Clark County is set to spend more than half a million dollars on about 10 acres of property near the 78th Street Heritage Farm to support ongoing efforts to preserve urban recreational land and benefit the efforts on the farm.
During its Aug. 15 meeting, the Clark County Council unanimously approved a $550,000 purchase and sale agreement for the land directly to the east of the farm, located at the corner of Northeast 78th Street and Northeast 25th Avenue.
Clark County Public Works’ Parks and Lands division first learned the property was up for sale in January, according to a staff report. The county envisions the land being used as either an urban natural area or a park.
Funding for the purchase will come out of a dedicated fund using park impact fees, according to a budget impact statement. Impact fees are placed on new construction and designated for certain uses, in this case county parks.
The area is a wooded property sitting just north of Bonneville Power Administration power lines, Clark County Public Works Parks and Lands Division Manager Rocky Houston explained. He mentioned the property has a steep slope that goes into about four acres of designated wetland.
The inability to develop the land outside of parks-type usage made it prime for acquisition. The property is part of Cougar Creek headwaters where the farm has a wetland project, and owning the land would help keep unwanted species from getting into the project area, Houston said.
Currently the property is zoned for a residential density allowing for apartment buildings, Houston said. He said, with environmental buffers that development needed to account for, it was unlikely that such a use could happen.
Acquiring the property is in line with the county’s parks, recreation and open space plan, Houston said. A potential benefit could be granting more leeway in determining alignment of a trail planned for around the property. More generally, having more natural land adds to the recreational value of a trail once built.
The council’s biggest concern was the cost of the land. Councilor Gary Medvigy said he had sticker shock from the amount the county had to pay for the property.
“I agree, it’s higher than I would want to pay,” Houston said.
Because of the small area allowing for residential development, he said the price was greater. The county still got a deal, as the property’s most-recent assessed land value was roughly $973,000, according to data in the county’s geographic information system.
Houston noted any development on the property would require a land-use permit.
