Agenda Item Name:
Title
Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Tract Option Contracts to Purchase Real Property
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Presenter:
Charlie Houder / (352) 264-6804
Description:
Request for the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) to approve and exercise the Options to purchase the Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Tract (± 247 acres, Parcels: 18796-002-000, 18787-000-000, 18795-000-000, and a portion of 18688-000-000 & 18784-001-000) through the Alachua County Forever program. The approval to exercise these Options is the final BoCC action on the acquisition of this project. (Exhibit 1 & 2)
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approve and exercise the Options to purchase the Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Tract, and authorize staff to execute additional documents as necessary to close the transaction.
Approve any necessary budget transfers required for the Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Project acquisition.
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Prior Board Motions:
On September 12, 2018, the BoCC placed Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Tract on the Active Acquisition List (Full Fee).
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
The purchase price in the Options are $7,900 per surveyed acre, or a total of $1,951,300 based on 247 acres. Staff is requesting budgetary authority in the amount of $2,048,865, or 5% above the estimated purchase price, in order to provide for any additional acreage identified by the surveyor. The purchase price and all acquisition costs is estimated at $2,135,565. This includes the survey, environmental site assessment, title commitment, and legal services.
This purchase price is supported by the appraisals provided by Pinel & Carpenter, Inc. and Santangini Appraisals, LLC.
The Option Contracts include $1,000.00 non-refundable payments for the Options. These two payments of $1,000.00 each, will be applied to the purchase price if the transactions close.
WSPP - Land Acquisition (Capital Expense)
Fund#: 021.41.4160.537.61.00 - 6194101 Lake Santa Fe - Johnson
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Background:
On July 26, 2018, the Land Conservation Board (LCB) placed the Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Tract on the Full Fee, Priority Pool. The Lake Santa Fe - Johnson family ownership consists of five parcels and totals ~264 acres (18796-002-000, 18787-000-000, 18795-000-000, 18688-000-000 & 18784-001-000). The Johnson family property is due south of Lake Santa Fe and west of the town of Melrose. Three of the parcels are held by the Dorothy N. Johnson Life Estate while two of the parcels are held by Glenn & Dorothy Johnson Family Ltd. Partnership. Seventeen acres have been excluded from the acquisition, based on the location of a large residential home, creating a ~247 acre acquisition project area. As a result, one of our Options for consideration is to purchase ~140 acres from Dorothy N. Johnson Life Estate and the second Option for consideration is to purchase ~107 from the Glenn & Dorothy Johnson Family Ltd. Partnership. (Exhibits 1 & 2)
The Johnson Tract falls almost entirely within the South Melrose Flatwoods Strategic Ecosystem, in the Lake Santa Fe Project Area. The natural communities on site consists mainly of good quality mesic flatwoods with a mixture of slash pine, loblolly pine and longleaf pine as the canopy. The site has a basin swamp, depression marshes, dome swamps and a flatwoods lake, all in good condition. Several non-native, invasive plant species occur on the property at low to moderate levels. (Exhibit 3)
A boundary survey and phase I environmental survey are the next steps of due diligence that will be initiated after the Option are Exercised by Alachua County.
Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Option Contracts requires transmittal of a signed Notice of Exercise of Option by the BoCC Chair, to the Sellers by December 17, 2019. (Exhibit 4 & 5)
Comp Plan Reference:
Acquiring the Lake Santa Fe - Johnson Tract fulfils multiple objectives endorsed within the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan. Specifically, Policy 6.0 Land Conservation Program within the Conservation and Open Space Element, states “Establish and maintain a land conservation program for the purchase, preservation, and management of natural areas and open space to complement the regulatory approaches identified in other section of this element.”