SEQUIM — Citizens group Sequim First has taken another land-use case to the state Court of Appeals.
The group on Friday filed an appeal challenging a ruling in February by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee which denied its request to have the city of Sequim order an independent environmental-impact statement before permitting the construction of a Wal-Mart “supercenter” on the west side of town.
Wal-Mart has already completed much of its construction, including placing utilities at street level.
The mega-retailer will need to secure an occupancy permit from the city before it can open for business.
Sequim First also appealed a decision by a Clallam County judge to allow a regional shopping center project to go forward without an environmental-impact statement.
That project, a 395,000-square-foot complex named Sequim Village Marketplace, will be anchored by a Home Depot home improvement outlet.
The filings at the state level bring Sequim First’s challenges to a higher plain and carry the risk that the group will be obligated to pay attorney’s fees for all parties if it doesn’t prevail in the Court of Appeals.
