Staff outlines tiered 'term PDR' plan to preserve Louisa County farmland
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Summary
County staff presented a three-tier land-preservation initiative that would pair agricultural and forestal district participation with a new term purchase-of-development-rights (PDR) program—likely 10-year contracts—with draft options for per-acre payments, parcel minimums, and a potential developer fee to fund incentives.
Louisa County staff on Tuesday described a proposed Land Preservation Initiative built around a three-tier approach intended to preserve working lands and slow growth outside delineated growth areas.
Magdalise Brakeville, the county's land development agricultural conservation coordinator, said the county has roughly 310,750 acres and 28,444 parcels; outside designated growth areas there are about 256,502 acres (roughly 91.76% of agriculture-zoned land). She reported 981 responses to the county's comprehensive-plan survey and summarized public preferences showing strong support for preserving farms and open space.
Brakeville proposed a tiered framework. The near-term tier emphasizes zoning updates and expanding Agricultural and Forestal District (AFD) participation; a mid-term tier would offer "term PDRs" (what staff described as a lease-like purchase of development rights) with voluntary contracts—initially targeted at 10 years—and payments calculated per parcel with options for a per-acre component and a floor payment. The long-term tier would pursue conservation easements and strategic land acquisition.
"Think about this program as like a lease of development right," Brakeville said, describing a model in which a landowner would agree not to develop for a set term in exchange for compensation. She said the county is exploring funding blends and had discussed the concept with state agencies and Virginia Tech, which are watching Louisa as a possible test case.
Commissioners pressed staff on implementation details: whether small parcels farmed as part of multi-parcel operations would be eligible, how minimum acreage thresholds would affect existing small parcels (staff noted 97 AFD parcels are under 10 acres), whether payments would go to landowners or tenant operators (payments would be directed to landowners), contract termination provisions, and administrative capacity. Staff said the program would require an AFD baseline for eligibility and that administration could fall under the new coordinator's purview with county support.
Brakeville said funding sources remain under consideration and that staff will return a draft program for further discussion; commissioners were asked to return completed surveys by the following Wednesday to inform program parameters.
