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Preserving a Legacy

For three hundred years, residents of Buckingham Township have prided themselves on the beauty of its landscape. Its boundaries encompass the wooded slopes of Buckingham Mountain; the headwaters of several important streams; crossroads villages; and farms of such fertility that Buckingham was called the "Empire Township".

For the past thirty years, the character of Buckingham's landscape has been the focus of two groups with opposite agendas-developers eager to turn farmland into houses and residents determined to preserve the township's rural legacy. Pressures for development and strategies for preservation continue to be of compelling concern to the township.

In 1989, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established a farm preservation program with funds contributed by the state and participating county governments. The first two Bucks County farms protected were those of Buckingham farmers Leonard Crooke and Charles and Wilmer Frederick. As the new millennium begins, one out of every three farms now protected through the Bucks County program is a Buckingham farm.

Buckingham is using the proceeds of a $9.5 million bond approved by referendum in 1999 to extend its own land preservation program. There are other means of protecting land in the township as well. Please continue reading to discover the many ways land can be preserved in Buckingham.

Land Preserved in Buckingham Township

Almost 3,620 acres of land have been permanently preserved in Buckingham Township. Of the 3,620 acres preserved, 760 acres have been protected through gifts of land or easements; 611 acres through county purchase of easements; 1,363 acres through township or township/county purchase of easements; and 422 acres through the Transfer of Development Rights Program. In addition, Buckingham has 364 acres in spray fields and parks and more than 100 acres set aside in developments as permanent open space.

The properties preserved have several characteristics in common:

The principal focus of the preservation program is on productive farmland, but it also encompasses properties valued for their historic or scenic character or strategic location.

The acreage preserved through the sale or donation of easements continues to contribute to the food supply and the farm economy; remains on the tax rolls; provides a multitude of environmental benefits; and is maintained at no cost to the community.

Every landowner still owns his or her land. Preservation has been accomplished through the purchase or donation of a conservation easement. A conservation easement, once purchased or given, is held by the county or the township and "runs with the land." That means that owners can continue to farm the land, pass it on to their children or sell it, but no owner, now or in the future, can develop it.

Every landowner involved eagerly sought to have his or her land preserved-the landowner must be committed to preservation.

Landowners can obtain tax benefits from donating or selling a conservation easement, partial donations and like-kind exchanges. In a like-kind exchange, a farmer can trade development rights on one property for another property that has no development rights and realize tax advantages while expanding his land holdings.

Advantages to the Community

We recognize that land preservation is a costly undertaking, but we believe that it is far less costly than unbridled development.

By protecting Buckingham's scenic and historic resources, land preservation enhances the value of all township properties.

Land preservation conserves the township's waters, woodlands and other natural resources.

Land preservation supports a robust farm economy which contributes to the quality of life in the township from farm-fresh foods to a favorable tax flow.

Land preservation saves the unending, ever-expanding cost of schools and other services which the development of protected farms would have required. If you are interested in learning more about preserving your property, the township will be happy to give you additional information without obligating you to take any action.

While the township's primary goal is the preservation of farmland, the program for preservation is not limited to agriculture. Site assessment factors provide for the selection of a property based on its historic or scenic value, natural resources, or location relative to properties already protected, or to areas such as villages which we wish to protect.

Every property is different, and every landowner has different needs. The township works, within the parameters of the funds available, to find a suitable match between preservation approaches and individual needs. Whether or not a conservation easement is placed on a property remains under the control of the landowner who may withdraw from the process or continue it until a final agreement is reached.

Land Preservation Options

Bucks County Agricultural Land Preservation Program--Supported jointly by the state and county, the program has been in operation since 1989. To be eligible for consideration, farms must be at least 50 acres in size, actively farmed and enrolled in an Agricultural Security Area. Farms are prioritized for inclusion in the program based on many factors. Among the most important factors are the productivity of a farm and the prospects for its continued successful operation.

County-Township Cooperative Purchase-- Buckingham cooperates with the Bucks County Agricultural Land preservation program to preserve township farms that would be difficult or impossible to save by either agency working alone.

Buckingham Township Program--Buckingham purchases conservation easements on properties that do not meet the criteria of the county program or require immediate action. Donations -Buckingham is able to accept donations of conservation easements. The township holds and safeguards the easements in the same way that the county does. Donors may take a tax deduction just as they would if they were dealing with a non-profit organization.

