PDR Coming Up PDQ

GRAND RAPIDSKentCounty commissioners are likely to ratify the selection criteria and application cycle for the 2007 Purchase of Development Rights program on Thursday.

No changes from last year’s criteria are expected. Interested farmers and growers will have from March 1 until April 30 to get their applications to the county’s Agricultural Preservation Board to be considered for the program.

The county will forward the local applications that qualify to the state in October and to the federal program next March. Kent uses state and federal funds, along with money from area foundations, to buy the development rights from property owners, as no county monies are used in the transactions.

Properties that are purchased by the PDR program can’t be commercially developed.