service and outreach: greenspace planning and protection
jackson county greenspace plan

Jackson County Greenspace Plan
By
Jackson County
and
the municipalities of
Arcade, Braselton, Commerce, and JeffersonNovember, 2000

A. Plan Development. In July 2000 the Jackson County Commission Board of Commissioners appointed a steering committee composed of citizens to develop the greenspace vision and implementation strategy required by Senate Bill 399. The Board believed that the initiative would be successful only if it truly reflected community values and responded to community concerns. The Community Greenspace Steering Committee represented a diversity of occupations and interests and included developers, environmentalists, industrialists, economic developers, land planners, recreational advocates, and farmers from throughout the county (Appendix A). These citizen leaders were chosen for their ability not only to develop the framework for the plan but also to help bring it to fruition. Staff from the Jackson County Department of Planning and Development, the Department of Recreation, the Water and Sewer Authority, and the Office of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia assisted them. Throughout the planning process, the steering committee solicited input from the broader public (Appendix B).

In August, the County invited all of its municipalities to participate in the Community Greenspace Program. Four municipalities-Arcade, Braselton, Commerce, and Jefferson-elected to participate (Figure 1). The other municipalities elected not to participate given their small staff and the minimal amount of greenspace monies apportioned to them. Several citizens were added to the Community Greenspace Steering Committee at the request of the municipalities. Throughout the planning process the Steering Committee and the public repeatedly stressed what an opportune time this is for protecting greenspace in Jackson County. Development is increasing rapidly so people realize the need for permanent protection of significant greenspace. At the same time, there are still many beautiful and environmentally sensitive places to protect, at a reasonable cost. The Steering Committee was particularly enthusiastic about the economic benefits of preserving greenspace and environmental amenities. Small business owners rank proximity to greenspace, parks, and recreation areas as the number one factor in choosing a business location. Sociologists are finding that more high skilled workers are choosing where to live first, then finding jobs. Industry is following these workers to places with a high quality of life. By clustering development around existing and proposed infrastructure, and keeping other areas green, local governments provide more efficient services, at a lower cost to its citizens. Numerous studies show that property values rise based on proximity to greenspace.

The need to preserve greenspace in order to protect natural resources, such as water quality and farmland, was apparent to the Steering Committee and the public. A desire to develop incentives for landowners to permanently protect greenspace along streams in order to filter out upland contaminants and to provide habitat for wildlife was frequently expressed, for example, as was the desire to provide tax relief to allow landowners to continue farming rather than develop their property as land prices escalate. Finally, the Steering Committee determined that a successful greenspace program must be founded on incentives rather than mandates and that a consolidated plan encompassing both the county and participating municipalities would be more effective than individual plans.

B. Identification of coordination department and supporting entities. The Jackson County Planning and Development Department will serve as the Community Greenspace Coordinating Office. Planning Director David Clabo will serve as the coordinator. All questions about the Jackson County Community Greenspace Program should be directed to:

David A. Clabo
Planning and Development Director, Jackson County
67 Athens Street, Jefferson, GA 30409
706-367-6335

A Community Greenspace Advisory Commission will be appointed in January 2001 to provide ongoing public support for and guidance to these efforts. Staff from the Jackson County Planning and Development Department, the Tax Assessors Office, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Water and Sewer Authority, and staff representatives from the participating municipalities will participate in an intergovernmental working group to implement the consolidated Community Greenspace Plan.

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A. Narrative regarding county's acreage, population, and topography. Jackson County is located on the upper fringes of the Piedmont Plateau section of the state and is bounded by Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Hall and Madison counties. It includes 342 square miles, or 218,963 acres, of gently rolling ridges and valleys. According to 1998 U.S. Census population estimates, the county is home to 37,711 people.

