City officials move to save land for farming
Council seeks acreages in Latah Valley
The city of Spokane is looking at the possibility of buying development rights to an unusual use of land in an urban area – farming.
A handful of farmers still work the soil in Latah Valley, and city officials said the use of the land for agriculture is so valuable that the government should take steps to preserve it for the future.
Farmland in the valley has been lost to development over the years, including a strip of vegetable gardens that were once located at U.S. Highway 195 and Cheney-Spokane Road.
The City Council on Monday approved a grant application seeking half of the funding to purchase development rights for 19.5 acres of farmland with an assessed value of $847,000.
The council approved a separate application for funding to purchase 27.5 acres of adjacent riparian land along Latah Creek with an assessed value of $98,100.
In both cases, the grants would pay for only half of the acquisition costs.
Marla French, of the city planning staff, said money for acquiring farmland rights is a relatively new program in the state, but is being used increasingly by West Side counties to preserve critical growing areas close to population centers.
The city’s 2001 comprehensive land-use plan calls for preserving remaining city farmland. Spokane is unusual in the state for having farmland within city limits, French said.
“It’s prime agricultural soil,” she said. “It is best for producing foods.”
Maintaining local farmland is increasingly seen as a way to create greater food self-sufficiency within communities and reducing transportation costs. If existing farm operations were to stop, the city could make the land available for community agriculture or community gardens. None of the land rights could be purchased without the agreement of the owners, she said.
“There is no condemnation,” French said.
The applications are being made to a state conservation agency and then will be forwarded to the governor and eventually the legislature for approval during the next session based on a statewide ranking.