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April 2003 farmland preservation report Page 3 Continued from page 2 the results so far are very encouraging and reflect the value of LESA in making objective, fair and consistent decisions," Beck said. To establish the threshold scores for develop- ment approval, GIS modeling was created that closely approximated the proposed LESA sys- tem. All parcels in the county were then modeled based on the appropriate scoring option and the results were statistically analyzed, Beck said. The threshold scores for each plan area were established based on this statistical analysis and on the estimated acres in each plan area that would meet or exceed the proposed threshold score, Beck explained Beck worked with the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors to estab- lishing the threshold scores using mapping demonstrations showing the spatial distribution of parcels and the number of acres meeting the threshold scores. The results were then compared to the land use plan's projected number of acres needed to meet growth needs over the next 20 years. This analysis provided the basis for establishing the threshold LESA scores for each plan area. The public process and analysis "should provide the county with.a defensible basis for the establishment of those thresholds," Beck said. Originally devised by Lloyd Wright of the Soil Conservation Service as a soil classification system for Orange County, NY, the LESA system was expanded for the U. S.D.A. in 1981. Ten years later a study estimated that about 212 local and state governments had devised LESA systems. About 69 percent of those found were actively used, 30 percent were under construction, and the remaining either abandoned or inactive. Most local purchase of development rights programs use some form of LESA system to prioritize properties to determine which are to be offered limited easement funds. Points are as- signed for such factors as extent of development in the area, zoning, proximity to sewer, proximity to preserved lands, size of farm, soil quality, product sales, and, usually to a4esser degree, historic, scenic or environmental qualities. Contact: Les.Beck@linncounty.org, and Lloyd Wright at LEW52841@aol.com. VIRGINIA BEACH High land values sustain interest in IPAs VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Despite land prices that go as high as $29,000 per acre, landowners in Virginia Beach's agricultural reserve find the city's installment purchase agreements (IPAs) still attractive enough to compete with development. Fourteen properties now being appraised could add 750 acres to the program's current 6,000 acres of permanently protected farmland. According to program manager Melvin Atkinson, the program's semi -annual tax free interest payments of 5.17 percent, and agree- ments to pay as high as 95 percent of fair market value keep applicants coming, even in a tight land market. The most city council has paid was $17,100 _ per acre on a property having a per acre fair market value of $18,100. Paying high on the fair market value scale is necessary in a high -priced market, Atkinson said. The program has a formula, although somewhat arbitrary, for determining easement value. "We subtract agricultural value at $900 per acre. If we get arguments on both sides regarding the formula, we figure we're in the ballpark." According to installment purchase expert Daniel P. O'Connell of Evergreen Capital Advi- sors, Inc., high land values and installment purchase agreements go together. "When land prices are high, farmers typically Continued on page 4