Suffolk County’s Purchase of Development Rights Program Background, Intent, Accomplishments, Trends Sarah Lansdale, AICP

Suffolk County’s Growth: Suffolk County Comprehensive Plan 2035 Volume 1A

How will Suffolk County accommodate growth in the future? Regional Growth Trends Suffolk County Comprehensive Plan 2035 Volume 1A

How growth was accommodated

Farmland in Suffolk County Loss of 71,000 acres of farmland in Suffolk County between 1950 and Farmland acreage has held fairly steady since ,975 acres of farmland in Suffolk County Source: U. S. Census of Agriculture Acres

Program Background O On September 29, 1977, the first farmland development rights were purchased by the County. O Since its inception through May 2014, over $250 million has been spent by Suffolk County to preserve 10,745 acres of farmland. O One of the Nation's first (1974) purchase of development rights (PDR) program to preserve farmland.

Program Intent A. The State of New York, by various legislative enactments, has emphatically stated it to be a most important policy to conserve and protect viable farmlands and to encourage the improvement of such lands both for the production of food and for the preservation of such lands as valued natural and ecological resources. It has further stated that the expenditure of County funds to acquire legal interests and rights in such lands is in furtherance of such policy and is a proper expenditure of public funds for public purposes.

Program Intent (continued) B. The County is in complete accord with such policy, and it is the goal of the County to conserve and protect viable farmlands, open spaces, open areas and the various natural and ecological resources associated with such lands, particularly soil and water. It is the intent of this chapter to establish the policies and procedures that will be employed by the County in its pursuit of this goal.

Program Intent (continued) C. The Suffolk County Legislature finds that adequate fresh, local food supplies are critical to the health and economy of the County, that best management practices are essential to ensure that the benefits associated with land preservation are not realized at the cost of the County's natural and ecological resources, that working farms and a diversity of agricultural practices are necessary to secure the future of the business of agriculture and that a minimum threshold of acreage must be in active agricultural production to sustain the industries that support agricultural production. The Suffolk County Legislature further finds that conservation and protection of farmlands associated with viable agricultural operations that use best management practices will ensure that such lands are available to serve future generations.

Suffolk County Statistics: 2012 Agricultural Census O 604 farms O 35,975 acres in production O # 3 in NYS – value of agricultural commodities produced

34,127 Source: US Census of Agriculture