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Program may save rural land
Date: May 8,
2005
Fort Pierce Tribune
Section: Local
Edition: St. Lucie County
Page: B1
Byline: Rebecca
Panoff staff writer
ST. LUCIE COUNTY -- In a county struggling
to cope with growth, county officials think they
may have found a way to preserve the area's rural
past and future. The County Commission will have
a workshop at 2 p.m. Monday in commission chambers
to discuss implementing the state's Rural Land
Stewardship Areas Program, designed to give rural
landowners incentives in exchange for protecting
rural land in perpetuity.
The program, which proponents say will keep development
off rural land like Adams Ranch in unincorporated
St. Lucie County west of Fort Pierce, was established
in 2001 to prevent urban sprawl. If approved,
Adams Ranch would be the first stewardship project
in the county.
"You have a real good program here," said Michael
Brillhart, strategy and special projects director
for the county. "Our intent is to look at preserving
rural areas beyond the urban service boundaries
for future protection against development pressures,
which we are experiencing."
The program allows developers to pay landowners
for development rights in exchange for county
approval to add more homes than currently allowed
to their projects elsewhere in the county. In
doing so, current and future owners of rural property
participating in the program would never be able
to develop the land and new homes would be "clustered"
in specific compact areas.
"I think it's better than the TDR (Transfer of
Development Rights) program," said County Commission
Chairwoman Frannie Hutchinson. "The benefit is
better for both sides and it's already been tried."
The open workshop will go step-by-step over the
plan, including detailing how the St. Lucie County
Comprehensive Plan would have to be amended to
go forward with the program. The purpose of the
workshop is to give general background to commissioners
and the public, Brillhart said.
- rebecca.panoff@scripps.com
[Last modified May 8, 2005, 13:01:08]
Article publishedon May 8, 2005 in the Fort Pierce
Tribune
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