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Farmland & Open Space Preservation

The Grand Traverse County Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board was established in 2004 as provided in the Grand Traverse County Farmland and Open Space Development Rights Ordinance which was established in accordance with the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, PA 110 of 2006, as amended. The Grand Traverse County Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board administers the County’s farmland preservation program.

Primary Functions of the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board:

• Establish selection criteria for ranking and prioritizing of applications to the program.
• Review, rank and prioritize the top scoring applications for acquisition and determining whether the development rights should be purchased.
• Approve the restrictions and permitted uses under the agricultural conservation easement.
• Establish the price to be offered to the property owner and authorize negotiations for the purchase of development rights and agricultural conservation easement.
• Establish monitoring procedures and overseeing subsequent monitoring to insure compliance with the agricultural conservation easement.

Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board meets annually. Additional meetings are scheduled as-needed.