David Greene, chairman of Baltimore County’s agricultural land preservation board, sold the development rights to his farm just south of the Harford County line in 2004. Baltimore county is looking at preserving the last working farm inside the Baltimore Beltway.
How difficult is it to outbid hungry developers?
It?s notquite as intense here as it is in some counties because of our zoning. In the agricultural zoning, it’s one lot per 50 acres. So that’s not as lucrative as, say, in other counties where they have a one lot per 20 acre ratio, where developers can get a higher lot yield per acre or farm. But zoning is not forever. With land preservation, selling development rights can never be changed.
Why might a farmer sell his or her development rights?
We sold ours in 2004. The property has been in the family since 1786. That’s the case of a lot of properties in Baltimore County. The families, like in our case, have suffered over the years trying to make a living farming. I didn’t feel like I wanted to sell the property and build homes on it because of its heritage. Selling the development rights gives them some equity from the land without having to sell it. We’re in a period now where agriculture prices are a lot better that they have been in the past. There’s not that great of a financial disadvantage to be in agriculture.
Are farmers still interested in doing this?
Last year, we had 60 some applications and this year we had 40 applications from farmers offering to sell an easement either to the county or state. That’s an indication we’re competitive. There’s interested people doing this. ? Staff reports
