City Council Agenda and Packet 2017 03 14 SP

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DRAFT 2017 Open Space Advisory Board Highest Priority Property Acquisition Recommendations January 31, 2017 DRAFT Context: It is important to preserve open space in order to provide a multitude of public and ecosystem benefits including natural habitat, water, wildlife, appropriate recreation, trail connections, economic prosperity, and wildfire protection. The availability of the finite, and increasing rare, resource of open or undeveloped land appropriate for open space acquisition continues to dramatically decrease every year as our urban and suburban areas continue to expand around us, commercial development increases, and people continue to move to Louisville, surrounding towns, and rural areas. These forces result in conversion, fragmentation and parcelization of land. Conversion is typically the permanent replacement of habitat, native species, and open space with buildings, houses, lawns, roads and parking lots. Fragmentation results when new commercial and housing developments disturb a larger area of land than just the footprint of the new structures. These changes affect the quality of wildlife habitat and encourage the spread of invasive species. Many species require contiguous blocks of habitat to survive and critical winter habitat. Parcelization happens when land is subdivided, properties become smaller in size and the number of property owners grows. Smaller parcels can be more difficult to manage for habitat health, protection of bio -diversity, wildfire prevention, water, and wildlife. Subdivision of land can also lead to small parcels that can cut off trail access, passive recreation opportunities, and reduces the amount of available open space land. Water flows across the terrain to find its own level regardless of ownership, planning or zoning. Wildlife migrates and needs healthy, sustainable, protected environments to maintain populations and diversity. Conserving open space is not a private land or a public land issue. It cannot be delayed or deferred indefinitely. It is one of our greatest common challenges to be addressed now, today, at our local and regional levels with our partners for the immediate and future benefit of our ecosystems and citizens. To this end, we must use all the acquisition tools and partnerships available to us including purchase in fee simple, right of first refusal and option agreements, real estate agent retainers, conservation and trail easements, bargain sales and open space/trail dedications. Introduction to the Property Acquisition Priority Recommendations: Following are the 2017 City of Louisville Open Space Advisory Board acquisition recommendations based on our review of the properties, rating of properties based on our resource and strategic community values matrix, potential for partnerships and increasing pressure from development, human population growth and impacts and the continued support of Louisville voters to fund and take action on acquiring open space property for the benefit of our community and environment. We recommend that the City Council and staff work proactively to establish relationships with property owners, to explore and create acquisition opportunities over time, develop and manage funding