Geauga County [Ohio] is looking to the future, before its farmlands
are a thing of the past.
The county committed $10,000, which was
matched by a state grant, for the Geauga County planning commission
to develop a comprehensive farmland preservation plan.
It will dovetail with the county's comprehensive
land-use plan, according to Geauga County Commissioner William Repke.
The big concern is the loss of the large
traditional farms in the county, Mr. Repke said.
By saving farms, taxpayers actually pay
fewer taxes, because there are fewer roads and services to maintain,
he said. "People don't understand the cost savings, but it is worth
keeping land undeveloped."
Geauga Planning Director David Dietrich
said a state farmland preservation bill is being considered. If approved,
state money might be available to counties, with plans in place, for
the specific purpose of protecting farmland. It could be used to purchase
development rights on farms.
The threat to the existence of farms,
even in rural Geauga County, is real, according to Thomas Bier, director
of the Housing Policy Research Program of Cleveland State University.
Development is gobbling up farmland in
Geauga County, as it is in Medina, Lake, Summit and Portage counties,
he told members of the Bainbridge zoning commission last week. "Five-acre
lots is not going to preserve farmland," Dr. Bier said. "It has to be
zoned for farms."
Right now, there are no "tools" available
to counties and townships to save farmland and open space, he said.
"Geauga County isn't even permitted to raise funds to buy farmlands."
Kevin O'Reilly, who farms 500 acres with
his wife, AmySue, in Parkman, is a spokesman for the Geauga County Farmland
Preservation Committee that meets at the Patterson Center in Burton.
The grassroots group is investigating options for retaining farmland
in the county.
Committee member Marlene Walkush, of
Bainbridge, said one of the group's goals is to assist farmers interested
in the purchase of development rights. Such programs help secure land
for future farming, she said.
When development rights are purchased
on a farm, the land is kept for farming into the future.
Some options include conservation development
and cluster zoning, according to Mr. O'Reilly. Most farms include open
land and woods, he said. "So why not build the homes in the woods and
use he open land for farming?"
Mr. O'Reilly said the group also is attempting
to create awareness among non-farmers about the pressures on the farms.
"I don't see this committee as an anti-growth
thing," he said. "I've talked of it as responsible growth.
"If we fill up every two-acre parcel,
it will look like Cuyahoga County." He said the result is a loss of
farms, high taxes, traffic and overcrowded schools.
Mr. O'Reilly said it is fortunate that
the County Commissioners have taken on the cause. "They have to work
with developers, and they recognize there are areas that should be developed
and where farms should be preserved," he said.
