Lake Forest Park’s City Council voted unanimously Thursday to authorize the mayor to recommend that King County enroll Hudson Properties in the county’s Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS).

The council acted after a staff presentation and one prior public comment from a neighbor and property owner who urged the city to preserve wooded parcels. City planner David Greeth summarized that the Hudsons applied to enroll two vacant forested lots plus a narrow wooded strip along their homesite — a total of about 1.45 acres, of which 1.06 acres were recommended for PBRS enrollment under the categories of urban open space, watershed protection and resource restoration.

The PBRS is derived from the state Open Space Taxation Act and is implemented locally by King County code (20.36). The program assigns points to qualifying private properties; if approved the enrolled acreage is eligible for a reduction in taxable value — a conservation incentive the county administers while the land remains privately owned.

Why it matters: Enrollment in PBRS reduces taxes on participating private property while securing long-term conservation benefits — in this case preserving second-growth forest, protecting watershed functions and committing to invasive-species removal and vegetation restoration on the enrolled acres. That trade-off shifts a small amount of annual tax revenue away from the city but preserves open space close to neighborhoods.

Staff and county representatives said the Hudson application qualified under the three categories and noted conservation-easement points were not included because of a timing issue in the approval timeline handled at the county level. Based on 2024 tax figures provided in the staff report, the two vacant lots together generated roughly $9,400 and the homesite portion roughly $6,400 in property tax; staff estimated the city’s share of the resulting tax reduction would be on the order of $500 annually under current levy assumptions, a figure that could fluctuate with future levy rates.

King County PBRS lead Megan Kim explained the program uses defined categories for evaluation and does not incorporate a separate ‘‘ecosystem services’’ calculation beyond the criteria spelled out in the county scoring rubric. David Greeth noted that the county’s staff report and the Hudsons’ application were included in the council packet.

There were no public comments during the formal hearing; a nearby resident who had earlier addressed the council thanked the city and urged preservation of the wooded parcel. Councilmembers praised the Hudsons for bringing the property forward and said they hoped the program would be useful to other owners seeking to preserve small, wooded parcels.

Action and next steps: Councilmember Reynolds moved to suspend the “three-touch” rule so the council could act on the recommendation; the motion was seconded and carried. Council then moved and unanimously adopted the resolution authorizing the mayor to sign the city’s recommendation to King County for the Hudson Properties PBRS enrollment. The city will transmit that recommendation to King County for final county determination and recording.

Clarifying details: The council-approved recommendation covers roughly 1.06 acres (part of a 1.45-acre assemblage). The eligible PBRS categories cited were urban open space, watershed protection and resource restoration. The staff packet calculated a ballpark annual municipal tax revenue reduction of about $500 (estimate subject to future levy rates). Conservation-easement points were not recommended because county deadlines had passed for that category.

Ending: The council endorsed the application as a local conservation tool and invited property owners with similar parcels to consider PBRS; staff and King County representatives will continue coordination as the county completes its eligibility and enrollment steps.