Item:
Title
Approve Durham County’s Support for and Participation in Triangle Land Conservancy’s Purchase and Protection of 145 acres of Farmland at 4209 and 4310 Hall Road, Including a $750,000 County contribution, and the Conveyance of a Conservation Easement to Durham County for Permanent Land Protection
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: June 8, 2026
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve Durham County’s support for and participation in Triangle Land Conservancy’s purchase and protection of 145 acres of farmland at 4209 and 4310 Hall Road, including a $750,000 County contribution, and the conveyance of a conservation easement to Durham County for permanent land protection.
TLC is under contract and has preliminary funding from the Army National Guard and the City of Raleigh’s Watershed Protection Program to purchase and protect 145 acres of farmland currently for sale on Hall Road in northeastern Durham County. The County’s $750,000 contribution represents 33% of the total $2.285 million cost of purchasing and protecting this land and allows TLC to leverage local and federal funding partners to make the purchase. These County funds are currently available in the Open Space & Farmland Protection Capital Project (4730DC083), and closer to closing we will return to the Board with a budget amendment to transfer these funds from the capital account to operating, allowing the County to encumber them in the fiscal year of closing.
County funds will support TLC’s purchase, cover surveying costs, and secure a conservation easement to be held by Durham County to ensure permanent protection of the property. The farmland contains state- and nationally significant agricultural soils, and its protection will allow TLC to sell the County-protected land to farmers, supporting continued agricultural use in northern Durham County. When the protected land is conveyed to a third party, Durham County and TLC will co-hold the conservation easement, with Durham County retaining enforcement rights.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: The acquisition and protection of land for permanent open space and farmland aligns with Strategic Plan Goal 4: Environment - Protect natural resources and support and promote community and economic viability, through the Natural Resource Stewardship and Protection Objective to protect and steward natural resources.
Resource Persons: Celeste Burns, Open Space and Real Estate Manager, Peri Manns, Deputy Director of Engineering and Environmental Services; Jay Gibson, Director of Engineering and Environmental Services; Margaret Sands, Associate Director of Land Protection West, Triangle Land Conservancy
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve Durham County’s support for and participation in Triangle Land Conservancy’s purchase and protection of 145 acres of farmland at 4209 and 4310 Hall Road, including a $750,000 County contribution, and the conveyance of a conservation easement to Durham County for permanent land protection.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________