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County’s land protection program kicks off with $3 million property9/29/03 by Laura Adelmann Patrick McCarthy is so determined to preserve his family’s Eagan farmstead that he has donated a 34-acre easement valued at more than $3 million to Dakota County. Located northwest of Wescott Road and Lexington Avenue, the environmentally rich land is the first property Dakota County Commissioners have approved as part of the Farmland and Natural Areas program, approved by voters last year. Board members unanimously accepted the donation Sept. 22 at an emergency meeting timed so McCarthy could meet the deadline allowing him to offset estate taxes owed on the property after the death of his brother, James, last year. “The value of the estate is reduced by the value of the gift,” explained McCarthy’s attorney Rollin H. Crawford after the meeting. Crawford said McCarthy is in his mid-60s and has lived on the property his entire life. “He is very attached to the land,” said Crawford. Under the agreement, McCarthy retains ownership and its tax liability, but the easement ensures that the property will not be developed. Because the meeting was hastily called, local officials were unable to act on the proposal, however Eagan Administrative Assistant Dianne Lord, said she had contacted several Eagan City Council members who indicated their support for protecting the property from development. However, Commissioners Nancy Schouweiler and Kathleen Gaylord expressed disappointment that public access on to the property will not be allowed as part of the agreement with McCarthy. Despite that restriction, County Administrator Brandt Richardson called the donation “a real boost for the Farmland and Natural Areas program”, adding that “it’s not just the size of it, it’s where it is.” Surrounded by housing developments, the land features some oak woods, a small lake and farm fields. Jack Conrad representing “Friends of Patrick Egan Park,” a group working to create a “core greenway” through Eagan applauded the action. “Given that we consider Patrick McCarthy’s land the northern bookend of the Eagan Core Greenway…I’m excited to see this happen,” he said. Dakota County made history last year when voters passed the first referendum in the state specifically intended to preserve farmland and natural areas from development. The program allows willing landowners to sell off development rights or easements to the county. On Sept. 25, Kurt Chatfield, with the Dakota County Planning Office, accepted a state award by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association recognizing the Farmland and Natural Areas program. Laura Adelmann is at | ||
