Tulip Valley Farms sued by Skagit County

Tulip Valley Farms proprietor Andrew Miller is back in Skagit County Superior Court, this time with farmer Larry Jensen, sued by Skagit County for Miller’s development on Jensen’s Bradshaw Road property last fall. The Aug. 8 lawsuit states that developments took place without “obtaining a single permit or necessary developmental review as required by state law and the Skagit County Code.”

The County asks the court to confirm the violations are a public nuisance, to permanently enjoin them and order Jensen and Miller to abate them.

When Tulip Valley Farms created its operations last fall on the property, the lawsuit alleges it “unlawfully converted approximately eight acres of agricultural land. This includes the erection of a large electronic advertising sign and supporting structure constructed from multiple shipping containers stacked on each other-the lower containers having been structurally modified and used for retail sales to the public. This development also includes the creation of access to a county road, driveways, parking lot [and] public gathering areas.”

Violations listed in the complaint include failure to obtain required building permits, floodplain development permits, environmental review under the State Environmental Protection Act and the County’s Critical Areas Ordinance, a special use permit for a temporary event and a county road access permit.

The complaint states 51 “relevant facts” against the defendants, including “the defendants did not develop the property in a way to minimize impacts to agricultural activities;” that “prior to 2023, the parcel was used exclusively for agriculture,” that in March County staff “posted a Stop Work Order at the Property, directing Jensen and his invitees to cease and desist from further construction activity; and “the Stop Work Order was not appealed within 14 days.”

The summons against Jensen and Miller were submitted to the court Aug. 8 and required a response within 20 days of being served. Otherwise, “a default judgment may be entered against you without notice” each states.

Neither Jensen nor Miller had filed a response by Aug. 29, according to court documents.

While the company’s website states, “Get all the latest information on the tulips, bulbs, events and happenings at Tulip Valley Farms by signing up for our newsletter,” nothing about the lawsuit is listed. A Google search returns a red bar with the words “Tulip Valley Farms is temporarily closed.”