Title
Resolution to Approve Grant Applications to the USDA Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) Program for the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) on Properties in Superior Township
Memorandum
Attached for your review and action is a resolution to approve grant applications to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Land Easement Program, formerly known as the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP), for the purchase of development rights (PDR) for two adjacent properties located in Superior Township.
The Greenbelt Advisory Commission recommended submission of the grant applications at its April 1, 2014 meeting. The protection of these parcels is a priority to the Greenbelt due to the size and quality of the farmland, proximity to other protected properties, and possibility to leverage funds from federal and other local sources of funding.
The farm parcels consist of property on either side of Vreeland Road location shown on the attached map. Two applications will be submitted to USDA ALE program - one for the portion on the north side of Vreeland Road (120 acres) and one for the portion on the south side of Vreeland Road (140 acres). The property is currently in agriculture production. The landowners are interested in selling the property. If an easement is completed on the property, farmers in the area have expressed an interest in purchasing the property. The property is considered large enough to sustain agricultural production and is in a location that will encourage additional farmland preservation and agricultural preservation activities. Additional properties under the same ownership, adjacent to the farmland parcels, have also been nominated to the City's Greenbelt program for consideration located both north and south of the farm parcels as identified on the attached map.
The property is located just west of large block of protected land along Prospect Road, referred to as the Superior Greenway. T...
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