Loading...
Northampton LAND ApplicationAttachment A: Application Form Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) Grant Program APPLICATION FORM – FY 2020 Please print double-sided 1. APPLICANT INFORMATION Project name: _________________________________________________________________ Municipality: ____________ Municipal project manager : This is the person who will be the day-to-day contact for the project and who will represent the municipality in communication with DCS. Attach authorization from the Chief Executive Officer identifying the individual named below. Name: _________________________________________________________________ Affiliation with Municipality: ___________________________________________________ Address at City or Town Hall: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Phone Number: ___________________________________________________ Fax Number: ___________________________________________________ E-mail address: ___________________________________________________ 2. PROJECT DETAILS Municipality: Population 2010: Population 2000: Seasonal population (including student population): source of data: Describe seasonal population: Housing Choice Initiative Has your community been designed as a Housing Choice Community? For more information please visit https://www.mass.gov/housingchoice. Yes  No Property: (Provide this information directly from the appraisal report) Acres: ___________ Number of parcels: ____________ Upland Acreage: _________ Building Lots: _____________ Interest municipality will acquire: Fee  Conservation Restriction (CR)  Both fee and CR If both, describe: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Parcel information: County: ______________________________ Watershed: ____________________________ Assessor’s map/lot number: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Current owner(s)________________________________________________________ Access: Does property have frontage on a street?  Yes  No If yes, list street(s): _________________________________________________________________ If no, describe how the public can access the property through adjacent landholdings. Grant funds are used to purchase land for conservation and public passive recreational use. Properties that do not have suitable public access will not be funded. Zoning: Past use(s): Present use(s): Proposed use(s): Are there buildings or structures on the property?  Yes  No If yes, list each and indicate current and planned use. The LAND Grant Program is intended to preserve undeveloped land, not to purchase buildings. Buildings are ineligible for funding. Any buildings proposed to be kept must serve a legitimate conservation, outdoor education, or public passive recreational use. Will this project involve the removal of structures?  Yes  No 3. ACQUISITION AND FUNDING DETAILS Appraisal Report #1 Appraisal Report #2 (if needed) Valuation: $ Valuation: $ Appraiser : Appraiser : Valuation Date: Valuation Date: Acquisition details: Negotiated Sale:  Yes  No Do you have a Purchase & Sales Agreement or Agreed Price?  Yes  No If yes, amount: $ __________ Is Clear Title available?*  Yes  No If no, is an eminent domain taking anticipated?  Yes  No If yes, proposed pro tanto award amount: $ __________ *If clear title is not available, the applicant may decide to acquire the property by a friendly taking (eminent domain) process to clear the title. It is best to know if there is a potential title problem as soon as possible since this can complicate the acquisition process. Land lacking clear title will not be reimbursed. Can this project be completed next Fiscal Year, FY 2021? (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021)  Yes, if necessary  Yes, FY 21 Preferred  No Funding request: Recipients of LAND grant funding are reimbursed after they have expended the total project cost and submitted proof of payment. Only costs incurred during a grant recipient’s contract period will be reimbursed. The reimbursement rate is 52-70%, based upon a municipality’s Equalized Valuation Per Capita. See the DCS website for a list of rates. See section 2E in BID for eligible expenditures. List your anticipated expenditures and requested grant amount below. Reimbursement rate: Item Amount Grant request amount Property acquisition* $ $ Recording fees $ $ Title certification $ $ Survey $ $ Total $ $ *Grant award amount is based upon the appraised value or agreed upon purchase price, whichever is less. Will funds from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) be used?  Yes  No Will funds from the Cape Cod Land Bank be used?  Yes  No Use of CPA or Land Bank funds require the conveyance of a permanent Conservation Restriction (CR), within the meaning of Ch. 184, to an eligible non-profit organization. Have you identified an organization willing to hold the CR?  Yes  No Name of organization: _______________________________________________________ Are you using or seeking funds from other sources or partners? Please list: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 4. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Describe in an attachment, not to exceed two pages, the following: - Description of the property, including natural resource, recreation, historical, educational, or agricultural values. - Purpose of acquisition and proposed uses. - Consistency with Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan and community Open Space & Recreation Plan. - How the project furthers the goals of the community’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program. - How the proposed preservation of forested land would serve as a natural mitigation for the impacts of climate change, such as carbon sequestration, flood and stormwater risk mitigation, and drinking water supply preservation. - Project schedule . - Consistency with any nearby State Priority Development or Preservation Areas as shown on the South Coast Rail Corridor Plan or the 495/MetroWest Development Compact Plan, or other regional plan. - Description of land stewardship project on past DCS grant or a municipal conservation land. - Plans for use of local wood in signage , footbridges, etc. 5. PROJECT QUALITY Landscape preservation: How much protected conservation land does this project abut? acres How much of the adjacent land can this project potentially serve as catalyst for future conservation efforts? acres Describe how the subject parcel’s resource value will be impacted by its potential development. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Recreational opportunities: Municipal Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP): To apply for this grant, the municipality must have an approved OSRP or have submitted a draft OSRP by the grant application deadline. To be eligible to apply with only a draft, a municipality must have completed the public participation process. List the goals, objectives, or action plan items in your current or draft OSRP this project meets. Attach to your application copies of the relevant pages (not the whole plan). Goal, objective, or action plan item from current OSRP Page no. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 What public recreational opportunities will the project provide? Check all of the boxes that best describe your project. Clarify in the space below if necessary. Recreational opportunities will be verified by DCS staff during the site visit. Please note that additional points will be given to projects that permit hunting and/or propose accessible trails.  