Farmland & Open Space Preservation


The Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board consists of 6 members that are appointed by the Board of Commissioners and meets on an as-needed basis. The Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board administers the County's farmland preservation program and is responsible for:
  • Establishing selection criteria for ranking and prioritizing of applications to the program.
  • Establishing a points-based appraisal formula for determining the value of the agricultural conservation easements.
  • Reviewing and providing oversight in scoring all applications according to the adopted selection criteria.
  • Ranking and prioritizing the top scoring applications for acquisition and determining whether the development rights should be purchased.
  • Approving the restrictions and permitted uses under the agricultural conservation easement.
  • Establishing the price to be offered to the property owner and authorize negotiations for the purchase of development rights and agricultural conservation easement.
  • Establishing monitoring procedures and overseeing subsequent monitoring to insure compliance with the agricultural conservation easement. Enforcement of the agricultural conservation easement in the case of non-compliance shall be the responsibility of the respective County Board of Commissioners.

The Antrim County Farmland and Open Space Preservation Board meets as needed in Room 217, Antrim County Building, 203 E. Cayuga Street, Bellaire. If you wish to be on the agenda, please contact the Administration & Planning office (231-533-6265) at least one week in advance.