Title
Land Purchase for Tree Canopy Preservation Program
Action
Action:
A. Approve the purchase of 45.79 acres located west of Bellhaven Boulevard, near Lakehill Road (parcel identification numbers 035-103-08, 035-102-20, 035-101-14, 035-101-16, and 035-101-17) for $643,390 from multiple property owners, and
B. Authorize the City Manager to sign a Conservation Easement with and make a one-time stewardship payment of $13,700 to the Catawba Lands Conservancy.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Tim Porter, Engineering & Property Management
Tim O’Brien, Engineering & Property Management
Explanation
§ Effective January 1, 2011, the 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.
§ The first property purchased with these funds was approved by the City Council on November 25, 2013.
§ Since that acquisition, 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 five contiguous properties meeting the program criteria.
§ The five properties appraised for a total of $803,275 based on a market value determination of highest and best use. However, much of the property is of limited use for commercial development due to access constraints, topography, and the presence of floodplain and water quality buffers.
§ The property owners were contacted with offers of 80% of market value based on the availability of program funds. They were all advised of the appraised value and have all agreed to accept approximately 80% of the market value of their property.
§ Contingent upon City Council approval of the property acquisitions, the City proposes to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Catawba Lands Conservancy pending completion of the acquisitions.
§ Following acquisition, the City will donate a Conservation Easement to the Catawba Lands Conservancy and make a one-time payment of $13,700 to cover stewardship and maintenance costs on the property.
§ The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission recommended approval by a 5-0 vote for the City to purchase the land.
§ Contingent upon City Council approval and acquisition of these properties, the Tree Ordinance Mitigation Fund will have a balance of approximately $911,000.
Fiscal Note
Funding: General Community Investment Plan - Tree Preservation Program
Attachments
Attachment
Tree Canopy Preservation Program Property Map