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King County Executive Girmay Zahilay announced this week that the county will invest $100 million into dozens of conservation projects around the county.
The funding will be distributed to 57 projects to increase access to urban greenspace, restore salmon habitat, and protect forestland, natural areas, and here in Enumclaw, farmland.
About $1.5 million is recommended to buy the development rights of eight farms in the area to preserve open space and encourage agricultural use. Hundreds, if not thousands, of acres of farmland around Enumclaw and Black Diamond are already protected under the county’s Farmland Preservation Program.
When the county buys the development rights to farmland, those rights become available to developers for purchase to build additional units or increase the height of current buildings in urban areas.
According to the county, revenue through those sales provide matching funds in combination with the Conservation Futures funds to potentially purchase more open space or farmland development rights.
Landowners that have sold their development rights agree to what King County calls “restrictive covenants” — a.k.a a contractional agreement that limits how the land can be used. Examples of restrictions include leaving the land available to agricultural or open space use, limiting the number of residences that can be built on the land, and avoiding doing anything that would impair agricultural activity on the land.
Currently, more than 16,000 acres of farmland around Enumclaw are and the Green, Sammamish, and Snoqualmie River Valleys have become permanently protected through the Farmland Preservation Program since the program started in 1979.
The purchase of these farms is also a part of the county’s Local Food Initiative, which aims to increase food access and affordability, build a local food and farming economy, and promote environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
The funding for these conservation projects comes from the county’s Conservation Futures program and its related property tax, which voters restored in 2022, as well as the county’s parks levy, which was renewed by voters last year.
