Warner Ridge Builder’s Lawsuit Goes to Court

A Superior Court judge is scheduled to hold a hearing today on a complaint by a developer who claims politically motivated city officials, led by City Councilwoman Joy Picus, wrongfully blocked his Warner Ridge commercial development.

Developer Jack Spound and his partner, Johnson Wax Development Co., are suing the city for $100 million. They had sought to build an 810,000-square-foot commercial project on a 21.5-acre site between Warner Center and Pierce College.

Last January, the City Council voted to kill the commercial project and rezoned the property to allow only the construction of single-family homes.

The developer’s lawsuit accuses Picus, the area’s lawmaker, of dropping her support for the project and becoming its leading foe to save herself from the political retribution of homeowners who opposed the development.

On Monday, a federal judge dismissed without prejudice a similar lawsuit filed by the developers in U.S. District Court on the grounds the suit duplicated the state court action.