The Mulberry, Middle Oconee, and North Oconee river systems drain Jackson County. It is bisected by two broad ridges that extend northwest to southeast, from the Hall County line in the North, south toward Clarke County. About half of the county's acreage lies between the tops of these two ridges and slopes inward toward the Middle Oconee River. Outside of these ridges, the remaining acreage slopes toward the North Oconee River on the east and the Mulberry River on the west. In most places, the top of the ridge that separates these drainage areas is about 900 feet above sea level. Elevations in the county range from 640 feet above see level along the North Oconee River near the Clarke County line to 1,100 above sea level just west of Talmo near the Chestnut Mountain area of Hall County. Some areas near streams are steep; the floodplains of the rivers and creeks are level to nearly level.

B. Participating municipalities, their location and population. Jackson County contains nine incorporated towns. Arcade, Braselton, Hoschton, Jefferson, Maysville, Nicholson, Pendergrass and Talmo, all lie in the Oconee River Basin. Commerce, in the northeaster portion of the county, lies largely within the Savannah River Basin. Of the municipalities participating in the Community Greenspace Plan, Arcade, located on Highway 129 in the south-central portion of the county just south of Jefferson, had a 1998 population of 946 or 2.5% of the total county population. Braselton lies near the Barrow County line in western Jackson and is bisected by Highways 53 and 125. Its 1998 population was 496 or 1.3% of the total county population. Commerce, in the northeastern part of the county near the Jackson-Banks County line on Highway 441, is the largest city in the county with a 1998 population of 4,834 or 12% of the total county population. Jefferson, the county seat, is located near the center of the county at the intersection of Highways 11, 129 and 15. Its 1998 population was 3,283 or 8.7% of the total county population.

C. Description of rapidly growing areas. The 1998 Comprehensive Plan for Jackson County and its municipalities projects a growth in population from 37,711 to 55,745 by the year 2015. A number of qualities including a gently rolling terrain, quality support services, affordable land, and easy access to employment opportunities in Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville are responsible for existing and expected growth. Many large tracts are being sold to accommodate the increased demand in residential markets. Farm and natural areas are being converted to roads, utilities and home lots even though agriculture is the prime income generator in the county. The increase in residential growth is dramatic as the following table, which indicates the number of building permits issued in the county annually, shows:

Single Family Site-Built Residential Dwelling Units Permitted in Jackson County

As many as 300 residential lots are approved by the Board of Commissioners for unincorporated Jackson County each month; many of these lots will be built out within the next two years. Much of the residential growth has occurred in western Jackson County. This includes the county's first Planned Unit Development, Mulberry Plantation, comprised of 1,550 single-family home lots, a golf course, and a small commercial area on 1,141 acres on Georgia Highway 124 and Gum Springs Church Road. Residential and commercial development is increasing along Highway 124, Highway 332, and Highway 69 as well as Jackson Trail Road, New Liberty Church Road, Gum Springs Church Road, Davenport Road and Ednaville Road. The western municipalities of Braselton and Hoschton are growing rapidly as well. These municipalities have their own water and sewerage supply, allowing greater density to occur. The cities of Commerce and Jefferson also provide their own water and sewerage and have independent public school systems. Both have annexed property into the city limits in recent years in order to expand their population and tax base.

The increase in residential use has been balanced by growth in the industrial sector, which is largely centered along the I-85 corridor and includes the Walnut Creek Industrial Park in Jefferson and sites in Braselton and Commerce. The county has sited two new industrial roads parallel to I-85 and is developing sewerage for this area.

Jackson County is preparing for the future by building, in concert with other counties in the region, Bear Creek Reservoir, a major new water supply reservoir. It has recently purchased a wastewater treatment plant and is expanding sewer and water lines. The goal of the community is to retain traditional values and the natural resource base while accommodating residential, industrial and commercial growth. It desires to assure there is a balance between these sectors so the county does not simply become a bedroom community for Athens-Clarke, Gwinnett and Hall Counties.

