|
�4
<br />Page 6
<br />farmland preservation report
<br />September 2005
<br />Continued from page 5
<br />ANNUAL SURVEY
<br />other revenue sources including
<br />the state's cigarette tax.... An
<br />n ki n s get sh uff I ed i n
<br />Ra g
<br />updated comprehensive plan for
<br />Montgomery County shows a
<br />late st local survey
<br />goal of 17,000 acres and 225
<br />program
<br />farms preserved by 2025 in this
<br />rapidly urbanizing county outside
<br />Continued f rom page 2
<br />Philadelphia. The county now
<br />funds and $4 million for its Challenge Grant Program to municipalities in its
<br />has 6,643 acres and 101 farms.
<br />In Mighigan ... Acme Town-
<br />northern end. In that program, created two years ago, 1,044 acres have
<br />ship voters defeated -- by seven
<br />been preserved including a donation of 353 acres. The county's mainstay
<br />votes -- a town council ap-
<br />has 18,000 acres with 876 acres pending, according to director
<br />proved temporary moratorium
<br />on big box retail development.
<br />program
<br />Kevin Baer. The program is paying a high of $12,000 per acre and a low
<br />The moratorium was to allow
<br />of $2,904 per acre.
<br />time to bring zoning into
<br />John Goodall of the Brandywine Conservancy said development
<br />agreement with historic and
<br />landscape preservation plans.
<br />pressure continues to be intense in Chester. "But we're finding that the
<br />In Massachusetts ... With no
<br />more intense the development the greater the interest in preservation."
<br />county governments, the
<br />Another active Pennsylvania land trust in the survey that focuses on
<br />Agricultural Restriction Program
<br />is lucky to have towns begin-
<br />agricultural land is the Farm and Natural Lands Trust ofYork County,
<br />ning to contribute funds to
<br />which has protected 57 farms on its own. The group holds public nforma-
<br />easement purchases, according
<br />tional meetings several times each year and finds landowners are confused
<br />to Ron Hall, program director.
<br />With a $10,000 per acre cap,
<br />town contributions can help
<br />about state programs.
<br />"People confuse Clean and Green [the state's tax break for farmland]
<br />make deals work, Hall said.
<br />with the preservation program. They think that if they are in Clean and
<br />In Minnesota ... Dakota
<br />County just closed its third
<br />Green their farm is protected," said operations manager Rochelle Black.
<br />application cycle and estimates
<br />The Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Marin County's sole source of
<br />over 1,000 acres will be consid-
<br />fund protection, closed on three properties earlier this year totaling
<br />ered. To date, 700 acres from
<br />six projects are complete and
<br />2,800 acres, according to director Bob Berner. Costing $8 million, the
<br />seven easements are pending,
<br />projects "basically tapped us out in terms of our funding reservoir," Berner
<br />involving 1,300 acres, according
<br />said. "Now we are in a capital campaign and looking ahead." MALT's
<br />to Brian Watson, program
<br />manager. The county has $3
<br />40,125 acres puts the Marin effort about one -third of the way toward an
<br />million annually from a bond
<br />acceptable preservation goal, Berner believes. "We don't have any sense
<br />referendum and federal grants.
<br />that the best is taken care of," he said.
<br />In Washington ... Skagit
<br />In Baltimore County, five land trusts and as many state and local
<br />County's Farmland Legacy
<br />Program has preserved just
<br />programs are at work to keep pace with the nation's top programs despite
<br />under 4,900 acres.... a state-
<br />the county's proximity to a major city. Two ofthe five land trusts work
<br />wide petition to place a prop-
<br />exclusive) with agricultural land, garner local, state, and federal grants, and
<br />Y
<br />erty rights measure on the Nov.
<br />2006 ballot is gaining strength.
<br />depend on county program administrator Wally Lippincott to finalize deals.
<br />The effort by property rights
<br />On the heels of 44,000 acres, Baltimore County manages to stay in the
<br />advocates grew out of the
<br />Measure 37 passage in Oregon.
<br />middle of the top 12 by juggling multiple programs and adjusting mechanics
<br />"We're hearing it's pretty much
<br />to beat imminent threat to good farms and to implement building -block
<br />a done deal, that it's going to
<br />strategies.
<br />pass," said Allison Deets, Skagit
<br />«
<br />We are focusing on preservation clusters, defined as adjacent farms
<br />program manager. Farmer
<br />members of the Skagit board,
<br />applying at the same time that make up blocks of preserved acreage,"
<br />while they could benefit from
<br />Lippincott said. "We give these applicants additional points." The program
<br />the measure, she said. One farmer said support it,
<br />had 30 farms apply "in a year of tremendous development pressure."
<br />'growth management is the
<br />In Burlington County, New Jersey's only county in the top 12, strategy
<br />only way we're still in business.'"
<br />
|