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Natural Resources Committee OKs due diligence for 700-acre ACE Basin easement and Buckwalter Parcel 5C
Summary
Beaufort County’s Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved due diligence funding for a 700-acre conservation easement in the ACE Basin (Cotton Hope) and for Buckwalter Parcel 5C, while staff reported roughly $75 million of remaining spendable capacity in the Green Space program.
The Beaufort County Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 6 approved due diligence funding for two Green Space Program projects, moving a 700-plus-acre conservation easement in the ACE Basin and a roughly 55-acre parcel in Buckwalter (Parcel 5C) into further negotiations.
Mark Davis, assistant county administrator, told the committee the Green Space Program currently lists 17 active projects, six of which are funded. He said closed projects have expended a little over $15,000,000 and staff estimates the program’s fund balance at approximately $108,000,000; Davis and other staff described an illustrative remaining capacity of about $75,000,000 if all listed projects were taken through the funding process.
Mike McShane, chairman of the Green Space Advisory Committee, recommended due diligence on the ACE Basin tract (referred to as Cotton Hope). McShane said the proposal is for a conservation easement that would keep the Sanford family in private ownership while recording restrictions "that will restrict the amount of development that can occur in the future" so that protection is enforced in perpetuity. McShane and committee members discussed the trade-offs between fee-simple acquisition and conservation easements, including that easements are often more cost-efficient per acre while fee-simple purchases can provide more direct public access.
Committee members pressed staff on public-access implications. McShane acknowledged that easements often preserve riverfront public benefit in practice (for example, protecting boat landings and shoreline uses) but may not provide direct on-site access because the land remains privately owned. He said the committee factors public access and public benefit into project scoring and recommended the easement as a way to preserve the neighborhood’s conservation character.
On Buckwalter Parcel 5C, McShane described a 55±-acre tract that links with Parcels 5A and 5B to create nearly 300 acres of contiguous protected land for a passive park system and to reduce pressure for new road development in the area. He told the committee that due diligence will explicitly evaluate an existing "floating" road easement on Parcel 5C and the project’s mitigation needs if a future road were proposed.
After questions, a committee member moved to approve due diligence on the Cotton Hope easement and the Buckwalter parcel; the committee voted and staff announced both motions passed unanimously.
The committee also discussed implementation and funding mechanics: Davis explained that, until the council approves a resolution allocating funds, items remain categorized as recommended or in due diligence; only after a resolution does staff move an item to an allocated expenditure. McShane said the program had generated about $120,000,000 in overall capacity historically, with roughly $75,000,000 remaining to fund future projects after accounting for current recommendations and expected reimbursements.
What’s next: due-diligence work will proceed for both projects and staff will return with recommendations and any negotiated purchase terms for committee and council consideration.
