PORT ANGELES — Developer Randal Jay Ehm said Sunday he should be able to close on the downtown lot for his proposed hotel and conference center within 30 days, once his financing is complete.
He would like to be under way with construction within the next 60 days so he can get the project finished by next summer, Ehm added.
The sticking point is the lawsuit filed this month by Best Western Olympic Lodge owner Tod McClaskey against the Port of Port Angeles, state Board of Natural Resources, state Department of Natural Resources, Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland — and Ehm himself.
Ehm is hopeful the suit — “it has no basis in fact,” he says — will be dismissed when it is heard by a judge.
The suit demands a judgment to void a land trade necessary for the project. The trade had been agreed to by Natural Resources and the Port after six months of negotiation and approved by the Natural Resources board and Gov. Gary Locke in July.
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