Eight landowners have filed Notices of Intent (NOI) to Summit County’s Open Space Advisory Council (OSAC) for approval. Five are from the county’s north side, two are from the south and one application is from the western portion of the county.
KPCW spoke with Janna Young, interim Summit County manager. She said the parcels those owners are seeking to conserve range in size from nine acres to several hundred.
Two landowners are offering to donate the full value of the conservation easements and will not be requesting any bond funds from the county.
Young said the county is seeking more landowners to apply for the bond money.
Applicants can submit a notice of intent online here.
She said that the bond money is for conservation and not tax offsets and that water and river frontage conservation is a huge plus when OSAC evaluates applications.
Last year, Summit County voters approved a $50 million general obligation bond for open space. Over the last year, the Summit County Council has been in the process of shoring up how to recommend and review properties and make recommendations for usage of the funds.
