County briefing: farmland preservation program has protected 566 acres locally, 1,600 acres with state holdings
February 07, 2024 | Ottawa County, Michigan
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Becky Hettinga of the Department of Strategic Impact presented an informational briefing on Ottawa County’s farmland preservation efforts and the purchase‑of‑development‑rights (PDR) program.
Hettinga said the PDR ordinance passed in 2008 and that the county’s program is voluntary; townships choose whether to participate and landowners apply to sell development rights. She summarized program performance: the county has permanently preserved 566 acres under the local PDR program, has roughly 398 acres currently in the queue, and expects several additional projects that will bring the local total close to 1,000 acres; when combined with state‑preserved acreage the county has about 1,600 acres protected out of roughly 171,000 acres in agricultural use.
On funding, Hettinga said appraised development‑right values at time of acquisition totaled just over $2 million for preserved parcels. Landowners donated about 29% of development‑right value on average; roughly 57% of acquisition value came from grant funding and about 14% from private sources. She said no county general funds have been used to purchase easements and outlined three preservation pathways: locally led permanent PDR under ordinance, state‑led permanent donations to the state, and state‑led temporary protections (PA 116 tax‑credit leases).
Commissioners discussed challenges preserving specialty crops such as blueberries, township participation and sequencing for succession planning. Hettinga pointed to upcoming local outreach and said Park Township plans an event to bring farmers together and discuss preservation options and wetland reserve easements.
Why it matters: farmland preservation is a long‑term local land‑use tool with limited acreage preserved so far; it preserves working farmland and can be combined with grant funding and succession strategies to sustain farm operations.
What comes next: staff will continue processing queued applications, pursue grant funding and coordinate local outreach and education events.
Hettinga said the PDR ordinance passed in 2008 and that the county’s program is voluntary; townships choose whether to participate and landowners apply to sell development rights. She summarized program performance: the county has permanently preserved 566 acres under the local PDR program, has roughly 398 acres currently in the queue, and expects several additional projects that will bring the local total close to 1,000 acres; when combined with state‑preserved acreage the county has about 1,600 acres protected out of roughly 171,000 acres in agricultural use.
On funding, Hettinga said appraised development‑right values at time of acquisition totaled just over $2 million for preserved parcels. Landowners donated about 29% of development‑right value on average; roughly 57% of acquisition value came from grant funding and about 14% from private sources. She said no county general funds have been used to purchase easements and outlined three preservation pathways: locally led permanent PDR under ordinance, state‑led permanent donations to the state, and state‑led temporary protections (PA 116 tax‑credit leases).
Commissioners discussed challenges preserving specialty crops such as blueberries, township participation and sequencing for succession planning. Hettinga pointed to upcoming local outreach and said Park Township plans an event to bring farmers together and discuss preservation options and wetland reserve easements.
Why it matters: farmland preservation is a long‑term local land‑use tool with limited acreage preserved so far; it preserves working farmland and can be combined with grant funding and succession strategies to sustain farm operations.
What comes next: staff will continue processing queued applications, pursue grant funding and coordinate local outreach and education events.
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