Title
Land Purchase for Tree Canopy Preservation Program
Action
Action:
A. Approve the purchase of four contiguous parcels of approximately 71 acres located near Robinson Church Road and Plott Road in Charlotte (parcel identification numbers 108-112-03, 108-112-04, 108-071-13, and 108-042-10A) for $884,295 from three property owners, and
B. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and grant a Conservation Easement to the Catawba Lands Conservancy.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Tim Porter, Engineering & Property Management
Amanda Byrum, Engineering & Property Management
Explanation
§ Effective January 1, 2011, City Council approved revisions to the City’s Tree Ordinance. The revised Ordinance changed tree save and tree planting requirements for commercial development and offered mitigation options at certain development locations.
§ One mitigation option allows developers to pay into the Tree Ordinance Mitigation Fund (Fund), administered by the City, in lieu of saving trees on site.
§ The City uses the Fund for property acquisition and expenditures associated with ongoing tree preservation and maintenance.
§ City staff has established a Tree Canopy Preservation Program to set criteria for future acquisitions, including location, acreage, tree quality, rate of development in the area, connectivity to other open space or greenways, and opportunities for stewardship partner involvement.
§ Staff researched many properties located primarily within Charlotte’s city limits or within the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and identified these properties as a partnership opportunity with the Catawba Lands Conservancy, meeting the program criteria.
§ The four properties were subject to a timber harvesting operation in 2009 that removed approximately 45 of the 71 acres of mature forest that existed on site. Preserving the new growth that has regenerated in the timbered areas will result in a net tree canopy gain of 45 acres.
§ Staff is working to develop a forest management plan with the North Carolina Forest Service for implementation following the acquisitions.
§ Three of the four parcels were listed for sale, and the owner of the fourth parcel approached City staff with interest in the sale of the adjacent property. Staff negotiated purchase prices with each of the property owners based on appraised value findings and marketed list prices.
§ The Catawba Lands Conservancy will apply for a Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant for the purchase of a Conservation Easement following acquisition by the City. If the Catawba Lands Conservancy does not receive the grant funds, the City will donate a Conservation Easement to ensure stewardship and maintenance of the property in perpetuity.
§ The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission recommended approval for the City to purchase the land.
§ Contingent upon City Council approval and acquisition of these properties, anticipated in August 2016, the Tree Ordinance Mitigation Fund will have a projected balance of approximately $629,000. Staff has developed a working priority list of additional property acquisitions using the remaining balance of the funds.
Fiscal Note
Funding: General Community Investment Plan - Tree Preservation Program
Attachments
Attachment
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