Agenda - 08-20-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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15 r agreement. The agreement will set up the courtesy review process and provide a time schedule. Once the agreement is approved and signed, the Planning Boards begin work. C. Purchase of Development Rights Program (A copy of the abstract is an attachment to these minutes on pages .) A copy of both PDR reports has been provided to Board members and are also on file in the Planning Department. Collins reviewed and explained the LESA (Land Evaluation and Site Assessment) point system that was included in Report #1. This system is a means of evaluating where agricultural districts and PDR will be pursued. This system reviews the suitability of land for crop purposes or forest production and site assessment characteristics. The Agricultural Advisory Board spent a considerable amount of time developing the LESA System and there are some questions still to be resolved. Collins noted that the PDR program for Orange County would work similar to the one in Forsythe County which has been a successful program since 1987. The only limiting factor has been the amount of funds available for land acquisition. Forsythe County Commissioners have expended 1.5 million in acquisition of development rights. A development right is the difference between the market value of the property and the value of the property for agricultural use. Market value is determined by an appraiser through a study of comparable parcels. The market value generally reflects all the different uses permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. For Orange County that generally averages about $2800 per acre. In the northern part of the County it is about $1500 per acre, near Hillsborough and University Lake Watershed it is about $5000 per acre. Nearer Chapel Hill, the average is _about $10,000 per acre. According to the Use Value System in our tax office, agricultural use value per acre is $430. This would make the development right value approximately $2400 per acre.