County to buy 20 Reams Road acres for conservation

Environmentalists are celebrating a win for conservation following the county’s approval of the purchase of more than 20 acres in Horizon West at an Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, July 25. 

At the meeting, the commission approved Orange County’s Green PLACE’s request to purchase 20.845 acres of land along Reams Road for $2.7 million.

The property is directly adjacent to a stretch of Reams Road that was closed for several weeks due to flooding after Hurricane Ian. 

County officials said the land was selected for water resource protection, as well as the enhancement and protection of an existing wildlife corridor.

Beth Jackson, environmental program supervisor of natural resource management for the county, said a healthy, natural environment, including air, water and other natural resources such as forests, wetlands and groundwater, are essential to a community’s overall well-being.

“The Green PLACE program provides benefits to Orange County residents, flora and fauna communities, and the region’s economy,” Jackson said. “Fourteen Green PLACE natural areas are open to the public for nature-based recreation and provide a much-needed respite from the stresses of daily urban life. Additionally, these areas help preserve habitat for plant and wildlife species and help preserve water resources. Finally, there are increased opportunities for ecotourism, reduction in some infrastructure costs, and can even act as amenities to help the region attract new employers.”

PROPERTY PRESERVATION
Jackson said the parcel located along Reams Road was brought to the attention of county environmental officials by District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson. 

The property was evaluated according to the county’s established criteria and identified as having a significant potential to support wildlife and enhance an existing wildlife corridor. 

“The conservation of wetlands — like these under Green PLACE — is a win-win scenario,” Wilson said. “Following last year’s hurricanes, the Reams Road area was impacted by flooding for weeks. There are significant road improvements coming to help prevent this on both Reams and Ficquette, but a root cause of the flooding is the overdevelopment of environmentally sensitive areas. Wetlands are incredibly effective at mitigating floods — not to mention the shelter they provide for many species that are finding themselves increasingly boxed in. I’m excited that this property and its inhabitants will be undisturbed for years to come.”

The road improvement projects are currently in the process of acquiring right of way. The project is set to be completed between 2027 and 2029.

Horizon West resident Don Kendzior, a naturalist and president of Noah’s Notes, a nonprofit environmental organization, has worked to preserve the wildlife corridor in the area. He also sits on the Green PLACE board. 

“As development destroys more and more of our natural environment, it is important for the county to preserve parcels like this to ensure quality of life for residents through the provision of green space, flood mitigation, and preservation of biodiverse habitat and wildlife corridors,” he said. “The acquisition of this parcel within the Green PLACE repository will give the community much-needed green space and preserve wetlands critical for mitigating flood potential, as well as saving our native flora and fauna.”

Although the purchase was approved, the parcel currently is in the acquisition process, and the transaction has not been completed.

Jackson said the first steps toward approval of the acquisition include an appraisal; agreement on a purchase contract between the current property owners and the county; due diligence including an environmental assessment, surveys and title research; and final closing and transaction. 

“Once the property legally changes hands, Orange County staff can propose a change in its designated future land use to preservation,” she said. “This change will need to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners before being recorded on the county’s Future Land Use Map. Finally, Orange County’s Environmental Protection Division will start managing the land, including the removal of invasive species and enhancements to existing habitats.”

If approved, the property will add to existing privately owned areas that were set aside for conservation in the western part of the county. 

The county is hoping to close on the property by the end of the year.

Jackson said Green PLACE’s goal is to continue to look for opportunities to preserve environmentally sensitive lands throughout Orange County. 

Those who own property or are aware of a property that is listed, or may become listed, for sale can reach out to the Green PLACE program at [email protected].

WHAT IS GREEN PLACE?
Orange County created the Green PLACE — Park Land Acquisition for Conservation and Environmental Protection — program to acquire and protect environmentally sensitive lands in the 1990s. By 2009, the county had acquired more than 23,000 acres of land through purchase, donation or partnership. Although the program was unfunded for many years, in 2021, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a goal of acquiring an additional 23,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land before the year 2030, with a budget of $100 million. The funding has enabled county staff to begin evaluating more than 1,000 parcels for potential acquisition. The total land area currently designated for conservation in Orange County by private owners, as well as local and state governments, is 101,240 acres, including the properties protected under the program.