Agenda Item Name:
Title
Addition of land conservation projects, Barr Hammock - Carr Farms & McNab, to the Alachua County Forever Active Acquisition List.
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Presenter:
Charlie Houder / (352) 264-6804
Description:
Staff requests the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approve the addition of the, reconfigured, Carr Family project and addition of the adjacent McNab property for the Active Acquisition List (Full Price List).
Addition of these projects to the Active Acquisition List, authorizes staff to: obtain title work and appraisals, negotiate price and terms with the owners, and execute option contracts.
The execution of any Option, will be brought back to the Board for consideration.
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
1. Approve the reconfiguration of the Barr Hammock - Carr Family project for the Active Acquisition list (Full Price List); and
2. Approve the addition of the Barr Hammock - McNab property to the Active Acquisition List (Full Price List) with the condition that the purchase of said property be contingent on the purchase of the adjacent Carr Family property.
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Prior Board Motions:
On January 28, 2014, the BoCC placed Barr Hammock/Levy Prairie - Carr Family properties on the Active Acquisition List (Full-Price).
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
Carr & McNab- Cost Estimates:
• $49,500 :Acquisition Pre-Contract & Due Diligence
• $135,660 :Stewardship - initial 10yrs.
Due Diligence - Operation: 021.41.4160.537.31.00 - 6184160
(Exhibit 4)
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Background:
When initially added to the Active Acquisition List in 2014, the Carr Family project included 194.7 acres. The property, former homestead of famed scientists and environmentalists Archie and Marjorie Carr, consisted of five tax parcels, the ownership of which was divided among various members of the Carr family. The majority of the property was proposed for fee acquisition, although a portion surrounding the Carr’s cabin was to be left in private ownership. A conservation easement was proposed for the property immediately east and north of the cabin.
Staff has engaged in extensive negotiations with the owners since 2017. The parties agreed to several minor boundary adjustments, the majority of which improved the ecological value of the project and its connection with the State-owned Price’s Scrub State Park. One of the main interests in acquiring the Carr family farm is as a key portion of an ecological corridor and recreational connection between Price’s Scrub State Park and Barr Hammock Preserve.
Appraisals were completed in February 2020. After excluding the proposed 53-acre conservation easement, a meeting of the minds was reached with a majority of the family members in May 2020. At that time, the family was asked to amend the Protective Covenants for the Wewa Nature Conservation Area to allow for the possibility of limited public use. Stephen Carr, a part owner in one of the parcels, was not in agreement with this amendment. Since these Covenants affect several of the parcels, the remaining property departed substantially from the project that the Board had approved for the Active Acquisition List. The family was informed that staff could not go any further under its current authority without the participation of Stephen Carr.
Archie F. Carr III and David Carr have since requested that County to consider the purchase of Parcels 16851-008 and 16851-009 which they own respectively. These two contiguous parcels with a combined area of 72.03 acres are keystones in the project. These parcels have good access, natural communities in fair to good condition. The northern parcel adjoins the Wilder property which is also on the Active Acquisition List. If the differences with Stephen Carr can be overcome, the project could be extended southward to the Marion County line.
In conjunction with the request from Archie and David Carr, staff was informed that the adjacent 6.1-acre McNab property (parcel:16851-002-000) was also available for purchase. This property had been considered by the Land Conservation Board (LCB) in 2013 and added to the Eligibility Pool pending completion of the purchase from the Carr Family. Staff contacted the owner and confirmed that the owner is willing to sell.
On August 26, 2021, the LCB considered the project area proposed by Archie and David Carr and the McNab property. The LCB voted to confirm the new configuration for the Carr project and to move the McNab property to the Priority Pool.
Acquiring the McNab parcel would be dependent on the County closing on the two Carr parcels and would add to the potential wildlife corridor connection.
As with all of our conservation lands, if accepted as an acquisition, this property will go through the vetting process for the Registry of Protected Places.
Comp Plan Reference:
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.”