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A. Identification of goal. It is the goal of Jackson County and the municipalities of Arcade, Braselton, Commerce, and Jefferson to facilitate the permanent protection of at least 20%, approximately 44,000 acre, or more, of the land base of the county. Priorities for permanent protection include lands that preserve and enhance water quality including floodplains, buffers adjacent to streams and rivers, and wetlands; agricultural land and scenic rural vistas; existing parks and new parks providing passive recreational opportunities including a major new park in the western portion of the county; properties adjacent to existing parks and public areas for expansion purposes; and paths providing pedestrian and bicycle linkages between greenspaces and other public facilities and activity centers (Figure 2).

B. Outline of key methods of protection. Permanent protection will be assured through the recruitment of conservation easements, both donated and purchased, the acquisition of land in fee simple; and the permanent dedication via conservation easement or contractual agreement of existing publicly owned lands. Land acquired in fee simple will be permanently protected via conservation easements or agreements with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources requiring no net loss of comparable greenspace. Zoning restrictions, such as floodplain regulations, agricultural preservation districts, large lot zoning, and incentives for conservation subdivisions, and possibly transferable development rights, will be employed to encourage the use of conservation easements. The zoning restrictions secure the short -term protection of greenspace by limiting development. This provides time for the county and land trust partners to assure permanent protection through the purchase of land in fee simple, the purchase of development rights and the recruitment of conservation easements.

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The 1998 Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Jackson County and its municipalities supports the protection of water resources, farmland and scenic vistas as outlined in the Community Greenspace Plan. The Comprehensive Plan specifically provides for the use of most of the tools, including conservation easements, conservation subdivisions, and transferable and purchasable development rights, that are included in the Ten-Year Implementation Strategy of the Community Greenspace Plan. The Community Greenspace Map and Plan will be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan when it is updated in the year 2002 as will an analysis of the tools that are being used and will be used to achieve the permanent protection of greenspace.

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A. Identification of protected lands. Two tracts of land, the Thompson Mill Arboretum (388 acres) and the W.B.J. Hardman Tract (462 acres) are currently protected via deed restrictions (Attachment C). The University of Georgia owns both tracts. The Thompson Mill Arboretum is managed as the state arboretum and the Hardman Tract is managed for forestry use. The Hardman Tract includes a reversionary clause providing that the property be returned to the Hardman estate in the event the University discontinues management of the tract for forestry research and instructional purposes. Because deed restrictions are not permanent in nature and must be renewed every twenty years to be enforceable under Georgia law, and because the exercise of the reversionary clause will not necessarily result in the permanent protection of the Hardman Tract, the county will ask the University to place a permanent conservation easement on these lands.

B. Identification of unprotected lands for which protection is desired.

1. Currently in public ownership. Eight tracts of publicly owned land, currently used for passive recreational purposes, will be converted to permanent protection status within the next year (Figure 4). These are Jackson County's Hurricane Shoals Park; the Jefferson Water Treatment Plant, the Jefferson Reservoir, Jefferson Memorial Park and Jefferson Gordon Street Park; Willoughby Park and the Daughters of the Confederacy Park in Commerce and Braselton's Town Park It is anticipated that these tracts will be protected via either permanent conservation easements or agreements with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources requiring no net loss of comparable greenspace. Jackson County is currently negotiating the purchase of a thirty-acre park at Sell's Mill, in the western portion of the county. This tract will be protected via a permanent conservation easement or a contractual agreement with the DNR.

2. Priorities for protection. In the next ten years, Jackson County and the municipalities of Arcade, Braselton, Commerce, Hoschton, and Jefferson, will focus on the permanent protection of

• floodplains and buffers adjacent to streams and rivers;
• wetlands;
• agricultural land;
• scenic rural vistas;
• a new park in the western portion of the county;
• properties adjacent to existing parks and public areas;
• paths providing pedestrian and bicycle linkages from greenspaces to other public facilities.
  

1. Floodplains and riparian buffers (Figure 5). The permanent protection of floodplains and vegetated buffers adjacent to rivers and streams is essential to assure a quality water supply, store flood waters, preserve aquatic life, and provide habitat for terrestrial animals.

