Local marina fights land use laws for smooth sailing.
When Fred’s Marina on the Columbia River had its expansion construction slapped with a stop-work order by Multnomah County land use authorities — an order with no right to appeal and no right to a hearing — owners Cherie and Greg Sprando called longtime friend and lawyer Mark O’Donnell. A year later, thanks to a dogged lawsuit brought by Kelly Clark and the OCC team, a federal judge ruled that the county’s actions were unconstitutional. A settlement with the county required the county to expedite all future land use permits on the expansion, as well as to pay the marina’s legal fees.