ARLINGTON After 18 years of negotiating with government to be included in the city of Arlington, Laurin Foster is relieved that a small portion of his farm on the west side of town will finally be annexed into the city of Arlington.
Frankly, its taken so long that we havent really thought about what to do with the property, Foster said. The familys similar requests in past years were rejected, so they didnt want to get their hopes up this time.
Laurin Foster inherited the farm from his father, Gilbert Foster, even though he never really intended to become a farmer.
I was gone to college to study engineering when my dad got sick, so I came home to help.
Now Fosters son, Brian Foster and his wife Connie, would like to continue working the family farm which they have transformed from a dairy farm in the early 1990s into a retail produce market with plants, gifts and antiques, a petting zoo and special seasonal events like the corn maze and pumpkin catapult, in an effort to profit from agritourism.
The tourism strategy hasnt really worked that well, Laurin Foster said.
None-the-less, the third generation farmers still want to continue farming and the potential income from selling annexed acreage as well as the development rights to the lower land will assist them in the effort.
The Growth Management Hearings Board approved the inclusion of the upland portion of the Foster farm in the citys urban growth area Friday, Feb. 2, denying an appeal from Future Wise, a growth management watchdog with special interests in agriculture in the Puget Sound region.
The hearing was for all the stuff contested in Snohomish Countys comprehensive plan, said Arlington City Administrator Allen Johnson.
After the GMHBs decision, the countys Boundary Review Board dropped the case in the final day of its 45-day appeal period, on Monday, Feb. 5.
The BRB dropped the case after the GMHB approved it Friday, Johnson said.
Cities and counties in the state are required by the Growth Management Act to update comprehensive plans every 10 years.
Other Arlington annexations are not subject to review by the hearings board because they are already in the citys Urban Growth Area, but they will be reviewed by the countys Boundary Review Board.
The city passed a resolution Monday to proceed with the Johnston annexation, after received a 60 percent petition for land east of SR 9 and south of Arlington High School. The 300-acre Brehkus-Beach annexation, which constitutes the receiving area for the innovative Transfer of Development Rights program to preserve agriculture in the Stillaguamish Valley from I-5 to Arlington, has already been sent to the countys Boundary Review Board.
Indeed, the TDR program played a critical role in the case for adding the upper level of the Foster farm into the citys urban growth area.
We believe that the Foster annexation of six acres will save 50 acres of agriculture land for the TDR program, said Bill Blake, assistant director of community development and natural resources manager for the city of Arlington.
If we dont annex the upland, the Foster family will subdivide the entire farm, Blake said its not just about a few acres for the city its more about the 50 acres of farmland.
For me, its also about the family that has earned the right to the value of their land, Blake added.
Laurin Foster confirmed that he was considering subdividing the whole farm if the annexation didnt go through. According to county regulations, the ag 10 zoning would allow the owner to create at least five 10-acre lots on the 57 acres, much like the Faber farm to the west.
But we figured wed be better off keeping some income-producing property than selling it all off, Foster said.
The resulting settlement seems to make everyone happy, although Foster had to make three few small concessions. He must agree to attach one acre on the bluff with farm buildings with the lowland; he must agree to sell his development rights for the lower 50 acres, and he must keep road access from the barns to the fields.
The legal director for Future Wise, Keith Scully explained their position.
Our concern is that if the lowland is separated from the upland, then a whole new set of barns will be needed, or there will be lots of equipment on the road, Scully said.
Thus, Brian and Connie Foster will continue using the barns on the bluff while raising crops on the lowland.
As for the six acres that will be annexed by the city, Foster said he doesnt have any plans other than selling.
It depends on the buyer and what they want to do, Foster said.
Arlington Mayor Margaret Larsen, who attended the hearing Friday with Johnson, Blake and City Attorney Steve Peiffle, said she sees the valley, and the bluff, as the gateway into historical downtown Arlington.
This annexation is not about the Fosters, she said. Its another step to make the TDR program work and to save agriculture in the valley. We hope that bluff will become an attractive gateway to Arlington.