Maryland - WASHINGTON COUNTY
Countywide program - Formed in 1978 - researched by Suzanne Heflin

OVERVIEW - Bordered by the Potomac River on the south and Pennsylvania on the north, Washington County is the westernmost county in Maryland with an active agricultural easement program. The county is somewhat distant from the growth pressures dominating the Washington and Baltimore areas, and thus land values and easement prices are relatively low. Parts of the eastern and southern parts of the county are experiencing moderate urbanization. Washington participates in both state programs, Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) and Rural Legacy, but does not have its own county-funded easement program. Agricultural zoning that calls for relatively high residential densities in agricultural areas is under revision as a result of the adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan in 2002.

EASEMENT ACTIVITY - 10,458 agricultural acres under easement in 60 properties in the MALPF and Rural Legacy programs. Easement acreage is approximately 64 percent cropland, 19 percent pastureland and 17 percent woodland. 81 percent of easement parcels contain Class I-III soils.
Goals: 50,000 acres of prime and productive farmland by 2020.
Other Easement Programs: Maryland Environmental Trust has 3,927 acres in 35 transactions; Land Trusts-481 acres. Federal, state and private conservation easements around the Antietam National Battlefield preserve 8,325 acres of agricultural land as viewsheds for the historic area.
Total Agricultural Easements in County: Approximately 23,300 acres.

FUNDING
Acquisition Spending to Date: $30 million
Revenues: Annual appropriation from county portion of the state agricultural land transfer tax, state MALPF and Rural Legacy funds, and federal funds. In 2000, the county adopted an additional 2 percent agricultural land transfer tax that produces $125,000 a year for matching state funds.

GOVERNANCE - Washington County's farmland preservation program is administered by the Department of Planning. A five-member citizens' Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board, appointed by the County Commissioners, oversees the program.

STAFF AND OPERATING BUDGET - One staff person. Annual operating budget is approximately $60,000.

ORIGINS - Although Washington County started its program at about the time that MALPF was formed and state funding became available-and the first easement was acquired in 1981-interest among landowners and others was limited for a number of years. It took three years for the county to organize the state-required advisory board and the first staff person for the easement program was not employed until the mid 1980s. Landowner forums featuring program managers from more active Maryland counties helped to generate more interest in the Washington program. The county program was certified by the state in 1993, allowing for local retention of a larger share of the state agricultural land transfer tax.

ACQUISITION PROCESS AND STRATEGY - County commissioners approve applications submitted to the state. The Advisory Board establishes and applies the review system. The board does not deviate from the quantitative scoring system except to target parcels within an 85,000 acre area of prime agricultural land that is not served by public sewers and water.
Rating of Parcels: Quantitative. MALPF: 100 point system emphasizing development proximity, parcel size, agriculture quality and farm management.
Other Criteria: MALPF minimums include location in the 85,000 acre agricultural area outside of existing sewer and water service, enrollment in an Agricultural Preservation District, 50 acre minimum and at least 50 percent Class I-III soils. RURAL LEGACY: Location in the Rural Legacy area.

CONNECTIONS TO LOCAL PLANNING AND LAND USE POLICIES - County policies include designated growth areas and the Adequate Public Facilities ordinance that links residential density to road capacity.
Zoning: Current agricultural zoning is one unit to one acre (1:1). The implementation of the updated Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2002, calls for downzoning to 1:30 in the Rural Legacy Area, 1:20 in the Environmental Conservation area and 1:5 in the remaining agricultural areas.

DEMOGRAPHICS
2000 Population: 131,923
1990-2000 Population Change: +10,530 residents; +8 percent

AGRICULTURAL LAND
126,000 acres
Conversion to Urban Use: From 1993 to 2000, 5,241 acres of farmland were converted and 3,652 acres were preserved. In 1980-2001, 16,260 farmland acres were converted. (State conversion data)

OTHER AGRICULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
1997 Market Value: $60.6 million Number of Farms: 768
Principal Commodities: Dairy products, cattle and calves, poultry and poultry products

MAP NARRATIVE - EASEMENT GEOGRAPHY (PROGRAM MAP)
Agriculture is the predominant land use in Washington County with the major urban development located around the county seat of Hagerstown in the center of the county. Agricultural easements are widely dispersed throughout the county. A cluster of easements exists around the Antietam National Battlefield and Sharpsburg. These easements are complemented by a large amount of publicly owned land preserved for the protection of viewsheds and the character of the battlefield area.

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