Title
Receive a presentation on farmland preservation prioritization mapping project and vote to approve $25,000 farmland preservation funding request for conservation easement acquisition
Abstract
Introduction & Background: The Chatham County Farmland Preservation Grant program was established to facilitate the permanent conservation of Chatham County farmlands. Funds for the program are primarily dedicated toward acquisition of agricultural conservation easements and associated transaction costs. The Farmland Preservation Program is also charged with developing strategic initiatives for county farmland preservation, including implementation of the 2024 Chatham County Farmland Protection Plan. One of the strategic priorities of that plan was the development of a "Strategic Farmland Preservation Map."
In this agenda item, the Farmland Preservation Program is requesting an additional $25,000 funding allocation to an 87-acre farmland conservation easement acquisition that has already received a $237,000 allocation. After twice failing to receive matching funds from the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture Farmland Preservation Grant Program, the landowner has agreed to move forward with only Chatham County Funding. However, we need additional funds to offset transaction expenses that were not covered in the initial funding requests. Following this request, we will present draft versions of the "Strategic Farmland Preservation Map" for review and discussion.
Discussion & Analysis: The desired outcome of this item is approval of an additional $25,000 of Farmland Preservation Funds to facilitate the permanent preservation of 87 acres of Chatham County Farmland. The Strategic Farmland Preservation Map presentation is for discussion purposes only.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: Preservation of "rural character" was identified as the most important goal in the Plan Chatham Process (pg. 18). Preservation and protection of agriculture and forestry wa...
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