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COSAC reviews Polson parcels and schedules site visit as local landowners consider easements
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Summary
The Cache County Open Space Advisory Committee reviewed an application for two Polson family parcels totaling about 120.4 acres on West Highway 30, heard staff detail soils and lack of hazardous materials, and tentatively scheduled a site visit for April 20 ahead of a first‑round vote at the next meeting.
The Cache County Open Space Advisory Committee on April 6 considered a formal application to place two Polson family parcels under a conservation easement and agreed to arrange a site visit before taking a vote.
Staff told the committee the application covers two parcels totaling about 120.4 acres at 7645 West Highway 30 in Petersburg, including a 24‑acre parcel fronting SR 30 and a larger inland parcel of roughly 96.21 acres. "They plan on continuing to farm it in the future," a staff member said, noting the Valley View Farm has been farmed by the family since the 1890s and that, according to the packet, there are no toxic or hazardous materials on the property.
Committee members discussed zoning, soils and nearby features. Staff said the parcels are not mapped as wetlands, although 4‑Mile Creek runs near the northern parcel, and the GIS report did not show wildland‑urban interface for the sites. The parcels are described in the application as working farmland with no planned public access.
The committee outlined the near‑term process: staff will schedule an on‑site visit with the applicants and bring findings back to the committee. Chair said staff will arrange the visit and the committee expects to hold a first‑round vote at the next monthly meeting after the site inspection. Members tentatively set an April 20, 3:30 p.m. site meeting and asked staff to confirm details by email.
At the meeting, Petersburg landowner Larry Olsen introduced himself and described his family's Hat Jay (Hagee) Ranch and multi‑generation stewardship. Olsen said he had an application in hand and asked how funding and appraisal work; staff explained the committee could combine local bond funds with federal or state programs, and that some programs cover a portion of easement cost while landowners or local sources typically make up the remainder. "You get to make those kinds of decisions," a staff member said, describing appraisal and negotiation of what uses or home‑site exclusions a landowner may retain.
Committee members encouraged applicants to complete the short application and said staff would gather mapping and appraisal details before the site visit. The committee took no formal vote at the meeting; members said they will return for a first‑round decision after the site inspection.
Next steps: staff will confirm the April 20 site meeting and follow up with applicants; the committee plans to consider first‑round approval at the following monthly meeting.
