PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — You could purchase a treasured Oregon waterfall. But ownership will require some upkeep.
A Redfin listing shows Horsepower Real Estate put Abiqua Falls up for sale earlier this week. The chance to privately own such a property is “exceptionally uncommon,” according to the Junction City-based brokerage.
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Dr. Amanda Staggenborg, communications director for Mount Angel Abbey & Seminary, told KOIN 6 the abbey owned the 40-acre property for almost 100 years before transferring ownership to the Abbey Foundation of Oregon in 2000. The organization is now seeking another entity to take over the 92-foot waterfall in Scott Mills.
“The falls have carved through basalt and forest for generations, long preceding modern land boundaries,” Horsepower’s listing reads. “Here, the waterfall is not an amenity but the organizing element of the land itself. Opportunities to acquire property anchored by an irreplaceable natural feature of this magnitude are increasingly rare and difficult to replicate… Ownership is best suited to buyers who value conservation, privacy, and long-term stewardship of significant natural land.”
The listing states the site has been designated as a forest zone. According to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, this zoning restricts development that would hinder “forest practices” and requires owners to protect the natural resources. State law also requires that the property remain available to the public for recreational purposes, despite its private ownership…