Saving farmland

Excerpt

FARM numbers and acreage in King County, Washington, have declined precipitously in the last three decades. Much of this farmland has been absorbed by commercial, industrial, and large-lot residential land uses. In an effort to retain the remaining farmlands in the county, a proposition authorizing a $50 million bond issue to purchase the development rights on 10,000 to 15,000 acres of eligible farmlands was put before the voters. It passed by almost a 2-to-1 margin in November 1979 despite widespread tax-revolt sentiments.

A policy evolves

In 1964 King County adopted its comprehensive plan in which specific areas were established as “agricultural” zones. Six years later, the State of Washington enacted the Open Space Tax Act in an effort to preserve farmland and open space by providing property tax relief to landowners who keep their land in farming or open space uses (1). In spite of these policies, the agricultural land base in the county, which now contains about one-third of the state's population, continued to decline steadily.

Passage of County Ordinance 3064 in February 1977 marked the first important step in development of the current farmland preservation program. This ordinance identified …