Maryland - CALVERT COUNTY
Countywide program - Formed in 1978 - researched by Suzanne Heflin
OVERVIEW - Located southeast of Washington DC and bordered by Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River, Calvert is a semi-rural county with a small agricultural economy. It has no major urban centers and low density residential development is scattered through the county. In the 1990s Calvert recorded the highest percentage growth rates of any Maryland county. Calvert participates in both state programs, Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) and Rural Legacy. In addition, it funds its own easement acquisitions through two local programs-the Purchase and Retire (PAR) and Leveraging programs. PAR is a transfer of development rights (TDR)-type arrangement in which the county purchases easements on parcels from which the development rights have been transferred. TDRs are also carried out through private party exchanges. Calvert has one of the leading TDR programs in the nation in the number of acres transferred. Under the leveraging program, landowners are offered Installment Purchase Agreements (IPA) for receiving easement payments over time. The county also provides land trusts with no-interest loans to assist them to purchase at-risk farms in fee.
EASEMENT ACTIVITY - 19,595 agricultural acres including
state and county purchase of development (PDR) and TDR programs. The TDR portion
includes 9,498 acres.
Goals: 40,000 acres, with 1,275 acres preserved per year.
Other Easement Programs: Maryland Environmental Trust-2,100 agricultural
acres in 12 transactions. The Nature Conservancy and other land trusts-1,940
acres.
Total Agricultural Easements in County: Approximately 23,600 acres.
FUNDING
Acquisition Spending to Date: Not available.
Revenues: Annual appropriation from county general fund, state agriculture
land transfer tax, county recordation fee, tobacco buyout funds and state MALPF
and Rural Legacy funds. The 10 to 20 year IPAs are funded through U.S. Treasury
bonds, retired by recordation fees.
GOVERNANCE - The Agricultural Land Preservation Program is housed in the county's Department of Planning and Zoning. Overseeing the program is the five-member Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board appointed by County Commissioners.
STAFF AND OPERATING BUDGET - The program has three part-time staff positions. Operating budget not available.
ORIGINS - Before Calvert County began formal easement activities by joining the state's MALPF-run program in 1978, planning efforts and citizen interest had created the impetus for farmland protection policies. The Pleasant Peninsula Plan, a comprehensive plan involving considerable citizen participation, was developed in 1974. In 1976, the County Commissioners appointed an advisory committee to study preservation options such as donated easements and TDRs. Zoning districts were established in 1978 to stimulate TDRs, but few transactions initially took place because an adequate facilities ordinance limited the creation of high-density subdivisions. Later, the county formed its PAR program to create a market for TDRs. Calvert began participating in the Rural Legacy program in 1998, and in 1999 it adopted the Leveraging Program which stimulated the use of TDRs.
ACQUISITION PROCESS AND STRATEGY - County Commissioners
give final approval to county-funded easements and proposals submitted for state
funding, with participation by the Director of Planning, County Attorney and
the Advisory Board. For MALPF-funded easements, Calvert uses the state's ranking
system based on the landowner's asking price in relation to the appraisal. Different
ranking systems are applied to applications for the county-funded and Rural
Legacy programs.
Rating of Parcels: Quantitative. COUNTY: 125 points total. Ranking factors
include farm management, contiguity, parcel size, agricultural quality and retired
development potential. MALPF: Cost.
Other Criteria: At a minimum, parcels must be enrolled in Agricultural
Preservation districts, with a required five-year commitment to maintain the
land in agriculture.
CONNECTIONS TO LOCAL PLANNING AND LAND USE POLICIES
- A countywide comprehensive plan supports farmland protection and refers to
the role of easements in implementing this policy. Agricultural Preservation
Districts and an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance attempt to direct urban
growth away from the county's principal farm areas.
Zoning: Residential densities in Agricultural Preservation Districts
are on a sliding scale, from one unit to 25 acres (1:25) to 3:75. Densities
in Farm Community Districts are 1:10 with residential clustering required on
20 percent of the land.
TDR Program: Does not have sharply delineated sending and receiving areas, but
sending parcels must be in Agricultural Preservation Districts. The basic transfer
ratio is 1:1, with five development rights (one per acre) needed to secure one
residential unit on five acres. Added density is dependent on zoning.
DEMOGRAPHICS
2000 Population: 74,563
1990-2000 Population Change: +23,191 residents; +45 percent
AGRICULTURAL LAND
56,000 acres: farm and forest resource base.
Conversion to Urban Use: 1980 to 2000, converted versus protected farmland
were approximately even at over 18,000 acres. From 1993 to 2000, 7,345 acres
converted to non-agricultural use while the county preserved 4,622 acres through
state and local programs. (State conversion data)
OTHER AGRICULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
1997 Market Value: $7.7 million Number of Farms: 349
Principal Commodities: Tobacco, corn for grain and soybeans
MAP NARRATIVE - EASEMENT GEOGRAPHY
(PROGRAM MAP)
Agricultural and developed land uses are scattered throughout the
county. Agricultural easements are largely located in the western half of the
county, especially along or near the Patuxent River. The pattern includes a
number of large blocks of contiguous protected farms.