County to partner with state farmland preservation program

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 New Castle County Executive Matthew Meyer announced that the county will save $2.5 million to preserve New Castle County farmland through a partnership with the State of Delaware farmland preservation program.

 Meyer announced a $500,000 contribution to preserve county farmland. This allocation saves  $2.5 million announced under the previous   administration to purchase development rights on two farms in the Port Penn area.

“We believe that this commitment of $500,000 will preserve significant acres of New Castle County farmland at greatly reduced cost,” Meyer said.  “We feel this collaboration is the right approach to a more comprehensive land preservation program that maximizes its impact and value to taxpayers.”

New Castle County, which does not have a formally established farmland preservation program, has previously allocated funds on an ad hoc basis to preserve individual parcels of farmland, according to a release. 

Partnering with the Delaware farmland preservation program,  leverages the state’s  process for identifying and appraising eligible farmland and ranking parcels most appropriate for preservation. A  total of 120,000 acres have been preserved under the state program. 
The county will retain decision-making authority to direct which properties are selected off of the state’s list based on county funds that are allocated. 

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In addition, the New Castle County Land Use Department is developing a  landscape analysis tool to guide the county’s selection of properties for preservation. 

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