Sierra Club Wins Farmland Preservation Fee

"The Sierra Club in 2004 filed the lawsuit against the city, claiming the city illegally added farmland to the city's sphere of influence, planning to expand into more than 5,600 acres on the city's northwest side. The settlement would require the developers to pay $3,250 per acre to the Central Valley Farmland Trust, purchasing conservation easements in San Joaquin County, outside Stockton, provided the city grants final approval to the projects."

In addition, the settlement requires the Stockton City Council "to vote within six months on whether to levy a farmland preservation fee on developers citywide."

This is not the first victory of this kind for the Motherlode Chapter. It won a similar victory in October in three cities in San Joaquin County, resulting in a $2,000 an acre fee to preserve farmland. The club in that case had sued over a water pipeline project allowing the cities to expand.

"The Grupe Co., which plans to build 7,000 homes in a $3 billion subdivision on a Delta island west of Brookside, will likely be forced to pay nearly $6 million under the settlement, Grupe President Kevin Huber said. Huber, who said the lawsuit amounted to 'litigation terrorism to exact money from developers,' said the success of programs that call on developers to pay for farmland preservation are unproven."

Thanks to Melissa Hippard