Calif. county can make builders protect farmland

California courts have upheld a law requiring large-scale residential builders to protect an acre of farmland for every one they develop in Staniuslaus County, which has a $1 billion agricultural economy, reports Bettina Boxall for the Los Angeles Times. (Wikipedia map)

The county ordinance, which was put on hold by a lawsuit filed by the Building Industry Association of Central California, gives developers of fewer than 20 acres the option of paying a mitigation fee or buying mitigation credits. But the county wants builders using more land to acquire farmland conservation easements for an equivalent amount of land.

Attorney Matthew Zinn, who represented the county, said "The Court of Appeal recognized the county's right to protect farmland as part of its well-established authority to regulate land use." Attorney Dave Lanferman, who represented the builders, responded, "Basically the county has set itself up as a land broker and set the price." (Read more)