   We will target as a priority for protection of those streams that feed into parks, natural areas, drinking water reservoirs such as the Bear Creek Reservoir, and those that are currently listed as impaired by the Georgia Department of Natural Resource's Environmental Protection Division.

   It is our goal to obtain voluntary conservation easements providing permanent protection of these riparian areas throughout the county and its municipalities. We anticipate that some of these easements will be purchased and some will be donated. Some will be procured as part of the conservation subdivision approval process. Staff from the Jackson County Department of Planning and Development are currently working with the Georgia Department of Transportation to develop a funding source for the procurement of easements that restore and preserve riparian areas.

   In some cases, we will promote the development of conservation subdivisions to protect these areas as common greenspace and will allow density transfers from these sensitive areas to adjacent uplands. We plan to approach the homeowners' associations of existing subdivisions featuring water bodies, to determine whether it is appropriate and possible to recruit conservation easements on these common areas. In specific situations, the fee simple acquisition of riparian greenspace might be most appropriate to provide public access and passive recreational opportunities.

2. Wetlands (Figure 5). Jackson County is rich in wetlands. Many of these wetlands are concentrated just to the west of the center of the county. These areas provide critical habitat for wildlife and provide other environmental services such as groundwater recharge, flood storage and filtering of contaminants. We desire to protect many of these wetlands through procurement of voluntary conservation easements, and in some cases, fee simple acquisition. We will explore the feasibility of developing a wetlands park and nature center located in the area of high wetlands concentration, for example, as well as preserves in other areas of extensive wetlands such as stretches of the North and Middle Oconee Rivers. A sewer line is being built through the highest area of wetlands concentration so some residential development is inevitable. For this reason, we will promote the development of conservation subdivisions that provide permanent protection of wetland areas within this section of the county. We are currently working with the Georgia Department of Transportation to develop a funding source for the procurement of easements that restore and preserve wetlands.
3. Agricultural lands (Figure 6). Agriculture remains a major economic force in the community. Wayne Poultry, for example, employs more people in the county (1,200) than any other entity. In addition, the public maintains a great affinity for the rural and agricultural character of the community; indeed that rural beauty is what keeps many residents here and has attracted thousands of others. In order to protect this important economic base as well as cultural and natural asset, the county will designate large areas for agricultural district status when petitioned by the citizenry within the area. Figure 6 depicts those areas that the Steering Committee anticipates will petition for district status though farmers in other areas may petition for the creation of an agricultural district as well.

   Permanent protection of these agricultural lands will be assured through voluntary conservation easements. Again, we anticipate that some of these easements will be purchased and some will be donated. The placement of easements on these properties should reduce property tax liability, making farming more affordable in an area where land prices are rising. The estate tax levied on these protected properties should be reduced as well, allowing future generations of a family to keep and farm the land. We will investigate the feasibility of establishing a transferable development rights program to provide further incentives for placing conservation easements on agricultural land. Other components of our agricultural preservation plan include large lot zoning and adoption of a right-to-farm ordinance to help avoid conflicts between farming and residential uses.

4. Scenic rural vistas (Figure 7). The community's uninterrupted rural and scenic vistas are of great importance to the people of Jackson County. Highway 129, 441, Jefferson River Road, Brockton Loop, and I-85, have been designated as scenic corridors. Conservation easements will be recruited along segments of these roads to provide permanent protection of the rural character. The feasibility of adopting a scenic overlay zone for these and other county corridors will be investigated as well using the expertise of the University of Georgia's Environmental Design School to inventory environmental, scenic, cultural and historic resources.
5. New and expanded parks (Figure 8). The county is already raising SPLOST (special purpose local option sales tax) funds in the amount of $1 million to be used to purchase land for a park at Sell's Mill in the western part of the county where residential growth is most rapid. We will investigate the potential for expanding the borders of current park land and preserved areas as well, including Thompson Mill State Arboretum, Sandy Creek Park, and the Hardman Tract.
6. Linkages for public access (Figure 9). The county and participating municipalities will recruit public access easements along some existing corridors (for example, specific river or stream corridors, or sewer lines) to provide recreational opportunities and alternative transpiration routes. The City of Jefferson, for example, will immediately begin pursuing public access easements along its sewer lines to provide walking trails.
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7. Ten Year Strategy to Achieve County's Goal

