Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
B. Description <br />The lease of conservation easements is legally binding, restricting.the owner and <br />future owners to agricultural and/or open space use of the land. The conservation <br />easements wig be held in public trust by Buncombe County or transferred to a <br />private nonprofit conservation organization. <br />C. Minimum Eligibility Criteria <br />The agricultural and/or open space land must be at least ten (10) acres in size or <br />contiguous to a ten (10) acre tract for which the. County holds the conservation <br />easements, and be in agricultural or open space use. <br />D. Application Procedure <br />An application must be submitted to the Buncombe County Agricultural Advisory <br />Board through the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District. <br />E. * Review and Ranking of Applications <br />The Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District will rank each of the <br />applications using the Soil Assessment and "T" Formula of Conservation Criteria <br />of the Farmland Ranking System. The Buncombe County Soil and Water <br />Conservation District will forward the application and Soil Assessment to the <br />Buncombe County Planning Department which will rank each of the applications <br />using the Site Assessment Criteria of the Farmland Ranking System, will prioritize <br />applications and make recommendations to the Board. <br />F. ftuisition <br />1. The Board will calculate a maximum cash rent value for. each application. <br />A cash rent value factor will be set by a committee consisting of the NRCS District <br />Conservationist, the County Extension Director, and three residents of the county <br />selected by the Board, who derive a majority of their income from agricultural <br />production. The Board'will call the meeting of this committee and document the <br />findings.. The cash rent value factor will include the lease price per acre for the <br />first five (5) yea_ rs of the lease and the formula for annual payments for the term of <br />the lease. <br />2.- Upon calculating the lease value, the County Attorney will present the <br />value to the landowner by certified mail. The landowner will have thirty (30) days <br />from receipt of the values to' submit an offer to lease his/her conservation <br />easements. Failure to respond in writing within the required time may constitute <br />waiver of the opportunity. Upon receiving an offer to lease, the County Attorney <br />will meet with the landowner and accept, reject, or negotiate a compromise price <br />M <br />