Fayette County board moves to let agricultural buffer parcels join small‑farm easement program; approves two purchase authorizations in closed session

The Fayette County Rural Land Management Board voted unanimously to amend the ordinance that sets minimum criteria for conservation easements so that properties in the county's agricultural buffer (AB) areas may participate in the Small Farm Conservation Easement Program.

The board made the amendment after staff told members they had received 35 applications for the new small‑farm easement round but identified two applicants whose parcels fell inside an AB zone shown on a planning map. Staff and board members said the rural land management plan and the county zoning ordinance language had not made the treatment of AB parcels explicit for this program, and the amendment was intended to avoid excluding parcels that meet the program's intent and show active farm uses.

Why it matters: The change allows owners of qualifying buffer parcels to apply for easements that would limit future nonagricultural development on their land. Board members said they did not intend to exclude owners who have farm activity on their parcels and that leaving AB parcels out could create inconsistent outcomes for neighbors along the same road.

Board discussion and program status Board members and staff reported that the small‑farm program attracted an unusually large number of applicants for a first round — 35 submitted applications — and that the applications ranged from roughly 10 acres up to larger tracts. Staff said the program will continue to accept…