Buncombe considers increased conservation goal after allocating $400K for easements

ASHEVILLE – In May 2022, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners set a goal of conserving 20% of its land by 2030. After approving funding to place 366 acres in conservation easements, commissioners are considering raising their goal.

Conservation easements perpetually restrict the development on a parcel of land in perpetuity. Landowners often receive tax breaks or monetary incentives from the county when they sign the deed restriction.

Commissioners approved $150,000 during a Feb. 6 board meeting to purchase an easement for the Parham-Fortner Farm on South Turkey Creek Road in Leicester. The farm spans some 30 acres of land, according to county documents.

It is a working farm laden with rich soils and produces hay and beef cattle, according to Buncombe Soil and Water Farmland Preservation Manager Ariel Zijp, who presented during the meeting. The farm’s proximity to other properties under easement make it a particularly strong candidate for conservation. It is also situated on the county’s Farm Heritage Trail, a two-hour scenic drive along Buncombe County’s conserved farmland.

At the same meeting, the board also approved $250,000 to create an easement for the Lake Eden Preserve in Swannanoa. This allocation will protect about 336 acres of land.

The land is part of a 539-acre parcel that is the historic campus for the Black Mountain College, Land Protection Director for Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Michelle Pugliese told the board.

The Black Mountain College campus will not be included in the easement to allow events such as the Lake Eden Arts Festival to continue, Pugliese said. Some facilities will be expanded “as needed,” she said.

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Pugliese said that placing the property in an easement was a top priority for SAHC, noting above average climate resilience, water running through it and proximity to other protected lands.

SAHC valued the project at more than $3.1 million. The landowner donated $1.5 million. SAHC paid $1.5 million for the easement, mostly funded by the state and a private donor. Buncombe County covered the additional funding with the allocation.

The two parcels of land are still not officially protected. Zijp told the Citizen Times in a Feb. 12 email that there is more work to do before the land is in easements.

“The next steps for each of these projects looks different — but typically that would be the basic due diligence for the easement, survey, deed work, title work, baseline documentation report and then closing the easement,” Zijp said.

The two projects will bring Buncombe County to 83,047 acres currently in the process of being conserved, according to Buncombe County Open Space Bond Manager Jill Carter, who spoke during the meeting. Past reports indicate that this figure also includes conserved land. Buncombe is now 1,049 acres away from meeting its goal.

Responding to a question from Commissioner Amanda Edwards, Commissioner Terri Wells said that a county subcommittee is discussing raising Buncombe’s conservation goal. Wells said she would like to increase the goal and Edwards said she would support the increase. Edwards is running for chair of the board. Wells is running for reelection.

Buncombe County allocated money from the $30 million Open Space Bond, which voters approved in November 2022. Monies from the bond are devoted to protecting farmland and natural resources, supporting greenway infrastructure and increasing access to recreational activities without significantly disrupting the environment.

“I’m very excited to see these two projects,” Wells said. “This is exactly the reason for these bond funds and both of these projects really speak to the benefit of what the bond funds can do.”

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Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County nears conservation goal with $400K easement allocation