Agenda Item Wording:
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Approval of Agricultural Conservation Easement Form - A request by Great Valley Land Trust to have their agricultural conservation easement form and content approved as required per the City's adopted Agricultural Preservation Ordinance.
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Prepared by:
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, paul.bernal@visalia.city, (559) 713-4025
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the form and content of the Great Valley Land Trust (GVLT) agricultural conservation easement in accordance with the provisions as defined in Article 3 "Methods of Preservation" of the City of Visalia Agricultural Preservation Ordinance.
Summary:
Great Valley Land Trust has submitted an agricultural conservation easement document. A copy of the "Deed of Agricultural Conservation Easement" is attached to this report as Attachment 1. The conservation easement document is being prepared to encumber approximately 160 acres of Prime Farmland to mitigate the conversion of prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance for the following residential development approved as follows:
1. Approximately 32.61 acres of prime farmland in association with Cameron Ranch Estates Tentative Subdivision Map No. 5598 (see Attachment 1).
The remaining 127.39 acres will be established as an "agricultural conservation easement mitigation bank" that will allow future projects to secure agricultural conservation easements for their projects on property that is already established for such purposes. Please note staff will track total acreages assigned to future projects to ensure that the "mitigation bank" retains the necessary easement acreage to satisfy project mitigation obligations of local land use authorities for those future projects.
Background Discussion:
As required pursuant to Article 3, Section 18.040.080.D "Approval of the Easement(s)" of the Agricultural Preservation Ordinance (APO), the City Council shall approve th...
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