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Randall P. Olsen

Attorney

Randall helps clients acquire, develop, permit, use, and resolve disputes involving real property. He works with property owners, developers, consultants and governmental entities to obtain land use entitlements and, when necessary, to file or defend against lawsuits related to the development and use of real property. Randall also drafts covenants and easements needed to coordinate uses, maintenance and management between multiple property owners, including drafting conditions, covenants and restrictions (CC&Rs) for homeowners associations and master planned communities.

Randall is the Chair of Cairncross & Hempelmann’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Group. The TOD Group helps clients build residential and commercial buildings near the growing number of light rail and bus rapid transit stations throughout the Puget Sound region. These transit-oriented development projects minimize the number of cars on our crowded highways, decrease the environmental impacts related to traditional car-centric developments, and improve our quality of life by creating compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with convenient access to our transit systems. The TOD Group understands the fundamental barriers and opportunities involved in transit-oriented development, and has the expertise in the areas of land use, real estate acquisition and sale, finance, and litigation to help clients make their transit-oriented development projects a reality.

Introduction

Randall helps clients acquire, develop, permit, use, and resolve disputes involving real property. He works with property owners, developers, consultants and governmental entities to obtain land use entitlements and, when necessary, to file or defend against lawsuits related to the development and use of real property. Randall also drafts covenants and easements needed to coordinate uses, maintenance and management between multiple property owners, including drafting conditions, covenants and restrictions (CC&Rs) for homeowners associations and master planned communities.

Randall is the Chair of Cairncross & Hempelmann’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Group. The TOD Group helps clients build residential and commercial buildings near the growing number of light rail and bus rapid transit stations throughout the Puget Sound region. These transit-oriented development projects minimize the number of cars on our crowded highways, decrease the environmental impacts related to traditional car-centric developments, and improve our quality of life by creating compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with convenient access to our transit systems. The TOD Group understands the fundamental barriers and opportunities involved in transit-oriented development, and has the expertise in the areas of land use, real estate acquisition and sale, finance, and litigation to help clients make their transit-oriented development projects a reality.

Experience & Results

  • Successfully negotiated agreement on behalf of private owner with Sound Transit, securing owner’s redevelopment right after Sound Transit’s use of property ends
  • Successfully negotiated agreement with Department of Ecology securing private water rights in the Dungeness Valley
  • Successfully defended controversial 100+ lot subdivision in administrative and superior court proceedings
  • Successfully negotiated multi-party agreement involving development projects in the City of Bainbridge Island
  • Successfully negotiated settlement agreement with neighborhood historic society regarding preservation of historic building while maximizing development potential for underlying property
  • Successfully helped coordinate a change to State condominium statute to facilitate the sale and conveyance of 7-acre property to Seattle Children’s Hospital
  • Successfully defended appeals of permit for cannabis grow facility in King County
  • Successfully co-defended special use permit for gravel mine despite interference by county officials and helped secure a $12 million verdict against county
  • Successfully transferred development rights between parcels of land in King County and within the City of Seattle

Education

  • University of Washington (B.A., 2001)
  • University of Washington School of Law (J.D., 2006)
    • Associate Editor-in-Chief, Washington Law Review
    • Magister, Phi Delta Phi
    • Legal Writing Teaching Fellow

Admissions

  • Washington
  • Oregon
  • US District Court, Western District of Washington

Honors & Recognition

  • Ranked in Washington State by Chambers USA in the area of Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use since 2022
  • Recognized in Washington State by Chambers USA as an “Up and Coming” in the area of Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use since 2022
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Real Estate Law since 2018
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Environmental Law since 2021
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Land Use and Zoning Law since 2021
  • Named on the Washington Super Lawyers list by Super Lawyers® Magazine since 2022
  • Named on the Washington Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers® Magazine

Professional & Community Involvement

  • Puget Sound Regional Council, Transit-Oriented Development Committee (2015-present)
  • Urban Land Institute
  • Urban Land Institute Northwest, Transit Oriented Design Product Council
  • National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP)
    • Property Tour Committee (2014)
  • Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
  • Drama Dock, Board of Directors

Publications/Speaking Engagements

  • Moderator, “Development, Construction & Design Trends,” Marcus & Millichap/IPA Multifamily Forum Pacific Northwest, Seattle, WA (October 13, 2022)
  • Moderator, “Developing From the Ground Up,” Bisnow Seattle Transit-Oriented Development (July 19, 2022)
  • Moderator, “Developers/Owners/Investors Panel,” InterFace Seattle Multifamily Conference (March 23, 2022)
  • Moderator, “Reinventing Communities and Finding Opportunity in the North: What’s Next for Everett?,” Bisnow Future of North Sound & Everett Digital Summit (April 14, 2021)
  • Moderator, “The South Sound and Future Communities: OZs & TOD,” Bisnow Future of South Sound & Tacoma Digital Summit (February 11, 2021)
  • Moderator, “Seattle Transit-Oriented Development Update,” Bisnow Webinar (October 8, 2020)
  • Moderator, Developer panel at “Bringing the Region Together: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT),” Puget Sound Regional Council (October 4, 2019)
  • Speaker, “Achieving Great TOD Communities,” Dome District Fall Meeting (2018)
  • Speaker, “Transit Oriented Development – Challenges and Opportunities,” Urban Land Institute, Multifamily Product Council (2015)
  • Speaker, “Transit Oriented Development Opportunities in the City of Shoreline,” In-House Presentation (2012)
  • Speaker, “Ethics: Special Issues for Lawyers Involved Appearing Before Local Officials and Agencies in Permitting Processes,” Law Seminars International, Advanced Workshop (2008)

Personal

  • Sunset Hill Community Association, Member
  • Interests include playing basketball, backpacking, cooking, beer brewing, gardening and cinema