SEQUIM — The City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to approve a binding site plan for a proposed regional shopping center on the city’s west side, despite receiving notice of a court appeal on the project just hours earlier.
The proposed center, called Sequim Village Marketplace and set to feature The Home Depot home improvement warehouse, will still need to pass several hurdles before the city issues final permitting.
A binding site plan merely allows a developer — in this case, AVB Development Partners of Phoenix — to subdivide and sell or lease smaller parcels to other parties.
The development faces legal challenges from the citizens group Sequim First, which is asking for an independent environmental-impact statement prior to permitting.
Last month, Clallam County Superior Court Judge George Wood denied Sequim First’s request, but did place conditions on traffic-impact mitigation and stormwater monitoring before he would relinquish jurisdiction over the issue.
Representatives from Sequim First said they felt they had to file an appeal with the state Court of Appeals to preserve their rights as appellants in the case before Wood.