Farmland development rights in Suffolk County, New York facts for kids

Farmland development rights in Suffolk County, New York started in 1975 in Suffolk County. This program helps keep farms as farms and open spaces, instead of them being built on for houses. The state of New York began buying "development rights" from farmers. This means farmers get paid to agree that their land will always be used for farming.

Location

Suffolk County, New York, is on the eastern part of Long Island. It shares a border with Nassau County to the west. The rest of Long Island includes Queens County and Kings County, which are part of New York City. Suffolk County is over 80 miles (130 km) long and 20 miles (30 km) wide. It covers about 922 square miles (2,388 km²). Because it is close to New York City, developers wanted to build a lot here. This made Suffolk County a good place for this program.

Overview

The program buys "development rights" from landowners. These rights are basically the ability to build houses or other non-farm buildings on the land. Farmers still own their land and can use it for farming. The county asks landowners if they want to sell these rights. If a farmer's offer is accepted, the county pays them the market value of these rights. This payment helps farmers keep their land for agriculture.

Farmers do not have to sell the rights for all their land. They can choose to sell rights for only part of it. This program gives farmers a great chance to protect their farms. For example, a farmer can sell their development rights. They keep farming their land. They can then use the money from the sale to buy more farmland nearby. This helps them grow their farm business.

Benefits

This program helps farmers in Suffolk County who want to keep farming. Farming can be tough with money problems and rising property taxes. It also helps families avoid big problems when a farmer dies. Selling development rights gives farmers cash. This money can be used for farm operations or investments. It also means the family might not have to sell the farm quickly after the farmer's death.

The program also helps with property taxes. When development rights are sold, the land can only be used for farming forever. This lowers the market value of the property. So, the property taxes for the farmer can become lower.

While farmers benefit a lot, the people of Suffolk County also gain. The program saves an important industry and lots of open space. Also, farmers still own and care for their land. They can often maintain the property better than the county could.

History

Long Island's real estate development grew from the inner city outwards. It spread to the suburban areas of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. A lot of building happened after World War II. By 1970, Suffolk County had over one million people. It seemed like building would never stop. Many thought Suffolk County would become like Nassau County.

After World War II, Nassau County had many working farms. They grew food and made dairy products for New York City. But by 1970, most of Nassau County's farms were gone. They were covered by urban sprawl, which means cities spreading out.

In 1972, John V.N. Klein became the new County Executive. He thought of buying farmland development rights. Suffolk County was the top agricultural county in New York State for farm products. Klein believed farming was vital for the economy, environment, and community. The eastern part of Suffolk County also has a strong tourist industry. This is thanks to its beaches, open spaces, and rural feel.

After many meetings and discussions, a local law was passed in 1973. This law, supported by Klein, created the farm preservation program.

Starting the Program

In early 1975, the County Legislature approved hiring experts to value the land. Values were given based on July 1975 prices. At this time, New York City was having big money problems. This made it very expensive for local governments to borrow money. Because of the high cost, the Legislature did not approve buying the development rights yet.

But in September 1976, the Legislature changed its mind. They approved buying development rights for 60 farms. This was based on the original value of 21 million dollars. The Legislature passed resolutions that included the prices farmers offered. In October 1976, the project was given to William R. Lockwood. He worked for the Department of Land Management. His job was to check and approve the land values for the 21 million dollar purchase. This is when he first joined the project.

Checking Land Values

When reviewing the land appraisals, it was clear that values needed updating. Land prices in eastern Suffolk County had gone down. So, in January 1977, Suffolk County hired new experts. These experts helped figure out the value of development rights for the 60 farms. The first ideas for valuing the land were good, and they were used again.

A real estate expert was hired to study the real estate market in the three towns. They gathered information on recent land sales. They also looked at current land listings and land that had been taken over by banks. This information was checked and studied in detail. It was then used to support the land values before development rights were bought.

Experts decided to use a "before and after" method for valuing the land. The "after value" would be the land's worth once development rights were bought. This meant the land could only be used for farming. A farm expert was also hired. This expert knew a lot about valuing farms in New York State and nearby areas. They found that there were no "pure farms" on Long Island. This meant all farmland on Long Island had the potential to be developed. This potential was always part of the land's price. Farmers had been pushed out by development from Kings County, New York to Queens County, New York, then to Nassau County, New York, and finally to Suffolk County.

Finding Pure Farm Values

The farm expert said they needed to look at other farm areas to find "pure farm values." These were areas where building was not likely to happen soon. They looked at farm sales across New York State, including areas like Orange County. They also checked farms in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. They gathered many sales examples.

They chose sales from northern Massachusetts, the Connecticut River Valley, Orange County, and South Jersey. These areas had similar soil, water issues, transportation, and growing seasons. If there were differences, they were noted and adjusted.

The main expert also helped guide the project. Meetings were held every month to check progress. There was so much information that they decided to use visual displays. A display expert was hired to make maps from aerial photos. These maps showed all the market data simply. They included sales, properties, listings, and foreclosures. They also showed zoning, water districts, and major street names. This expert also made sketches of each property. These were used by all the experts and given to the landowners.

Market Changes

The first information gathered showed that "pure farm values" stayed steady. However, land that could be used for housing had clearly gone down in value. There was an economic slowdown in September 1973. Data from 1974 showed the real estate market was still active, and prices were high. But this data did not show current trends. In 1975, there were few sales. The first land values were made during this time. Further market analysis showed prices were much lower in 1976 and even lower in 1977.

It was hard to set the value of these properties in a falling market. It was also tricky because offers had already been made to owners based on the original, higher values. These new values needed strong support to convince farmers and investors. Because values had changed so much, another real estate expert was hired. They studied why the market was declining. This led to a study that looked at all building plans from the past 10 years. It also studied airport and road building, and population changes. This helped decide when the land might finally be developed.

Checking the Information

The experts did not just rely on consultants. They went out and checked the information themselves. They talked to many real estate brokers, assessors, farm credit workers, and bank representatives. This helped them check facts and find any missing details. This survey was later used when talking to the farmers.

An unexpected result was that real estate experts believed the appraisers were fair. The real estate expert used all the information to create one report. This report included a "before value" (the land's value before the program). It also had an "after value" (the land's value as a pure farm). The difference between these two values was the worth of the development rights. During presentations, they showed farmers that potato blossoms in Massachusetts were the same size as those in Suffolk. They also picked strawberries at the same time. This information came from visiting farms in New York and nearby states.

Presenting Values to Farmers

Instead of giving farmers a full appraisal report, they made a simple brochure. This brochure had market sales, foreclosures, and listings. It also included a survey from brokers. This information was a short summary of what was said in the presentation. Each farmer received this booklet. It had an aerial photo of their property. It also had a letter showing the "before" and "after" values, plus the value of the development rights. This helped farmers make their decision.

The first part of the Farmlands Program was to buy development rights for 60 farms. The Legislature set aside 21 million dollars for this. The approved value for the development rights of these 60 farms came to $10,175,000. This was much less than the first offers made to the owners. Farmer Nathaniel Talmadge was the first to join the program. He was first offered $4,525 per acre for his development rights. He ended up selling for $2,725 per acre. He told the press, "I am pretty well convinced that they (the new appraisals) were fair. I would not say I was pleased." Fifty-two of the approved farmers agreed to sell their development rights to the county.