Description
By accelerating open space investments, King County can secure the livability, health, and ecological integrity of the region—for everyone. This action is a commitment for King County to continue the accelerated rate of protection of priority farms, forests, parks, and natural lands through implementation of the King County Land Conservation Initiative (LCI). The goal of LCI is to protect the last, best natural areas and working lands within a generation while closing gaps in equitable access to open space. LCI supports King County’s commitment to eliminate net loss of forest cover within any major watershed in the County, using a suite of tools including tax breaks, easements, and acquisitions to achieve conservation goals while incentivizing community-led projects that advance equity.
Using tax incentives to protect land from development, as an alternative to acquisition, is an important strategy identified as part of implementing the King County LCI. King County is committed to strategically implement and expand Current Use Taxation (CUT) and Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS) to support land protection. These programs provide a property tax reduction incentive to private landowners who voluntarily preserve working farms and forests, natural areas, and other types of open space in King County. King County will focus additional resources on CUT and PBRS to provide short-term protection of LCI-identified lands targeted for fee or easement acquisition and provide long-term protection for lands with lower risk of conversion.