Much has been said about the “prime preserved farmland” that was incorporated into the CDI overlay. The truth is, not 1 acre of the +/- 850 acres of agriculturally zoned land that was included in the CDI was in Ag Preservation. They were, however, included in the Carrollton Manor Priority Preservation Area (PPA) program, with a portion also in the Rural Legacy (RL) Program.

So what’s the difference, you might ask? Well, thank you for asking—allow me to explain.

Frederick County has nearly 80,000 acres under permanent Agricultural Easements, mostly through the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) or the County’s Installment Purchase Preservation (IPP) program. These are voluntarily entered into and are easements in perpetuity.

Frederick County has an agricultural preservation goal of 160,000 acres.

What are PPA’s

Established in 2010 and later expanded in 2018 as part of the County Comprehensive Plan to enhance agricultural land preservation efforts—and to make the County eligible for increased state funding from MALPF—the County established five Priority Preservation Areas (PPAs).

PPAs are not easements.

When they were established, they were done without the consent of the property owners and were intended to be based on soil quality, the critical mass of farmland, and (most importantly, from my perspective) the exclusion of future urban infrastructure or development.

They were not intended to be growth-controlling or growth-blocking designations.

In other words, they were not meant to be in the path of growth or near areas where roads are planned or other development is likely.

What PPAs Are Actually Meant to Do

Rather, they are intended to incentivize property owners whose properties fall within PPAs by giving them a higher ranking when competing for voluntary preservation easement programs.

As part of the County’s comprehensive zoning updates (which are supposed to occur every 6–8 years), the County may add or remove property owners who do not wish to be part of the PPAs.

Again, they are not easements. They are a planning and preservation enhancement tool designed to encourage willing (active farming) property owners to pursue participation in one of the Agricultural Preservation Easement Programs.

Where the Conflict Arises

From my perspective, the PPAs that were placed within or around community growth areas created a conflict for the County from a growth and infrastructure standpoint.

Case in point: the “farmland” around Eastalco that was placed into the PPAs. These properties are owned by non-farmers, with one exception, and every one of the property owners has no interest in pursuing any of the voluntary Agricultural Preservation programs.

Yes, they do contain “prime farmland soils,” but so do all the farms from Buckeystown to Point of Rocks that are not within PPAs—and are far more likely to be candidates for easement programs.

Are they “farms”? Technically, yes—crop farms that have been rented out to local farmers.

Frederick County PPA Breakdown

Five different areas of the County were identified for PPAs:

  • Eastern County PPA: 45,956 acres
  • Walkersville PPA: 14,142 acres (later reduced due to a large industrial-scale solar complex off Dublin Road and the removal of the majority of the Glade Valley Farm along Route 26)
  • Northern County (Mid-Maryland) PPA: 17,460 acres
  • Middletown Valley PPA: 5,710 acres
  • Carrollton Manor PPA: 15,770 acres

Total PPAs: 99,038 acres.

The Bigger Picture

The County is required to maintain 80% of its preservation goal within PPAs, presumably to remain eligible for increased MALPF funding.

Therefore, the County is currently designating approximately 30,000 more acres than required for this eligibility.