A. Local land-use ordinances, policies, and regulations.

1. Current laws and policies. A number of policies and laws currently in place in Jackson County are complementary to the preservation of greenspace:

• Agricultural zoning. Jackson County, Commerce and Jefferson currently have agricultural zoning in place, which is being used to keep farmland in large lots. This zoning provides a sound basis for the development of agricultural preserve districts which could be designated as sending areas in a transferable development rights program.
• Planning flexibility. The Jackson County Planning and Development staff has a policy of working flexibly with developers to preserve greenspace. An example is the site approval of Cane Creek Conservation Subdivision, which, if built, will result in the permanent protection of over 340 acres of farmland and creek frontage and the development of 200 units in a village design along a scenic corridor in the southeastern portion of the county.
• Floodplain regulation. The City of Jefferson prohibits the construction of habitable structures on floodplains, preserving that critical environmental feature until permanent conservation easements are secured; Jackson County and the other municipalities within the county will extend similar protection to floodplains.
• Provision of Sewerage. Jackson County has recently purchased a sewage treatment plant and is now providing sewerage services to its citizens. This will enable it to better manage growth since one of the most effective tools for protecting greenspace is keeping infrastructure out of sensitive natural areas and providing adequate infrastructure in areas that are more suitable for development. Another opportunity associated with this sewer expansion policy is the ability of the county to site pedestrian trails along new sewer easements.
• Road Construction. Several new roads, including the Jefferson and Pendergrass Bypasses, are under construction. This provides an opportunity for the county and cities to permanently protect scenic corridors via conservation easements before development occurs and to provide alternate transportation facilities such as bicycle lanes and paths along these corridors.

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2. Additional Tools That Will Be Used.

• Conservation easements. A tool that is not currently being used to permanently preserve greenspace in Jackson County but that soon will be used is the conservation easement. Conservation easements are agreements whereby a property owner voluntarily agrees to give up certain development rights in order to preserve greenspace or otherwise protect the conservation values of his property. Many Jackson County citizens have enrolled their property in 10-year easements under the Conservation Use Act (85,811 acres or 39% of the land base) but none have taken advantage of the income and estate tax savings that result from placing this land in a permanent conservation easement. The conservation easement is enforceable by the easement holder which can be a private nonprofit tax-exempt organization called a land trust or by a government entity, or both. Because there are at least four land trusts-- the Oconee Rivers Land Trust, the Athens Land Trust, the Broad River Watershed Association and Ducks Unlimited-- active in the region, there is no reason for the county to establish a land trust. The most cost-efficient use of county funds is assigning a staff member of the Jackson County Planning and Development Department the task of working with these land trusts to recruit conservation easements in areas identified in the Community Greenspace plan. This will include a campaign to educate landowners and professionals who advise these landowners, such as attorneys, accountants, and tax appraisers, about the potential for using conservation easements to permanently protect greenspace and the existence of land trusts to hold the easements. Easements recruited by the county will be enforceable by the county as well as the recipient land trust.
• Purchase of development rights. In those situations where a landowner is unwilling to donate a conservation easement, it might be appropriate for the county or another entity to purchase the easement, also know as a development right, on a critical tract of greenspace instead.
• Transferable development rights. Under a Transferable Development Rights (TDR) program, a local government designates an area or areas it wants to preserve as "sending" areas. This might be prime agricultural land, or a critical groundwater recharge zone. These areas may subsequently be zoned at about one unit per twenty to twenty-five acres. The government then designates area/s where it wants to grow more intensely due to existing or planned infrastructure; these are called "receiving" areas. The TDR program allows the landowner in a sending area to sell his development rights for use in the receiving area, then to place a permanent conservation easement on his sending property. The cost of greenspace protection is therefore borne by new development rather than by the local government or the sending landowner. TDR programs must be carefully crafted in order to be successful; there needs to be a balance between receiving and sending areas to assure a brisk market. In addition, the local government must develop a system for allocating development rights in the sending area and determining what level of density the receiving area can accommodate. As described below, state legislation currently makes the use of TDRs unwieldy. In the event the legislature eliminates this roadblock, Jackson County will establish a task force to investigate the feasibility of adopting a TDR program to preserve agricultural land.
• Conservation subdivisions. Jackson County recognizes the benefits of conservation subdivisions, which feature significant areas of preserved greenspace with homes developed away from sensitive resources. This greenspace can be used by homeowners for recreational purposes, it can serve as wildlife habitat, and if located adjacent to water bodies, it can protect water quality by providing natural stormwater storage and filtering pollutants. Experience in the metropolitan Atlanta area shows that these lots often sell at higher prices than conventional lots. In many cases, infrastructure development and maintenance costs are decreased as a result of clustering as well. The development of conservation subdivisions featuring interlinking greenspaces would help the county achieve its greenspace goal.

