Planning Department

Open Space and Agricultural Preservation Program (OSAP)

OSAP SUMMARY

In February 2003, City Council created the Open Space and Agriculture Preservation (OSAP) Program in response to the community’s concern for the preservation of the City’s natural open spaces, rural character, and agricultural resources as an element of the City's overall growth management strategy.

The program is a strictly voluntary, city-wide competitive program in which the City purchases development rights from willing landowners in exchange for a preservation easement on their property. The landowner receives fair market value for the development rights of the land, but still retains ownership as well as the ability to have a home on the land and to use the land for agricultural or open space purposes.

In January 2007, the first easement was purchased under this program resulting in the permanent protection of 108 acres of prime agricultural land. The City recently received funding from the State that allows us to open up a second application round for this program. While the current available funding is limited, the City is continually exploring other funding sources and opportunities to work with landowners to protect land in the City. The deadline for application submittal is 5:00 PM Monday, June 8, 2009.

Downloads

All documents provided in Acrobat PDF format.

• OSAP Application
• OSAP Ordinance
• OSAP Reports
  • February 2003 Report to City Council
  • November 2007 Report to City Council