'The last, best places:' King County moves to buy 65,000 acres of open spaces
SEATTLE -- As home prices around King County skyrocket, developers look to open tracks of land to build ever-needed housing.
But the building push into open spaces means disappearing trails, farmland and open air; Northwest necessities.
On Wednesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine moved to protect open spaces in the county, hoping to use about $148 million over the next four years to buy 65,000 acres of land.
The county would buy up natural lands, trails, urban green spaces, farmland and other available spaces. The money would come from bonds bought through the Conservative Futures Tax. The tax, a property tax, has been in place since 1982.
The county must act soon, Constantine said, before these places become a thing of the past.
"I am committed to saving the last, best places in King County," Constantine said.
Stretching from the Puget Sound to the Cascades, the county has seen unparalleled sprawl and density in recent years. The development impacts salmon runs, working farms and trails and parks that people rely on for recreation, Constantine said.
The proposal, dubbed the Land Conservation Initiative, would sell more bonds secured by the Conservation tax. It would also remove certain financial matches for the county when acquiring land.
Local teacher Katrina Dohn has seen open spaces become increasingly rare in the state's most populous county. Two years ago, students came to her and said they had no outdoor place to play. Dohn spearheaded the initiative to preserve spaces.
"Every human being deserves a safe and happy life," Dohn said. "Nobody deserves to have their lives limited by the circumstances around them."
Below are examples of land the county plans to purchase over the next 30 years under the new push:
As part of the plan, Constantine also hopes to increase private sector involvement by offering tax breaks for businesses that don't develop land.
A new task force was announced Wednesday to help facilitate land buys.