TURNER – Transfer and purchase of development rights will be the focus of the second in a series of community informational forums being held by the town’s Zoning Review Committee.
Citizens are invited to the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Leavitt Institute Building to hear speakers discuss the transfer of development rights. Under the system, development rights of property in zones deemed undesirable for development would be sold the owners of property in areas zoned open for development.
Stephanie Gilbert of the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Protection Division will speak on the Land for Maine’s Future Program, the only program in the state with farmland protection by means of purchase of development rights as part of its mandate. The department and the program are partners in soliciting federal and private dollars, identifying worthy projects, and bringing proposals focused on farmland protection before the Land for Maine’s Future Program board. That partnership has been successful in obtaining federal dollars for farmland protection from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Jesse Robertson-Dubois, New England field representative for the American Farmland Trust, will discuss the programs of the top national organization dedicated to protecting farmland and the future vitality of farming.
Residents of neighboring communities are invited to attend and explore the potential for regional strategies.
Turner’s Zoning Review Committee has been revising zoning ordinances to bring them into compliance with the town’s comprehensive plan. Its goal is to meet the demands for development and changing land-use patterns while maintaining the town’s farming tradition and rural character.
Comments are no longer available on this story