Sherburne County may be selling more than 60 acres of land county officials feel is no longer beneficial to keep.

 

Tuesday, Assistant Administrator Dan Weber said the 63.42-acre lot in Big Oaks Estates in Becker Twp. near the border of Orrock Twp. is largely wetlands. County staff felt it would be a good idea to discuss the option of selling it to an adjoining landowner. 

 

In 1997, the property was owned by Robert and Joan Beech when they platted the land as Big Oaks Estates. The outlot was conveyed to Minnesota Waterfowl Association and a Declaration of Restrictive Covenants was recorded on the lot in March of that year.

 

In August 1998, a conservation easement was recorded that restricted the use of the property, including no subdivision, no extraction of natural resources, no granting right of way, no construction of any buildings, no agricultural use and no motorized trails.

 

Hunting is allowed on the property.

 

In 2004, the Waterfowl Association no longer wanted the property and it was conveyed to the county and two years later, the conservation easement was reaffirmed.

 

In 2016, an inspection of the property by a county representative and the Minnesota Land Trust revealed an ATV trail on the property, which was prohibited by the easement. The county received a letter of violation from the Land Trust to address the issue.

 

Weber said now the county has to make some decision about the future of the land. If they decide to keep it, the county would have to install signs on the property and go through an annual inspection with the MN Land Trust.

 

Also, although the land isn’t completely landlocked, there is no good access to the property except from a point at the south end, which is in a wetland.

 

“We can’t even access it except in the winter without going through an adjoining landowner’s property,” said Weber. “So is this property an asset to us or is it a liability?”

 

He said the assessor placed the market value at $102,000, which equates to $750 an acre for 48 acres of lowland and $4,300 an acre for 15 acres of higher ground. Since the land can’t be built on, Weber said it might be of value to hunters or to an adjoining property owner. 

 

He said the county is allowed to sell or transfer he property, but the conservation easement will remain.

 

County Attorney Kathleen Heaney said the county has two options to sell the property: a sealed bid open to the entire public, or by offering it to adjacent landowners.

 

“Then we would have to set a minimum market value and they would have to bid at lead 90% of that value,” she said.

 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing said he felt it should be openly advertized to the public.

 

“There would be people who are interested in it for hunting land,” he said. 

 

He said other parcels connecting it may someday be sold, making it more marketable. But he didn’t believe it was in the county’s best interest to keep the land.

 

 “If somebody would make a compelling case why we should keep it, I’d sure listen to it,” he said.

 

There is also a county ditch tile line on the property. Heaney said the first step should be looking into abandoning the ditch on the property, “...so we know whether or not the land is encumbered before we sell it,” she said.

 

The issue will come back to the board for approval at a later date.