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Skagit County approves conservation easements protecting 107 acres north of La Conner
Summary
The commissioners approved two farmland legacy conservation easements on Oct. 6 that together protect 107 acres owned by the Hauser family; the $210,000 easement payments include notices of assignment so the landowners may use a 1031 tax‑deferred exchange.
Skagit County commissioners approved two farmland legacy conservation easements Oct. 6 that together protect 107 acres of farmland north of La Conner and extinguish two development rights.
Sarah Stoner, the county’s agricultural lands coordinator, told the commissioners the two easements — one recorded to Blue Widgeon LLC and the other to Northwest Territory LLC, both representing members of the Hauser family — cover adjacent parcels along McLean Road and La Conner‑Whitney Road. The combined payment to the landowners for the easements is $210,000.
Nut graf: The easements add 107 acres to a larger block of permanently protected farmland south of Highway 20 and east of the Swinomish Channel, increasing contiguous preserved agricultural acreage to about 15,400 acres countywide and furthering the county’s farmland legacy goals.
Stoner explained that the consent package included notices of assignment that allow the landowners to use a qualified intermediary for an Internal Revenue Code §1031 like‑kind exchange (a “1031 exchange”), enabling a tax‑deferred transfer of proceeds into a replacement property rather than direct receipt.
Commissioners moved and seconded approval and voted 3–0 to adopt the easements and supporting notices of assignment. Stoner said the county will monitor the conserved parcels annually as part of the farmland legacy monitoring program, and that the easements join a regional block of protected farmland in the La Conner area.
Ending: The county’s farmland legacy program now reports roughly 15,400 acres protected and 190 development rights extinguished; the county’s stewardship process includes annual monitoring to confirm easement compliance.
