Dakota County has finalized a deal to acquire a permanent 108-acre conservation easement in Inver Grove Heights.
A $3.9 million deal completed last week between Dakota County and members of the Grannis family puts the land into the county’s Farmland and Natural Areas Program and restricts future residential development. Terms were negotiated a year ago, but a second appraisal and county approvals held up the agreement.
About $2.9 million of the cost was paid with money from the state’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, which receives one-third of the “Legacy” sales taxes approved by voters in 2008.
Located south of Minnesota 55 and east of Minnesota 3, the area known as the Marcott Valley consists of deep, interconnected lakes and wetlands surrounded by forests and grasslands.
The agreement allows county residents to use the property through programs and classes offered by Darvan Acres Outdoor Skills and Environmental Center, a nonprofit established by property owner Vance Grannis Jr.
In addition, the county can acquire 125 acres of the protected Grannis family property at no cost in seven years.
Since 2008, Dakota County has worked with three Grannis families to protect an adjacent 17 acres and with the Lindberg family to protect 103 acres of contiguous land.