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farmlands are preserved. for future generations. Other benefits <br />include identifying important farmlands and potential. agricultural <br />districts, and preparing and updating comprehensive land use plans. <br />This report represents the second step in achieving the Croal <br />established b the Board of Commissioners. It describes the "nuts <br />and bolts" of a purchase of develo ment rights program, focusing <br />sr>ecifically on administration and funding. The format of the <br />report is a series of questions and answers explaining how a <br />Purchase of Development Rights Program would work in Orange County. <br />II <br />QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT <br />A PURCHASE OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS PROGRAM. <br />FOR ORANGE COUNTY <br />5 <br />The purchase of development rights has become a popular and <br />effective tool for preserving farmland across the United States. By <br />acquiring the rights to develop land for nonfarm purposes, many <br />states and local jurisdictions have encouraged active farms to <br />continue and assured that prime soils will remain available for <br />future agricultural use.. <br />While purchase of development rights programs have grown in <br />popularity elsewhere, local implementation is something entirely <br />new for Orange County. Many questions will arise on the part of <br />decisionmakers and landowners alike about how a program would <br />operate, how much would it cost, how would it be funded, and what <br />benefits would be derived. In the section that follows, answers are <br />provided to these questions. <br />I. Why a Purchase of Development Rights Program? <br />Zoning is one of the tools which local government can use to <br />direct the growth and development of an area. Unless a net <br />residential density of at least one dwelling unit per 20 acres <br />is achieved, however, too much non -farm development will be <br />allowed to encroach into rural areas. As a result, conflicts <br />with agricultural operations - manure odors, chemical <br />spraying, equipment vandalism, traffic congestion - are sure <br />to occur. Proposals to limit development through large -lot <br />zoning are opposed, primarily because such restrictions are <br />viewed by landowners as depriving them of substantial value. <br />A purchase of development rights program gives farmers a <br />timely, financially competitive alternative to selling their <br />land for development. Such programs address concerns about <br />uncompensated restrictions, are voluntary, and permit <br />landowners to decide whether or not to participate. The <br />compensation paid to landowners for permanently relinquishing <br />their development rights can enable them to expand their <br />farming operations, pay off debts, distribute their assets <br />equitably among children, and /or provide for a comfortable <br />retirement while retaining title and all other rights to their <br />land. <br />Page - 4 <br />