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	July 24, 2002 Ames Lake Forest saved through transfer of development rights program King County Executive Ron Sims and King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, a longtime environmental advocate, today announced the preservation of the 443-acre Ames Lake Forest near Carnation in perpetuity through the County’s transfer of development rights program (TDR). King County acquired all the development rights on the property and a permanent conservation easement with $2.8 million in dedicated funding. Sims said the development rights will be held in the TDR Bank for resale to landowners inside Seattle’s Denny Triangle Neighborhood or the urban area. Under the terms of the transaction, the land will remain in forestry forever and be operated by the landowner Port Blakely. Executive Sims points to a map of the Ames Lake Forest. "King County is committed to preserving private forestry and the rural area," said Sims. [Enlarged view] “The Ames Lake Forest was threatened with conversion from forestry to sprawling residential estates,” said Sims. “To preserve forestry in the rural area, we worked successfully with the landowner to save all of this property from conversion to residential development. “Preservation of the Ames Lake Forest is another example of the County’s ongoing commitment to protect private forests and the rural area based on policies in the Comprehensive Plan and the State Growth Management Act. This is a tremendous win for King County, as it maintains a large private working forest, with its family wage jobs and eliminates costly rural sprawl and future demand for new schools, public safety, transportation and other public services." County Councilmember Larry Phillips, Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee and author of the TDR Program, added that, with this effort, the award winning Transfer of Development Rights Program achieved another major milestone on a very large and strategic property. “Ames Lake is important as it is one of six chinook salmon preservation areas in the entire 680 square mile Snohomish River Basin. This transaction is an example of a creative partnership with a private landowner for public benefit. With the constraints of the budget crisis, it is important that we maximize every available opportunity for public benefit. Revenues dedicated exclusively for open space acquisition were used to permanently protect forestland, while stewardship will be provided by the Port Blakely Timber Company. The public gets permanently protected open space in the foothills of the Cascades, without having to pay the cost of stewardship,” said Phillips. “A great win given our budget shortfall.” Jim Warjone, President of Port Blakely, expressed his satisfaction that this property will now be retained in private ownership as a working forest. “With escalating land values in King County and the changing economics of the timber market, Port Blakely had planned to pursue conversion of Ames Lake to residential development,” said Warjone. “But King County stepped in strategically and worked with us to achieve an elegant solution that protects the Forest without incurring new public maintenance costs. Port Blakely is proud to partner with King County in saving the Ames Lake Forest.” The King County TDR Program, started in October 1998, has permanently preserved over 1,200 acres throughout King County with an additional 1,000 acres qualified in the Program. In its nearly four years, the Program has received the American Planning Association’s Partnership Award, a Citation of Merit from the Mountains To Sound Greenway Trust and a Vision 2020 Award from the Puget Sound Regional Council. Additional details on the TDR Program may be found online, at: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/tdr/. Councilmember Phillips says of the TDR Program, “using TDR presents a win-win situation for the public and the landowner. The public gains permanent protection for ecologically sensitive lands at no cost to the taxpayer, while the landowner preserves economic gain through development in urban areas. Everyone benefits.” Updated: Oct. 31, 2002 Executive's home Executive's news Executive's site map | E-mail the Executive King County | Executive | News | Services | Comments | Search Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. By visiting this and other King County web pages, you expressly agree to be bound by terms and conditions of the site. The details.