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19 <br />III. Purchase of Development Rights <br />A. General <br />Forsyth County, through the Board of Supervisors, will purchase <br />development rights in agricultural lands. High priority will be given to <br />applicants located within an APA. Applications will be ranked based <br />upon various site factors, such as the level of development pressure and <br />agricultural production capability. Development rights will be purchased <br />in accordance with the ranking of farm properties and the availability of <br />allocated funds. Compensation for development rights will be based on <br />the board's determination of the difference between fair market value and <br />agricultural or open space value appraisals. The purchase price will be <br />subject to negotiation. <br />B. Description <br />The purchase of development rights is legally binding, restricting the <br />owner and future owners to agricultural and/or open space use of the <br />land. The development rights will be held in public trust by Forsyth <br />County in perpetuity. <br />C. Minimum Eligibility Criteri a <br />The agricultural land must be at least ten (10) acres in size or contiguous <br />to a ten (10) acre tract for which the county holds the development rights, <br />and be in agricultural or open space use. <br />D. Application Procedure <br />An application must be submitted to the Forsyth Soil and Water <br />Conservation District Office. <br />E. Review and Ranking of Applications <br />The Board of Supervisors will review and rank each of the applications <br />using the Farmland Ranking System, which is based on the Land Evalua- <br />tion and Site Assessment System developed by the USDA, Natural <br />Resources Conservation Service. <br />F. Acquisition <br />1. The Board of Supervisors will obtain two appraisals on tracts <br />considered for entry into the program. One appraisal will establish <br />4 <br />