Buncombe conservation board advances slate of farm easements, prioritizes state match and bond funds

Buncombe County land conservation board members on a regularly scheduled meeting advanced a slate of proposed conservation easements, approved two Emergency Voluntary Agricultural Development (EVAD) applications and directed staff to schedule farm visits and return recommended funding requests to the board for final action.

The board’s farmland preservation staff told members the county has a nearly $2,000,000 agricultural growth zone (AGZ) award that must be matched with open-space bond funds; combined with the county match, staff said there is about $4,200,000 available to spend within the county’s conservation focus areas. Staff said meeting the state contract deadline of 2027 for those matching dollars is the primary reason the program will prioritize AGZ-matched projects now rather than applying first to other competitive state grants.

Board members reviewed detailed maps and project summaries for a group of proposed easements across parts of the county — including multiple Morgan Branch parcels, a Slocum property approved for AGZ funding, and projects in the Newfound, Sandy Mush and Lower Brush Creek areas — and discussed using the AGZ award and the county bond match to accelerate more closings. Staff said some parcels that are outside the AGZ conservation-focus areas could still be advanced using…