Transfer of Development Rights--Owners of properties of 25 acres or more may apply to the township for transferable development rights (TDR's). They may then permanently preserve their property by selling their development rights to someone who will use them to increase density (at a specified limit) elsewhere in the township. Unlike the other options, the TDR program allows new building to occur, but it has already saved large areas of farmland which would have cost the township $1 million to protect. It's another tool in our tool chest--a state-sanctioned means of getting developer dollars to pay for farmland preservation.

Advantages to Land Preservation Participants

The community-wide benefits of land preservation are important, but the advantages of the program to farmers and other landowners are what makes the preservation program work so well. Land preservation options are designed to meet landowner needs and township capabilities. Landowners receive substantial compensation for giving up the right to develop their land, but retain ownership of the land.

Landowners who are farming can continue to farm and pass their land on to future generations.

Why it's So Important

Buckingham Township covers 21,000 acres; of these, 8000 acres remain in agricultural use.

By saving township farms, we have saved a significant portion of the special character and three hundred year old history of Buckingham.

We have also saved woodlands, meadows, wetlands, wildlife, open land for groundwater recharge and new costs to Central Bucks taxpayers of more than $6,000,000 a year.

1200 New Homes = a $6 Million Shortfall

No one takes a $9.5 million dollar bond issue lightly, but the yearly dollar amounts we pay for development are higher and the ultimate, irreversible costs far greater:

If 3,400 of the acres we have preserved were available for development, they would yield at least 1,200 homes. Multiply 1,200 homes by the 1.1 children each household contributes to our schools = 1,320 new school children. The yearly cost to educate one Central Bucks child is $8,394. $8,394 x1,320 children = $11,080,080

That $11 million bill is NOT covered by the school taxes which new households pay. There is a shortfall of over $5,000 between the average school tax bill and the cost of educating one child. Multiply $5,000 x1,200 new homes = a $6 million annual shortfall. To make up the difference, all of us pay a bigger school tax bill.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Land preservation is the only effective means of limiting sprawl and exploding School costs. It helps us retain an important, productive farm industry. It protects the history, beauty and sense of place which are unique to the township . By protecting Buckingham, we are protecting the quality of our lives and the value of our homes.

Land Preservation - What We've Accomplished

In 1991, the Bucks County Agricultural Land Preservation Program was launched with 80 percent funding from the state and the balance contributed by the county. The first farms preserved under the program were those of Buckingham farmers Leonard Crooke and Wilmer and Charles Frederick. Between 1991 and 1995, the county preserved seven Buckingham farms totaling almost 550 acres. Since that time, two more farms have been preserved by the county, bringing the total to almost 611 acres.

In 1995, Buckingham voters approved a township program for farmland preservation funded by a $4 million bond. We have been able to leverage a substantial part of these funds by partnering with the Bucks County Agricultural Land Preservation Program. Through this partnership (the first of its kind in the state), the county and township have shared the cost of easements on six more Buckingham farms totaling 603 acres.

A number of Buckingham properties worthy of preservation were not eligible for the county program. Acting alone, the township has purchased easements on eighteen properties totaling 760 acres.

Through a township program for the transfer of development rights (TDRs), another 422 acres have been preserved at no cost to taxpayers.

Several conservation-minded Buckingham property owners have generously donated land to conservancies and the Township. Adele Warden Paxson donated over 300 acres of her farms in Buckingham and Solebury to the Heritage Conservancy. Her neighbors, the Ettingers, had previously donated an easement to the township on 30 acres adjacent to the Paxson farm in Lahaska. In the year 2000, the Stroups of Lower Mountain Road donated an easement to Heritage Conservancy on 21 acres and Sherri Jamison donated the gift of an easement on 29 acres along Street Road to Buckingham Township. These privately protected farms, for which we owe a debt of gratitude, total almost 382 acres.

In addition to these lands primarily preserved for their agricultural, historic and scenic values, the township has required developers to set aside 100 acres of open space within developments. It has purchased and developed 114 acres of parkland and 250 acres of wastewater spray fields which are also being used to grow field corn, sunflowers and soybeans.

In Summary

The land in Buckingham Township which has now been preserved from development through the actions of the county, township and private citizens totals approximately 3,620 acres, an area of about five square miles.