To Maintain Our Quality of Life
On August 2nd voters will decide whether to continue funding Peninsula Township’s Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) farmland preservation program.
Working farmland, open space, scenic views, and rural character play important roles in our quality of life on Old Mission Peninsula.
As our region continues to grow, we must act now to preserve the working farms and visually open spaces that protect and maintain our quality of life.
VOTE YES ON AUGUST 2
*****
REQUEST YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT TODAY
The Purchase of Development Rights Program
ABOUT PDR
Maintaining our Values since 1994
PDR Basics
Peninsula Township’s farmland preservation program permanently prevents residential development.
The township was a pioneer of farmland preservation when the program was created in 1994, and the success has prevented the township from experiencing the kind of residential development that has decimated farming in other regions.
How It Works
It is a voluntary program. If a farmer chooses to apply, his/her property is prioritized by a point system to identify the order in which lands can enter the program. An appraisal determines how much higher the value of the land would be for a developer [than for a farmer].
The land owner is paid the difference in those values to put a permanent deed restriction on the property so it cannot be developed for
residential use.
Other restrictions may be added to protect values such as public views and visual open space.
This is not a subsidy. It is a one-time business transaction with a willing landowner based on appraised value.
The Difference It Has Made
The program started in 1994 and has preserved 3,291 acres in the township, keeping those farms from development and instead allowing farms to go to the next generation of farmers.
And it helped inspire and leverage another 1,890 acres of preservation by the state, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, and the American Farmland Trust.
As a result, a total of 5,181 acres of the 9,861 acres in our farmland preservation zone are now under permanent preservation easements that prevent residential development.
Vote Yes on August 2nd to reinstate the PDR millage
Reinstating the program will preserve another 3,000 acres of vital farmland and continue to preserve our rural agricultural heritage, our scenic views, and our way of life.
By voting yes for PDR, the owner of a home with a taxable assessed value of $250,000 will pay just $5.99 a month over last year’s PDR expense. That’s a small increase to pay to maintain our quality of life.
There are significant matching funds available for farmland preservation. Without reinstating our millage, these matching funds will be impossible to secure.
Request your absentee ballot today
Volunteers
Let us know if you can donate some time to our campaign.