Current Employment Position(s)

Of Counsel, since 2008

Year Joined Organization: 2000

Lawyer Overview

Susan represents public and private clients on a wide-variety of land use, renewable energy, and sustainable development projects. She has extensive experience with all aspects of local, state, and federal permitting, and code development. Susan regularly represents clients before administrative tribunals, superior, and appellate courts. Representative clients and projects include:

- Susan assisted in developing a renewable energy permitting structure for Klickitat County and oversaw its environmental review. When two appellants appealed the environmental impact statement, she settled the case before it went to hearing.

- Susan has assisted with permitting over 1,000 MW of wind development.

- She advised the Seattle Monorail Project on questions related to right of way, property rights, and U.S. Department of Transportation approvals.

- Litigated numerous land use and growth management issues, including an argument on shoreline critical areas before the Washington State Supreme Court for the City of Anacortes.

Areas of Practice

• Land Use
• Environmental
• Sustainable Commerce
• Municipal Government
• Energy and Utilities
• Sustainable Development / Climate Change
• Design-Build

West Practice Categories

Environmental Law, Land Use & Zoning, State, Local & Municipal Law, Municipal Corporations

Bar Admissions

• Washington, 2000

Honors and Awards

• Presidential Law Scholarship, Seattle University School of Law
• Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development Volunteer of the Year, 2003

Classes and Seminars

• Speaker, Climate Change and Land Use Entitlement Challenges and Opportunities, Hot Issues in Real Estate and Land Use Development in 2008, Seattle, WA - April 2008
• Association of Washington Cities, Creating Cooler Communities: Washington Land Use Law and Climate Change, April 2008
• Why Green Buildings Matter to Developers and Municipalities, The Seminar Group - February 2008
• Speaker, Tools for Encouraging Renewable Energy Development, Association of Washington Cities' Sustainable Communities Conference - September 2007
• Speaker, Climate Change and Land Use Law, Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys - 2007
• Speaker, Sign and Billboard Regulation, Washington Chapter, American Planning Association, Planning Law Conference - 2007
• Speaker, Recent Growth Management Act Decisions, University of Washington School of Law Land Use Seminar - 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007
• Speaker, Urban Development and Densities, Housing Partnership Program - 2005
• Speaker, GMA Update Process, Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association - 2004
• Methods Local Jurisdictions Can Use to Encourage Development of Their Wind Energy Resources, Washington State Bar Association Environmental and Land Use Law Midyear, Seattle WA - 2003
• Growth Management Act: What’s Next?, University of Washington School of Law Land Use Seminar, Seattle WA - 2003
• Shaping our Environmental Future: Tools to Shape the Local Landscape - Under the Growth Management Act, State Environmental Policy Act, and Other Laws, Lorman’s Local Government and Law Seminar - 2002

Past Employment Positions

• Foster Pepper PLLC, Associate, 2000 - 2008

Education

• Seattle University, School of Law, Seattle, Washington, , 2000
  J.D.
• University of Washington, Drama, Washington, 1995
  B.A.

Published Works

• Washington State Bar Association: How Business and Local Government Can Plan for and Benefit From the Perfect Storm in Climate Change and Municipal Land Use Planning, Washington State Bar Association Environmental Land Use Law Newsletter, 2007
• Washington State Bar Association: Methods Local Jurisdictions Can Use to Encourage Development of their Wind Energy Resources, Washington State Bar Association Environmental and Land Use Law Newsletter, 2003
• Co-Author, Transportation and Land Use Chapter (revised), Washington State Real Property Deskbook, 2002

Address

1111 Third Avenue
Suite 3400
Seattle, WA 98101-3299

Phones

(206) 447-7909

Faxes

(206) 749-2093

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.foster.com