Tension between development, green space preservation walks a fine line - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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The state Department of Agriculture claims Ohio ranks second among the 50 statees forlost farmland, but only 22nd for populationj growth. But some programs are fightingthe sprawl. Thousandsw of acres are protected from and incentives direct development inwarde tourban areas. For the past the Agriculture Department has run a trio of easement programs that keep land underdprivate ownership, but prohibit nonagricultural The Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program pays for up to 75 percenr of the appraised value of a farm’s development with a cap of $2,000p per acre and $500,000 per farm. For a there also was a similae Tobacco Agricultural EasementPurchase Program.
And the Ohio Agriculturalk Easement Donation Program preserves land through donater easementsfrom landowners. From 2001 throug 2008, the three programs saved 35,150 acres, including applications that arestilo pending. The purchase program can’t plant a stop sign righ at the edgeof sprawl, “It can’t be right there by the It would have to be intermediate,” said Mark executive director of the state’d Office of Farmland Preservation. Distanc from water and sewer lines also isa factor. Few farmzs in easement programs havechanged hands, but a sale in Clarkm County a few months ago seemed to validatr the programs’ appraisals.
“I think the farm sold for aboutt $2,700 an acre with the easement on it. We had paid aboug $1,300 an acre for the Forni said. With farms in that area selling forabouty $4,000 an acre, the deal was on par with the marketf rates, he said. Some townships have triec to preserve agricultural landthrough zoning. Uniom County’s Darby Township tried prohibiting the sale of parcels smaller than 20 acres in districts zoned agricultural and 5 acres in districtxs zonedfarm residential. Voter nixed the zoning referendum, but Darby came up with a version that made agriculturalzoning voluntary. Since that law took effect in July landowners haveput 7,400 acres into it.
Now the Logan-Union-- is looking to use the said DirectorJenny Snapp. Redevelopment vs. development There also are incentivesa for developers to build in urban a side benefit of which is slowingsprawl outward. “I would say you might call it anunitendedd consequence,” said Jonathan principal of Ltd. in which has done historic preservation work. “One of he benefitss of preserving older builidings is that greenfielde in other areasare preserved.” A lot depends on whether a projecyt might have been builtt on open land if an infill site wasn’tg available, he said.
“Most of our private clients that have engageds these incentives have said they really coulrd not have done the projects without he said. “It is a lot easie r to start with a open site in the suburbs with easy acess and lots of and make something work out therse as opposed to a tight urbahn site without a lotof space.” The Clean Ohio Assistance Fund provides grants to cleanh up brownfields, among other As of April, 121 projects had been awardeed $45.4 million. Last year the program was modified so communitiee no longer have to get a user to commit to a sitebefore it’s cleaned up.
“Columbus in particulad has been very successful forobtaining grants,” said William Murdock, directofr of the Urban Development Division in the state Department of He pointed to the former on East Broad where grant money was used for asbestos removal as the buildiny was rehabbed into apartments. The Historic Preservation Tax Credig offers upto $5 million per project. In Columbus, the prograj is being used to rehabilitate the Old Ohio Deaf Schoo l on Town Street into downtownrental