Updated: $50,000 grant for PDR program awarded to Stafford

Update

Potomac Local has reached out to Stafford County, and has received information for clarification on this story.

A $50,000 grant was awarded to Stafford County by the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, to help the county purchase the development rights of the Jones Farm, as part of the county’s purchase of development rights program (PDR).

The PDR program allows owners to voluntarily sell their development rights to the county, according to Shannon Howell, Public Information Officer for Stafford County.

“We’re not out there looking for them. They’re applying for this program,” Howell stated. 

The PDR program has been in place since 2007, and the county has worked with other properties on purchasing rights on properties through the program, said Kathy Baker, Assistant Director of Planning & Zoning for the county.

According to Baker, the PDR program is a way to help direct growth in the county, and ensure that developments and new structures are being built in areas of the county where services like public roads and utilities are available, as part of the county’s comprehensive plan.

“It allows rural areas to retain some of the agricultural [use] and open space features, and that is going to direct growth into the county’s urban services area, where we have roads and public utilities,” said Baker.

Baker stated that the owners of the property can still live on the property, farm the property, and even sell the property – but the county will have the development rights, so the owners cannot build other structures on the property. They are allowed to build agricultural structures or garages, Howell stated.

“It allows agriculture, or other uses to continue on the property, and the owner is going to get paid not to build additional houses on the property. They can continue to live there, they can continue to farm their property – and they get a one-time bulk of cash for it,” said Baker.

The county still needs an additional $240,000 in funding to purchase the farm’s development rights.

“We’re trying to amass enough money in matching funds to purchase it,” Baker commented.

A similar program, being called the transfer of development rights program (TDR) is slated to be discussed this week at the Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting, but is not yet established.

Update

The $50,000 grant is not being used for Crow’s Nest preservation. It will go towards purchasing easement of the Jone’s Farm, and the Board of Supervisors will need to allot the additional funds for the purchase. The story will be further corrected and clarified. Potomac Local has reached out to County officials, to seek further clarification on the grant, and will keep you posted on the latest.

Original Story

While developers are attempting to build on land near the Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve, a $50,000 grant awarded to Stafford County could aid their Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program to preserve more acreage of the Crow’s Nest.

“It will be used towards the purchase of development rights for the Jones Farm. We are purchasing an easement, and they will still own the property,” said Shannon Howell, Public Information Officer for Stafford County.

The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation awarded the grant to the county said Howell.

Developers sought out the Stafford County Board of Supervisors to remove restrictions on acreage near the Crow’s Nest, so that they could extend water and sewer lines, but the Board voted down the request in September 2014.

To handle the issue with preserving the land near the preserve, while also working with the intended development in the area, the Board is moving forward with their PDR program.

The program “enables the Stafford County Government to acquire conservation easements voluntarily offered by property owners as a way to ensure that Stafford’s resources are protected and efficiently used, and limits further residential development on a property. The program is proposed to preserve open space and rural lands; farm and forest land; water resources and environmentally sensitive lands; and wildlife and aquatic habitat,” said Paul Milde, a Stafford County Supervisor, on his website.

The owners of the Jones Farm are the first property owners in the Crow’s Nest area that have voluntarily applied to allow the County’s ownership of the easement for conservation.

The grant will help to purchase this easement, but the Board will have to fund an additional $240,000 in order for the easement on the Jones Farm to be purchased, according to Howell.

*This story has been edited and clarified.