King County, Girl Scout land-preservation deal earns 'innovative conservation' award

A voluntary agreement that preserves an historic Girl Scout camp and valuable open space in exchange for increased housing density in downtown Seattle has earned King County's Transfer of Development Rights Program (TDR) a regional award from the Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC).

King County Executive Ron Sims accepted the CLC's "Innovative Conservation Award" at its 11th annual Conservation Awards Breakfast, May 16 at the Westin Seattle. The award, which recognizes conservation projects involving unique or non-traditional collaboration, distinguishes an agreement that will keep as open space the 438-acre Camp River Ranch Girl Scout camp near Carnation.

Under terms of the agreement, King County received a free, permanent conservation easement from the Girl Scouts for the camp, including half a mile of shoreline along the Tolt River, which contains critical spawning habitat for endangered chinook salmon.

City Investors II, LLC, an affiliate of Vulcan Inc., paid the Girl Scouts $210,000 for 14 development rights that will allow construction of an additional 28,000 square feet of residential space at Vulcan's 2201 Westlake project in Seattle.

"This agreement achieved so many positive goals – including preserving open space and protecting salmon habitat, plus concentrating growth within the urban core," Sims said. "Winning the Cascade Land Conservancy's Innovative Conservation Award is tremendous recognition for our TDR Program, and it's a reminder that we can accomplish great things when we try new and different ways of doing business."

Sims thanked King County Council for its support in creating and nurturing the TDR Program – particularly Council Chair Larry Phillips and Councilmember Dow Constantine.

King County's voluntary TDR Program helps rural property owners sell development rights to urban landowners who are seeking additional residential density. The program protects rural lands for farming, forestry, open space and habitat for threatened or endangered species, while allowing increased residential density in urban areas.

Since 1999, nearly 92,000 acres have been permanently preserved through King County's TDR Program – nearly twice the land of any other TDR Program in the United States.

Cascade Land Conservancy is an entrepreneurial nonprofit land conservation organization, currently working in King, Kittitas, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. CLC is uniquely positioned in the conservation community, known for its willingness to take bold steps in partnership with public and private organizations, to address the community's desire for a healthy environment. Additional information on the King County TDR Program may be found at: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/tdr/.