||| FROM STEVE SNOWDEN |||
I support the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank (CLB) renewal effort because it is a vital part of maintaining scenic, environmental, and recreational attributes of the San Juan Islands that both residents and visitors cherish. Among many other activities, we can walk along the beaches of the Fisherman Bay Spit and soon the North Shore Preserve, enjoy the majestic vistas from Mt. Grant and Turtleback Mountain as well as the views over Beaverton Marsh and Zylstra Lake, explore the forest of Lopez Hill, and whale watch from Deadman Bay Preserve.
In a very real sense, we are all co-owners of CLB preserves. We can visit most of them anytime we wish during daylight hours, we can participate in their organization and oversight, we can volunteer to help maintain existing trails and build new ones, and for those of us who purchased property here since the CLB was created in 1990, we have contributed to the purchase of these properties through the one-time 1% Real Estate Excise Tax (REET).
The benefits of the CLB come at very little cost to county residents beyond the REET. While properties are removed from the tax rolls, many of the parcels were under current use designations, most often Designated Forest Land which reduces property taxes to pennies on the dollar. For instance, the previous owners of Turtleback Mountain paid less than $1,000 per year in property tax. Moving the CLB properties off the tax rolls increases the tax burden for the remaining privately held parcels by only $2.00 per $100,000 of valuation, $15 for a $750,000 parcel.
For those who support affordable housing, know that Washington State Statutes mandate that the 0.5% affordable housing REET requires the continuation of the CLB REET. The CLB is good for San Juan County and deserves to be renewed!
I was initially glad my parcel acquisition taxes went to support the Land Bank and am deeply appreciative of the Glenwood acquisition and hope they can acquire more beachfront and water access parcels for public use. However I believe their philosophy on recreation is too conservative when it comes to cycling. Turtleback is 1500+ acres and there are zero new trails being built for biking and no singletrack available for riding on today. They also haven’t to my knowledge taken steps to acquire land to create more of an island trail network.
Kids and adults alike want access to mountain and gravel biking trails, especially given Moran has such frustratingly limited policies. The LB should make that a priority as part of a recreation-forward agenda.
There are examples of land trusts and land banks elsewhere where this is prioritized (e.g. Cady Mountain in Stowe VT) that I wish the LB would learn from.
Given their reluctance so far despite receiving feedback through their surveys about more biking trails, I do not support renewing their charter even though I’m deeply supportive of the LB model..