The Impacts of Growth in Spokane County

Spokane County contains 1,125,000 acres, broken into eight primary land use classifications with several other minor classifications. In 1985, there were 446,000 acres of production agriculture in the County. In 2017, there were 300,000, a net loss of 146,000 acres in 32 years, converted primarily to what is now referred to as “Rural Zones”. Some of that acreage was contained within the urban growth boundaries in the Rural Traditional  designation with 10 acre minimum parcel size. As farmers retired and sold land to fund their retirement if the kids decided not to come back to the farm, those parcels were quickly purchased by developers. With low commodity prices until about 2007, developers could purchase lands at 25% or less of their fair market value for home sites. It is unknown how many of those grandfathered parcels still remain in the Open Spaces Ag classification, but there has been unrelenting pressure to convert those former agricultural lands to housing developments.  

One of the primary issues brought on by developments close to or even surrounded by active farms, is noxious weed pressure. We frequently see 10 acre parcels being developed on what was once several hundred contiguous acres of productive farm ground. I understand the reasoning on the part of the farmer who needed to sell and of the people who desire to live in a more “rural setting” away from the hustle and bustle of the City. Unfortunately, what frequently happens in these developments is a beautiful home is built on an acre of landscaping surrounded by 9 acres of noxious weeds. This makes it extremely difficult for farmers in the area that are still trying to grow crops.  Noxious weeds decrease yields and have a tendency to spread rapidly. If the farmer is allowed to either farm those acres or at least control the weeds, the majority of that precious agricultural land can still be utilized as RT housing and still be productive.

One small area of the County however has suffered disproportionately high conversion rates from Open Spaces Ag to Urban Residential or Urban Reserve. The Five Mile Prairie north of Francis in north Spokane has undergone an alarming transformation from production agriculture to land values of $250,000 per acre and million dollar homes. The Prairie is a basalt plateau approximately 2450 acres in area with a vertical rise of slightly over 400 above surrounding terrain. The soils are deep and fertile and found only on terrain with 0-8% slopes. They are well drained with depth of at least 80” to rock or impermeable clays. These soils are classified as prime farmland. Five Mile Prairie has been a prime target for home developers for several decades. Of the original 2450 acres of ag production on the Prairie, there are less than 200 acres left in small, non-contiguous parcels, and those are under extreme pressure for development. The County has changed the few acres left in production from an Open Spaces Ag designation to Urban Reserve, meaning that at any time when a farmer decides to sell the property, it can be broken into small parcels and sold for home sites. Farming on Five Mile Prairie has come to an inglorious end.

Overall, the development pressure in Spokane County has come from an outward extension of the rural/urban interface, facilitated by segmentation of Open Spaces Ag parcels prior to implementation of the GMA.  With agriculture being a major sector of the economy in Eastern Washington, development pressures have definitely had a negative effect on production agriculture.

As the population continues to grow in Spokane County (now over 500,000) we will continue to see increased pressure on lands growing the crops which are part of a $9 billion slice of the economy of Washington State. Now more than ever, we need to understand the importance of production agriculture in Spokane County and work to preserve those acres for future generations. We need to dedicate those acres for growing crops, not houses.

Photos Above: Homes built on 10 acre lots in a 250 acre farm field. The owners are still allowing the farmer to continue to farm the ground and control weeds. This is the best case scenario for housing developments on converted crop ground.