Dear Friends,
This is Tristan Klesick of Klesick Farms writing you today with Kristin Kelly, Smart Growth Executive Director of Pilchuck Audubon Society and Snohomish/Skagit Program Director for Futurewise, asking for your help with an important issue that will preserve our local food options and farmland, both today and in the future.
We know, and I believe you will agree, that protecting farmland and helping farmers will ensure a healthy, local, and safe food supply for our county and region, as well as maintain a quality of life we all are thankful for and enjoy.
A few years ago our Snohomish County Council members made a very wise decision about the future of our growing county. Growth is inevitable, but wise growth is the goal. The County Council adopted a countywide Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program, which will give the development community the ability to increase densities in our urban growth areas to accommodate the future growth. The developers would need to purchase a development certificate from our county farmers in order to get increased densities in parts of the county that are better equipped to handle more growth.
Even though the TDR program was put together with an array of stakeholder consensus from farmers, the development community, environmental community and businesses, the development community no longer wants use the TDR program (to preserve farmland) for the increased housing density.
This is why we need your help!
We believe the current TDR program is a win-win for local citizens, developers, and farmers! We (Tristan and Kristin) have spent years working on an equitable solution to preserve farmland. We have shared our views on the proposed changes to the current TDR program, but sadly it is becoming apparent that we will need local voters to help us convince the County Council to not cave into the desires of the development community.
Help us convince the County Council that any change in our current TDR program is unacceptable.
Kristin and I have written an email to the Council and now is your chance to share your voice. Please Click Here to add your voice to the discussion by sending an email the County Council before June 10th, when they reconvene for a public hearing. You can add your story and your own thoughts to the email, urging the County Council to protect our local food options and farmland today and into the future.
Also, calling your council member will help as well. Just leave a message on their voice mail… call 425-388-3494.
Snohomish County Council District 1–Ken Klein
Snohomish County Council District 2–Brian Sullivan
Snohomish County Council District 3–Stephanie Wright
Snohomish County Council District 4–Terry Ryan
Snohomish County Council District 5–Dave Somers
Together we can ensure a bright future for our children. Click Here to send an email to the County Council today
Tristan Klesick, Klesick Family Farms
Kristin Kelly, Futurewise and Pilchuck Audubon Society