Friends of Yamhill County v. Board of Commissioners

The question before the Supreme Court in this case was whether a landowner holding a "Measure 37" waiver had a common law vested right to construct a residential subdivision that he had begun but not completed by the effective date of "Measure 49." Yamhill County found that the costs that the landowner had incurred were sufficient to establish a vested right to complete construction of the subdivision, and the circuit court upheld the county's decision on a writ of review. The Court of Appeals reversed the circuit court's judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings. The Court of Appeals started from the proposition that, in the context of Measure 49, a common law vested right turns primarily on the ratio between the costs that a landowner has incurred and the projected cost of the development. It reversed because the county had given too little weight to that factor. The Supreme Court allowed the landowner's petition for review to clarify the standard for determining when, in the context of Measure 49, a common law right to complete a development will vest. The Court then affirmed the Court of Appeals decision, although for different reasons than those stated in the Court of Appeals opinion.