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B. Barriers to Achieving Greenspace Goal and Strategies for Removing Them. A number of barriers to the preservation of greenspace exist in Jackson County and its municipalities but these can be overcome with a comprehensive and concerted intergovernmental strategy.

For example, neither the county nor any of its jurisdictions currently allow the development of conservation subdivisions, which provide for the permanent protection of a significant amount of greenspace and clustering of homes away from this greenspace, as a permitted right. A developer who desires to build such a subdivision must currently go through the planned unit development process, which involves much time and expense.

Strategy: In January 2001 the Jackson County Planning and Development Department will begin developing a conservation subdivision addendum to its zoning ordinance to provide incentives for conservation subdivision developers. This will be shared with the municipalities as well. We will develop a brochure describing the community greenspace program and the concept of conservation subdivisions to make available to developers.

An associated barrier is the lack of a policy in the county and its municipalities for the approval of alternative on-site sewer systems for conservation subdivisions.

Strategy: Athens-Clarke County is currently developing such a policy; Jackson County staff will review this proposal for application in Jackson County by mid-2002 and will develop another strategy if this one is not appropriate.

Similarly, the requirements regarding street and pavement widths in Jackson County's subdivision ordinance are overly generous and make it harder to cluster development away from greenspace.

Strategy: In the spring of 2001, the county will initiate discussions with emergency response and traffic staff to develop reduced street and pavement widths that are safe, aesthetically pleasing, and allow clustering. They will look at Commerce, which has recently narrowed street width from 24 to 20 feet as a model.

There are several barriers to the use of conservation easements, the linchpin of our greenspace protection strategy. The first barrier is the lack of public knowledge about the financial incentives for placing land in conservation easements. The second is the lack of qualified professionals to advise landowners on the various issues associated with placing their land in conservation easements.

Strategy: We will work with local land trusts to develop an educational campaign to address these first two issues.

The third barrier is that local tax assessors are uninformed regarding how to treat conservation easements for property tax purposes.

Strategy: We will hold a workshop in the fall of 2001 for assessors in northeast Georgia on how to assess conservation easements and will apply for funding from the National Land Trust Alliance to cover workshop costs.

The fourth is incomplete incentives for landowners who place their land in conservation easements; Georgians should receive state in come tax credits as well as deductions, as do easement donors in many states.

Strategy: We will ask our local delegation to the 2001 General Assembly to introduce legislation like that of North Carolina's which allows income tax credits for individuals and corporations that donate easements.

The fifth barrier is the lack of a statewide entity to hold conservation easements; we feel that if the greenspace program is to be successful, the state must centralize the holding of conservation easements. Local governments and local land trusts are in an excellent position to recruit easements based on local priorities and to monitor them given their proximity but long term stewardship and enforcement should ultimately be the responsibility of the state.

