Robert I. Heller
Principal
Bob concentrates his law practice on land use and governmental permitting/regulation, primarily representing developers, businesses, property owners and real estate investors. Bob’s practice includes zoning and subdivision, master use and building permits, site planning, wetlands/critical areas regulation, historic preservation, and compliance with accessibility and non-discrimination requirements. He also addresses related land use issues such as condemnation, adverse possession, covenants and easements. He has experience in preparing land use due diligence opinions, amending comprehensive plans or zoning regulations, and preparing land use agreements for development projects.
He works with numerous state and federal laws affecting land use and real estate development, including the Growth Management Act, state and federal environmental policy acts, Shoreline Management Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act.
Bob frequently assists clients in negotiations with agency staff. He has been very successful in working with staff and governmental officials to solve land use problems and avoid delays or litigation. When hearings or appeals are required, Bob has extensive experience advocating his client’s position before hearing examiners, boards of adjustment, city councils, county commissioners and state administrative boards. In the federal courts, Bob successfully represented a group home for disabled persons in a pro bono Fair Housing Act case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995, City of Edmonds v. Oxford House.
Education and Admissions
Bob received his B.S.E. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan. He also holds an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management. Bob received his J.D. from the University of Washington in 1984. He is admitted to practice in Washington.
Memberships
King County Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association.
Professional and Community Activities
Bob served as a Seattle Planning Commissioner from 1980 through 1986. He has served as a Director of the WSBA Environmental and Land Use Section and Editor-in-Chief of the section’s Environmental and Land Use Law Newsletter. He also is a member and past President of the MIT Club of Puget Sound.
Awards and Recognition
Bob has been named a Washington Super Lawyer®, and also has been named to the magazine's list of the "Top 40 Environmental/Land Use Super Lawyers"
Publications
Contributing Author, Environmental and Land Use Volume of Washington Real Property Deskbook. Various CLE Publications.
