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47 <br /> Could the property owner elect to lease his/her development rights instead of selling them? <br /> YES. As part of the application process, a landowner may offer to lease his/her development rights. Such offers <br /> would be handled in the same manner as offers to sell. <br /> What restrictions would be placed on land in the Purchase of Development Rights Program? <br /> Since the purpose of a PDR Program is to preserve agricultural land,restrictions on property use after acquisition <br /> of development rights would be implemented through recording of a conservation easement. The easement <br /> provisions would restrict the land from being developed for nonfarm purposes without creating hardship for the <br /> land owner. Generally, a limit of one building lot per 25 acres would be included in the easement. Building lots of <br /> no more than two acres may clustered together on one section of the farm or the farm may be subdivided into 25- <br /> acre tracts. <br /> Could the County sell the development rights to someone else? <br /> NO. The rights would be held in public trust and could not be used by anyone without the owner's consent. <br /> Would the public have the right to come unto the land owner's property? <br /> NO. The land is still the landowner's private property and subject to the laws of trespass. The general public <br /> cannot enter the property without the landowner's permission. <br /> What would happen if the landowner sold his/her development rights and then decided to change the type of <br /> farming or quit farming altogether? <br /> Nothing in a purchase of development rights program requires the landowner to farm his/her property. Selling <br /> development rights simply restricts the landowner or anyone else from developing the property for nonfarm <br /> purposes. <br /> Could the property owner re-purchase his/her development rights? <br /> YES. To qualify for re-purchase, the original purchase must have occurred at least 25 years before the date of the <br /> re-purchase request. <br /> How will the purchase of development rights be funded? <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners have voted to place a referendum on the November ballot which, if <br /> approved, would authorize $5.0 million in bonds to be used for farmland preservation. Additional information is <br /> provided on the following financial analysis. <br /> Who would pay for a Purchase of Development Rights Program? <br /> Based on the current assessed value of property in Orange County, the cost of the program would be distributed <br /> as follows: <br /> Municipalities 55% <br /> Use Value Properties (Farms/Managed Forests) 2% <br /> Remainder 43% <br /> Given the cost of a Purchase of Development Rights Program, does farmland preservation pay? <br /> Studies by the American Farmland Trust have shown that preserving farmland saves money. A smaller scale but <br /> similar study of a 125-acre Orange County farm indicated that for every dollar raised from residential development, <br /> an extra 34 cents in direct services must be spent. If the farm remained, the ratio was $1 to 61 cents; e.g., for <br /> every dollar raised after Orange County provided services, 39 cents remained. <br />