Strategy: We will ask our local delegation to sponsor legislation creating a statewide land trust which holds easements, and which provides technical and legal assistance to local governments, local land trusts, and land owners.

A tool that we are particularly interested in using to protect agricultural land is transferable development rights. A barrier to the use of TDR's is the state enabling legislation which requires a deliberation by the local government prior to the transfer of each individual development right. The law requires hearings prior to establishing both sending and receiving areas so a deliberation prior to the transfer of each right is both unnecessary and unwieldy and overly burdensome.

Strategy: We will ask our local delegation to the 2001 General Assembly to sponsor legislation eliminating this requirement.

Another barrier is the lack of monitoring and evaluation of the community greenspace program at the state level. The State must track the program, and monitor, analyze, and publicize the changes in terms of pollution reduction and economic consequences in order to ensure its longevity.

Strategy: We will ask our local delegation to sponsor legislation providing funding to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the University System to monitor and analyze the program's effectiveness and to maintain a central GIS database of all lands protected.

We are also concerned that this initiative will not reach its full potential unless regional planning and coordination of greenspace occurs.

Strategy: We will ask our local delegation to sponsor legislation providing additional incentives for greenspace regionalization.

Finally, we regret that community greenspace funds cannot be used for planning purposes. It is often the funding for staff time to plan and realize greenspace goals that is hardest to generate.

Strategy: We will ask our local delegation to sponsor legislation allowing community greenspace funds to be used for greenspace planning purposes.

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At least initially, staff time for ongoing planning and implementation of the Community Greenspace Program will be funded through the general budget. We plan to submit a grant for funding under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act for development of a conservation easement recruitment program focused on streams that are not meeting their designated uses under the Georgia Water Quality Control Act. In the event that state enabling legislation is amended, we will submit a grant to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to fund a study of the economic feasibility of TDRs in Jackson County and a determination of appropriate sending and receiving zones. We will investigate the possibility of securing grants from the Georgia Forestry Commission to fund staff time spent on specific innovative greenspace activities as well.

We are currently using special purpose local option sales tax monies for the purchase of park land in fee simple. Future SPLOST funds may be dedicated to the purchase of development rights to protect greenspace and we will investigate the possibility of using general obligation, other bonding mechanisms, and the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Legacy monies to fund a PDR program. We are already working with DOT to secure funding for the restoration and permanent protection of stream corridors and wetlands pursuant to mitigation requirements under the Clean Water Act. We will investigate the feasibility of developing an impact fee and/or stormwater utility program to fund greenspace acquisition and maintenance. We will pursue public/private partnerships with land trusts, corporations, homeowner groups and others to manage greenspace properties.

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Certified copies of resolutions authorizing the establishment of a Community Greenspace Trust Fund for Jackson County and the municipalities of Arcade, Braselton, Commerce, and Jefferson are included as Appendix D.

Community Greenspace Funds will be allocated to the participating municipalities based on population as follows:

Municipalities located wholly or in part within Jackson County which elected not to participate in this program are Hoschton, Maysville, Nicholson, Pendergrass, and Talmo (Figure 10). Letters from the City Councils of Maysville and Hoschton are included as Appendix E. We did not receive letters from the other municipalities due to vacancies on their councils; in those cases we have attached Jackson's correspondence to them.

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Table of Figures

	Figure1. Jackson County Participating Municipalities
	Figure 2. Jackson County Greenspace Plan
	Figure 3. Jackson County Existing and Permanently Protected
	Fig. 4 Jackson County Publicly Owned Land to be Permanently Protected
	Fig. 5 Jackson County Water Quality
	Fig. 6 Jackson County Agricultural Areas
	Fig. 7 Jackson County Scenic Corridors
	Fig. 8 Jackson County New and Expanded Parks
	Fig. 9 Jackson County Connectivity
	Fig. 10 Jackson County Non-Participating Municipalities

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