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Caroline planning commission backs compensatory preservation fund and solar regulation updates; recommends 75% MALPF appraisal basis
Summary
The Caroline County Planning Commission recommended creating a compensatory preservation contribution fund for farmland affected by solar projects and updating solar siting rules, endorsing a method that uses the most recent MALPF fair‑market appraisals applied at 75% to the project limit of disturbance at final site plan approval.
The Caroline County Planning Commission on Wednesday voted to recommend establishing an agricultural compensatory preservation contribution fund and to update local solar regulations to align with state law, directing staff to use Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) fair‑market appraisals as the valuation basis and to apply a 75% payment rate to affected acreage at final site plan approval.
Planning staff and commissioners said the two actions were linked: the county is seeking to recover a community benefit when productive farmland is converted to large‑scale solar projects as required by recent state renewable energy law. The commission moved to recommend draft language creating a…
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