Hunting activities  Trail-based activities (e.g. hiking, Nordic skiing, biking, horseback riding)  Water-based activities (e .g. canoeing, swimming, fishing, skating)  Historic, cultural, or environmental education  Community gardening or other community agriculture Additional description: Biodiversity and resource protection: Portion of the project area that lies within or abuts MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program BioMap2 designated areas: Core Habitat: acres Critical Natural Landscape: acres Each project location has been assigned an average climate resiliency score to identify the importance of the site for climate change adaptation, as defined by The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Land map - http://maps.tnc.org/resilientland/. What is the average resilient score for the project location? ____________ SD Working lands: Will active forest management or agriculture continue or begin after the acquisition? Note: agriculture and forestry activities must be compatible with conservation and public use of the property.  Yes  No If yes, describe planned forestry or farming: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Water resources: Portion of the property that is 0-300 ft from ocean, lake, pond, river, stream, wetland, OR within an existing public drinking water supply area (Zone I/II or A/B), OR over a medium- or high-yield aquifer:  None  1-24%  25-50%  >51% Bonus Points: Community Compact Has your community signed a Community Compact? Yes  No If “yes”, please list the Environmental Best Practices included in it. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Municipal Vulnerability Program Is your community an MVP Community?  Yes  No If “yes”, please describe how this application supports a priority implementation project within your MVP plan. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 6. MUNICIPAL AUTHORIZATION: Attach a certified copy of the Town Meeting or City Council vote, or draft language. Vote must conform to sample vote language criteria, available as Attachment D to this application. Does this project have town meeting/city council approval?  Yes  No If not, what is the scheduled date for the vote? ____________________________ 7. OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTATION: a. USGS topographic map with an outline of the Project boundary. Include the location, acreage, ownership and use of other public or quasi-public open space abutting, or close to, the Project on the topographic map. Show current use of adjacent private lands. If applicable, show proximity to Priority Development and Preservation Areas as shown on the South Coast Rail Corridor Plan, 495/MetroWest Development Compact Plan, Central Massachusetts Land Use Priority Plan, Merrimack Valley Regional Plan, Metro North Land Use Priority Plan, or other regional plan. b. Plot plan or survey map showing the Project boundary. The Project area must be shown in enough detail to be legally sufficient to identify the lands to be protected. A registered survey plan with deed references or assessor’s map with block and lot number are acceptable. c. Documentation of Good Land Stewardship – Applicants should submit documentation of good land stewardship of past DCS grants or municipal conservation land. The proof of good stewardship should include examples from three different activities from the following list: stewardship monitoring report on municipal land, invasive species control, trail building, educational kiosks, recent surveys outlining the condition of trails or land boundaries, recent baseline documentation reports, and/or forest or land management plans. Applicants can submit documentation of other land stewardship activities. Photos of land stewardship activities are encouraged. Provide a narrative of how your community will steward the land subject to this LAND grant application if your community does not currently own any conservation land. Links to web sites that show this information can be used if appropriate. d. Draft CR – If your project involves the purchase or conveyance of a CR, please complete a separate CR application and submit a draft restriction along with this application. The CR application is available at the DCS website at www.mass.gov/service-details/conser vation-restriction-review-program. To obtain a copy of the Conservation Restriction Handbook, visit the DCS website, or contact Denise Pires. Submit the draft CR to: Denise Pires Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 617-626-1011 e. Other state agency review – If it is not possible to include responses in the application package to DCS, attach a copy of your cover letter requesting their input.  Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (https://www.mass.gov/orgs/masswildlifes-natural-heritage-endangered-species- program).  Massachusetts Historical Commission Send the MHC a PNF (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/pnf.pdf) with a photocopy of the USGS locus map with the property boundaries clearly indicated, smaller-scale property maps if available, and a cover letter to include information about any known historic or archaeological sites. Send this certified mail, return receipt requested, so that you know when it was received. MHC will review and comment to DCS (and copy the applicant) within 30 days of receipt. If a Conservation Restriction is part of your project, you must notify and submit it to MHC for review. See these websites for any questions: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/pnfguide.pdf and http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcrevcom/revcomidx.htm. If selected for LAND funding, the Applicant will be required to execute the following forms in order to complete a contract:  LAND Grant Program Project Agreement  Commonwealth Standard Contract  Commonwealth Standard Terms & Conditions  Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing 8. SIGNATURES Attach municipality’s legal authority to apply for the grant, and the Chief Executive Officer’s legal authorization to execute contracts. This is a resolution, motion or similar action that has been duly adopted or passed as an official act of the community’s governing body that authorizes the filing of the application, including all understandings and assurances contained therein. __ Date: __________ Chief Executive Officer Type Official's Name Conservation Commission members: Signature Printed Name Chair APPLICATION ATTACHMENTS – use this as a checklist. 1. Municipal CEO’s Authorization of Project Manager 2. Project narrative 3. Maps of values and resources protected, proximity to other conservation lands 4. Documentation of rare species from the MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program 5. Documentation of historic resources from the MA Historical Commission 6. Appraisal report(s) 7. Draft Conservation Restriction (if applicable) 8. Documentation of good land stewardship on past DCS grant or Municipal Conservation land. Attach supporting documentation with the application for one or more past LAND/Self-Help grants or municipally-owned conservation land. Documentation should include examples from three different activities from the following list: stewardship monitoring report on municipal land, invasive species control, trail building, educational kiosks, recent surveys outlining the conditions of trails or land boundaries, recent baseline documentation reports, and/or forest or land management plans. Applicants can submit documentation of other land stewardship activities. Photos of land stewardship activities are encouraged. Provide a narrative of how your community will steward the land subject to this LAND grant application if your community does not currently own any conservation land. Links to web sites that show this information may be provided in place of the above listed information, if appropriate.