point values to parcels from least to most suitable soils was consistent with GMA and comprehensive plan; - Ordinance could assign one point to parcels more than five miles from urban growth area and zero points to parcels within five miles;
- Ordinance could calculate farm size based only on ownership of contiguous parcels;
- Setting contiguous block of 500 acres or more for designation as agricultural land was reasonable attempt to find the smallest minimum size that would prevent scatter; but
- Failure to designate as agricultural resource land over 2,816 acres qualifying under county ordinance failed to comply with comprehensive plan and GMA.