Agenda - 06-03-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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of the area around Chapel Hill and Carrboro were opposed to the new district, because permitted densities were lowered from one unit per acre to one unit per two acres. Although the intent of the Rural Buffer was to maintain the rural character of the area around the two municipalities, the Board of Commissioners viewed the zoning measures as an interim solution. In November of 1987, the Commissioners created a Rural Character Study Committee and charged it with the responsibility of developing alternative strategies for preserving rural character. In May of 1990, the Study Committee presented a set of strategies which offered density bonuses in return for greater amounts of open space in developments. As part of its recommendations, the Study Committee also suggested that a purchase of development rights program be instituted and used as a tool for agricultural preservation. THE CHARGE Each of these initiatives culminated in action by the Board of Commissioners in December of 1989. As part of its annual goal - setting retreat, the Board established a goal to develop a proposal for a purchase of development rights program. In August of 1990, after work had been completed on University Lake watershed protection measures and the annual budget cycle was finalized, the Board of Commissioners reconstituted the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board and charged it with the responsibility of achieving the goal. The Advisory Board initiated its work during the following month. PLAN OF ACTION As it began its work, the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board focused on the successful program implemented by Forsyth County. Since the first purchases in 1987, Forsyth County had acquired development rights to 19 farms with a total of 1,192 acres. The County acquired these rights through purchases and leases for a total of $1.71 million or an average of approximately $1,500 per acre. Using Forsyth County as a model, the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board elected to develop a proposal in two stages. First, a report was prepared which addressed the most basic question - how does one go about deciding which farms should have priority in terms of purchase of development rights? The recommended method of evaluation is the Soil Conservation Service's LESA system. The LESA system refers to the Land Evaluation and Site Assessment system developed by the Soil Conservation Service in the mid- 1980's. The two -part system for evaluating farmland has been used extensively and focuses on the quality or productivity of a given site; e.g., land evaluation, and its continued economic viability; e.g., site assessment. The major advantage to such a system is that the most productive and economically viable Page - 3