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rl i September 2005 farmland preservation report Page 5 Lancaster County approves $25 million bond for preservation, first in six years LANCASTER, PA - For the first time since 1999, the Lancaster County Commissioners have approved a bond issue aimed at farmland preservation, with a commit- ment to continue borrowing yearly for the next four years to the sum of $100 million. If carried out, 80 percent — $72 million— will go to farmland preservation, including $ 8 million slated for matching grants, according to program director Rich Doenges. The remaining 20 percent of funds will go to urban neighborhood improvements. New Jersey township considers downzoning, clustered density transfers SPRINGFIELD TWP, NJ - Springfield Township in Burlington County, NJ, may increase its minimum lot size from three acres to 10 acres and offer an option to transfer density to noncontiguous parcels. In the July - Aug. issue of FPR, the township was reported to be in Bucks County, Pa., and was in error. Elected officials in Springfield have in the past been committed to devising a transfer of development rights (TDR) plan when TDR was authorized by the state legislature in 1989. A plan was drawn up by the county land use office in 1990 but was never adopted. But traditional TDR requires sewer and water and would bring rapid development, according to land use attorney and township commissioner David Frank. The proposal is being termed a "non- contiguous density transfer" that will occur in areas with septics. Frank said the plan is more like a cluster provision. The plan would divide the township into five sec- tions, and designate every parcel in the sections as either a receiving or sending area. Sending area parcels would be allocated development credits based on the prior zoning of one unit per three acres (1:3), but all credits would be allocated based on a completed site plan, Frank said. Receiving area parcels could build one unit per acre with one credit purchased per unit constructed. If density transfer is not used, development could occur on either sending or receiving parcels at the 1:10 density. Transfers would be restricted to occur between parcels located in the same section. "We are trying to prevent intrusion of development into agricultural areas, but we don't want to deprive farmers of equity," Frank said. The plan could be voted on in October. state briefs In Minnesota ... Dakota County has entered its third easement applica- tion cycle, and expects applicants to offer more than 1,000 acres to preserve, roughly equal to the last cycle. To date, six easements have been completed from the first round, involving about 700 acres, and seven easements are pending, with another 1,300 acres. Dakota has about $3 million in funds annually from a $10 million bond referendum and from FRPP, according to manager Brian Watson. In New jersey ... Acting Gov. Richard Codey announced Aug. 8 a $142 million allocation for farmland preservation and $223 million for open space acquisition... not all local governments are always in favor of preservation, however. Pemberton Up. voted Sept. 1 not to support Burlington County's plan to purchase easements on three farms within its boundaries. The pur- chases may go forward without township council support, according to freeholder spokeswoman Loretta O'Donnell. Township council members said the county and the state were taking too much land out of development poten- tial, and believe develop- ment will help bring down property taxes that have grown by 20 percent in three years. In Maryland ... Howard County appointed a committee to seek an alternative solution to downzoning to protect its remaining agriculture. A proposal by Howard County planners to reduce allowable density from 1:4.25 to 1:10 (see FPR, July) has been dropped due to land- owner opposition. ....The Maryland Agricultural Commission and the Dept. of Agriculture held seven meetings during the summer to listen to farmers concerns about the future. At a well - attended session in Harford County, partici- pants ranked farmland protection as their chief concern and had many suggestions for improving profitability and markets. In California... Merced County is considering a development mitigation law that would require either that developers preserve, at a minimum, one acre for every acre developed, or, pay a fee in lieu of land purchase. A committee established by the Merced County Board of Supervisors is recom- mending that the county and its cities adopt such legislation. Similar mitiga- tion laws exist in several California localities. In New York ... Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said farmland preservation funds could be jeopardized by precedent- setting legislation passed by the county council that would divvy out a greater share of the county's sales tax revenue to police. Levy may veto the bill, he said. In Pennsylvania ... Last month the state board approved 37 farms totaling 4,357 acres, bringing the state's total to 2,687 farms and 308,461 acres. Funding is ample: $36 million has been allocated from renewed bond funds and Continued on page 6