Resource Lands

The Growth Management Act mandates that each County planning under the GMA protect their resource lands of commercial significance and critical areas.  In Snohomish County, there are many acres of commercially designated forest land and commercially designated agricultural land, and areas of mineral lands that are currently being mined and areas that are designated as future sites. 

While farming activities are allowed in the rural areas of the county, these farms are not protected under the GMA, but the County has identified around 22,000 acres of rural land with farming activities. The development pressures of the County’s resource lands are huge. 

Farmers who are not doing well financially may see the benefit of selling off their farmland to developers.  Currently the county code allows for farmland to be subdivided into 10 acre lots.  Forest land is also under pressure for conversion, including 3,000 acres of commercially designated forest land on the west bank of Lake Roesiger proposed for a new city.