Cook County weighs options for 80-acre John Sheaf parcel adjacent to Sawtooth Bluffs

Bob Thompson, a county staff member, briefed the Cook County Board’s Committee of the Whole about an 80-acre parcel owned by John Sheaf that lies adjacent to the Sawtooth Bluffs master-planned area and could affect future park development.

Thompson said the county holds nearly 600 acres in the Sawtooth Bluffs area in a mix of county-owned and tax-forfeit land and that an existing master plan envisions recreational uses including trails, camping and limited residential development. “If Mr. Sheaf wanted to, he could effectively get his engineered road plan, and he could bring in the equipment and machinery and start making the road on the Sawtooth Bluff property,” Thompson said, describing a 2023 appraisal and a recent court ruling on access rights.

The briefing focused on a legal complexity tied to historic plats. Thompson told the board that Judge Hanke’s ruling found there is legal access based on plats recorded around 1901–1903, and that, under that ruling, Mr. Sheaf would have a right to develop access following those platted streets and alleys. Thompson said the county staff did not know whether the historic plats define a road width and that additional legal and engineering questions remain about what development standard would apply.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the parcel could change the character and feasibility of the Sawtooth Bluffs regional-park concept. If the county does not acquire or otherwise control the property, commissioners heard, Sheaf might sell to a private developer and the land could be subdivided into high-end lots. The parcel sits inside a two-mile buffer of the city, which affects subdivision and approval processes, staff said.

County staff presented three primary options for the board to consider: 1) take no action and allow Mr. Sheaf to pursue development or private sale; 2) negotiate a land swap using less strategically important county tax-forfeit parcels in exchange for the Sheaf acreage; or 3) pursue acquisition via a conservation easement in cooperation with the Minnesota Land Trust, under which Mr. Sheaf would be compensated for development rights and the county would receive the remaining interest subject to easement restrictions.

Thompson summarized the financial context the board asked to consider. He said Mr. Sheaf’s appraiser estimated a market value of roughly $500,000 in a scenario where a road is constructed, and that the appraiser’s estimate of road and infrastructure costs was in the neighborhood of $170,000–$180,000. Using other recent comparable sales, Thompson said his own comp adjustments produced an “as‑is” value near $130,000. The county’s assessment, he said, currently lists the parcel at $176,000. Thompson also said a prior conversation in 2020 contemplated a conservation easement that would have compensated Mr. Sheaf roughly $94,000 and then conveyed remaining interests to the county; that earlier proposal stalled and the Minnesota Land Trust has since stepped away unless the county reengages.

Commissioners pressed staff on practical and policy questions: what level of road development would be required by law if Mr. Sheaf built access across county land, whether vacating the plat would eliminate public rights or simply shift the dispute to the courts, how a conservation easement’s maintenance obligations would affect county operations, and whether designating Sawtooth Bluffs as a regional park would unlock legacy funding to help acquire the parcel. Commissioner Sullivan suggested contacting an adjacent private landowner whose 40-acre parcel lies south of the Sheaf property to include that owner’s views in future discussion; Commissioner Gamble stressed the importance of defining the county’s core values and how acquisition or development fits those values.

Next steps and staff direction: Thompson told the board he would return in March with a structured analysis of scenarios (land swap, purchase, conservation easement), associated estimated costs and pros/cons, the draft conservation-easement language the county previously reviewed, and results from a public survey Land Services is currently running on the Sawtooth Bluff master plan. Commissioners asked staff to: (a) contact the Minnesota Land Trust to see whether it will reengage; (b) contact the adjacent private landowner to solicit awareness and feedback; (c) clarify the legal limits of the existing plats and options for vacating them; and (d) prepare a financial comparison that includes potential funding sources such as legacy funds should the area be designated a regional park.

Commissioners did not take formal action or vote. The committee asked staff to return with the requested information for a future decision at a regular meeting.