Skagit County authorizes sale of Marble Mound parcel; minimum bid set at $325,000

After a public hearing on June 9, the Skagit County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the disposal of county-owned real property in Marble Mound, including a minimum auction bid of $325,000.

Bridal Adams, Skagit County Parks, Recreation and Fair director, told commissioners the county had acquired the full parcel from Michael Belize and his wife to avoid bisecting the park with private land. Adams said the county's interest focused on the portion nearest the river to preserve wetlands and complete a trail; the county retained a smaller panhandle-shaped parcel that includes septic systems and a shared waterline.

Adams described the parcel as roughly a half-acre created as part of a boundary-line adjustment. She told the board much of the sale parcel lies in a floodplain and therefore does not appraise at the same level as the portion adjacent to State Route 20. Commissioners were told there is local interest in housing in the area and that neighboring properties have been rented to National Park Service and other employees.

County staff said the parcel is connected to a PUD water system and that an on-site well had been properly abandoned. Legal and staff discussion noted that a waterline easement crosses the county parcel and that the future owner may incur costs or monitoring obligations related to that infrastructure. Adams said the county purchased the property with Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) grant funding, which triggers cultural-monitoring requirements when county crews dig; staff said a private buyer would not automatically carry the same RCO obligations but that significant archaeological finds could halt on-site work and trigger further review.

One member of the public, Vinod Sharma, asked at the hearing whether an electric-vehicle charger could be installed and whether digging for underground wiring would be allowed. Staff answered that the house currently has overhead PSE electrical service and that installations such as EV chargers can often be done with overhead wiring; they cautioned that any excavation on county-owned land had been subject to cultural monitoring because of the RCO-funded purchase and that a significant find could stop work until processes were followed.

The treasurer's office will schedule the auction date and handle required notices; the resolution before the board established the minimum bid at $325,000 but did not set a final auction date at the meeting. Commissioners approved the resolution by voice vote, 3-0, and the record notes the sale would be "as is" with no county guarantees about the property beyond what was discussed at the hearing.

The resolution recorded the property as located at 59968 State Route 20; staff said the parcel will be handled through the treasurer's auction process and that staff will coordinate the timing and location of the auction with the treasurer.