The City of Snoqualmie is going to court over the shape of its urban growth area near the Interstate 90 interchange.

The council authorized City Attorney Pat Anderson in August to appeal a recent Growth Management Hearing Board decision regarding the way that King County calculates the city’s urban growth areas. In a report to council, Anderson laid out his argument: That King County’s comprehensive plan and planning policies aren’t in compliance with state law’s criteria for sizing of urban growth areas, the areas identified for future growth of cities, to include business use.

“As we hit 12,000 (population), we know we don’t have sufficient area to locate the shopping we need,” Anderson told the Record.

The city had appealed the UGA rules to the Growth Management Hearing Board, which upheld the county’s policies in an August 12 ruling. Anderson argues that state law requires the county to evaluate the sufficiency of urban growth areas for non-residential uses.

“The county just plain didn’t engage the words in the 2009 legislation,” Anderson said. “It’s a city by city analysis that’s required by statute.”

The appeal, which will go before either the Thurston County Superior Court or the Division 1 Court of Appeals, is necessary if the city wants to seek an agreement on the future of the Snoqualmie Parkway-I-90 area with the county. If successful, the suit “means the county has to do-over the things it did wrong,” Anderson said, and take a fresh look at the city’s UGA needs.

The Superior Court filing fee is $200. Anderson is being advised by Jay Derr of Van Ness Feldman Gordon Derr.