Lighthouse soup kitchen files federal suit against Wenatchee over permit revocation

WENATCHEE — Lighthouse Christian Ministries has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Wenatchee, challenging the city’s decision to revoke the organization’s conditional use permit to operate its soup kitchen and seeking a court order allowing the facility to reopen.

The lawsuit was announced at a press conference held outside the closed soup kitchen and filed in U.S. District Court in Spokane. Lighthouse is represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), a libertarian national nonprofit law firm that litigates constitutional cases at no cost to its clients.

Attorneys for Lighthouse argued that the city’s revocation of the permit was unconstitutional, arbitrary, and based on exaggerated or misleading information. City officials have not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit, and had not yet actually been served the papers at the time of the press conference.

Lighthouse operated the soup kitchen for several years in a warehouse located in an industrial area of Wenatchee. According to the lawsuit and statements made at the press conference, the organization invested approximately $1.6 million to convert the building for food service, including accessibility upgrades, fencing, security cameras, and a management plan approved as part of its conditional use permit.

At the press conference, IJ attorneys said Lighthouse was granted its permit in 2016, spent several years preparing the facility, and opened in 2019. They said the organization worked with the city on a behavioral management plan intended to address issues related to patrons and neighboring businesses, and that Lighthouse followed that plan throughout its operation.

IJ litigation fellow Riley Grace Borden said the city revoked the permit in 2025 without prior warning or an opportunity to correct alleged violations, citing issues such as a locked gate, changes to site access, leased parking arrangements, and emergency call data attributed to the area.

Lighthouse director Kolin Oliveira said the closure eliminated a major food distribution resource, stating the soup kitchen served dozens of meals daily and distributed large quantities of food through additional programs. He also confirmed that Lighthouse did not seek out the Institute for Justice for representation, but was instead contacted by the organization after the permit revocation.

The Institute for Justice describes itself as a public-interest law firm that focuses on constitutional litigation, including property rights cases, although they have only ever represented private individuals and entities. Attorneys at the press conference said the lawsuit is part of IJ’s Zoning Justice Project, which challenges land-use decisions the organization views as abusive or discriminatory. IJ representatives also said they are prepared to pursue appeals, even as far as the Supreme Court, if necessary.

City officials previously defended the permit revocation through the administrative process overseen by Wenatchee’s hearing examiner. As part of that process, Joshua Mathena, the city’s Homeless Response Administrator, submitted testimony describing Lighthouse’s relationship with both the city and neighboring businesses.

“During my time as the Homeless Response Administrator, I have maintained a positive relationship with [previous executive director] Shawn Arrington,” Mathena testified. “During my time with Shawn, he understood the frustrations of the businesses impacted by the patrons of the Lighthouse and was making efforts to minimize or eliminate those impacts. Shawn made a comment to me once stating if he was a surrounding business owner, he would likely want the Lighthouse shut down as well.”

Mathena’s testimony acknowledged Lighthouse’s efforts to address concerns while also reflecting the tensions surrounding the facility’s location and its impact on nearby businesses.

Ward Media asked IJ lawyers whether the primary assertion was that claims about the reason for the revocation were exaggerated, or if the assertion was that the City didn’t allow Lighthouse to address claims that were true. Borden’s response didn’t answer that question, but did confirm at least that all parties agree there were issues.

Using the example of a homeowner being cited for not mowing their lawn, Borden said “That’s what Lighthouse should have received: ‘Here’s a ticket, here’s what you can do to fix this,’ because it was all easily fixable. But they didn’t receive that. The city just revoked the permit, and they also did so with no warning.”

The lawsuit alleges that the city violated Lighthouse’s Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process and equal protection by revoking the permit rather than allowing corrective action, and raises a Fifth Amendment claim asserting that the revocation unlawfully deprived Lighthouse of a property interest without compensation.

IJ attorneys said the city will now be required to respond in federal court. They estimated that the case could take about a year to resolve at the trial level, with the possibility of appeals.

For now, the soup kitchen remains closed while the case proceeds.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media