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York County certifies conservation funding, seeks to buy easement on 14.85-acre Maple Spring Farms parcel
Summary
County staff presented certification of funding for agricultural conservation easements and asked the commissioners to approve a purchase of a 14.85-acre easement on land owned by Thomas and Stacy Birchet doing business as Maple Spring Farms Partnership.
York County staff asked commissioners on Jan. 15 to certify county funding for the agricultural conservation easement program and to approve an agreement of sale for a 14.85‑acre easement on a farm owned by Thomas and Stacy Birchet, trading as Maple Spring Farms Partnership.
Eric (presenter) described the funding source as a combination of a dedicated county tax and Clean and Green rollback interest collected when property owners violate their Clean and Green agreements. He said the funds certified to the state are matched by a state contribution; staff said the county typically receives about a 2:1 match from the state.
Eric said the application for the Birchet farm met the program’s minimum criteria: the parcel is 100% cropland, has soils classes 1 through 4, and a current agricultural erosion and sedimentation (AG E&S) plan written in 2023. Staff reported the farm ranked 11th out of 50 qualifying applicants in the 2024 ranking cycle and that the Birchets accepted an easement value of $3,480 per acre. The purchase excluded 2 acres for a home and 45 acres of the parcel previously preserved.
Eric characterized the parcel as a “doughnut hole” that fills a gap in a cluster of preserved farms. He said the property touches four preserved farms, and that the acquisition would add to more than 6,000 acres preserved in Lower Chanceford Township and to about 49,000 acres preserved countywide.
The easement purchase and the certification of county funding were presented to the board as part of the agenda packet and were approved when the board voted to adopt the listed items by voice vote.
Quote from the presentation: “This farm will really kind of fill that hole,” Eric said, describing how the parcel links adjacent preserved farmland.
Details presented by staff - Applicant: Thomas and Stacy Birchet, doing business as Maple Spring Farms Partnership. - Parcel acreage under easement: 14.85 acres. - Easement valuation accepted by landowners: $3,480 per acre. - Parcel characteristics: 100% cropland; soils in classes 1–4; AG E&S plan written in 2023. - Ranking: 11th of 50 in the 2024 ranking cycle. - Typical matching: County staff stated the program typically receives roughly a 2:1 match from the state when county funding is certified.
Outcome: Commissioners approved the funding certification and the agreement of sale as part of the adopted agenda items. The meeting transcript records the presentation and the motion to adopt the agenda items; no separate roll-call vote for this specific easement was recorded in the public transcript.
