# Stevens Property Open Space Application — A Committee Deliberation on Conservation and Public Access ## Meeting Overview On a crisp November morning, the Whatcom County Council's Planning and Development Committee convened for what would prove to be a brief but substantive discussion about balancing conservation goals with public access requirements. Committee Chair Ben Elenbaas called the hybrid meeting to order at 10:33 a.m., with only two of the three committee members present — himself and Council Member Jon Scanlon. Todd Donovan was absent, though several other council members joined as observers, including Tyler Byrd, Kaylee Galloway, Barry Buchanan, and Mark Stremler. The sole agenda item was resolution AB2025-769, concerning an application by Colin Stevens to classify just over 30 acres south of Everson as open space land for current use assessment — essentially reducing his property tax burden in exchange for maintaining the land's conservation value and potentially providing public access. What made this case particularly compelling was that Stevens faced a stunning 935% increase in property taxes when the property was removed from a previous open space classification due to technical issues when he purchased it. The application had already generated significant discussion at the Planning Commission level, where commissioners had insisted on public access as a condition for approval. ## The Stevens Property — A Conservation Success Story with Tax Conseq…