Planning For The Future > Farmton-GreenKey Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Farmton?
Farmton, also known as the Farmton Tract, consists of approximately 59,000 acres in southeast Volusia and northern Brevard Counties. The Farmton tract extends from the SR 442 interchange to south of the SR 5A interchange of Interstate 95. The City of Edgewater borders the property to the north; Interstate 95 is to the east; Buck Lake and the St John’s River are to the south; and Pell Road is to the west. Maytown Road traverses the center of Farmton providing an east west connection between US1 and State Road 415. The Farmton tract is currently managed as a silviculture operation, or tree farm, and is also leased for hunting and cattle grazing. In addition, Farmtom operates a wetland mitigation bank.

Q.What activities currently occur at Farmton?
Over the last several decades, Farmton has been an active forestry operation -also known as a "tree farm" - producing timber for pulp and wood products. Farmton lands are also leased as range for cattle as well as hunting. Farmton also operates a wetlands mitigation bank under permit from St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and Army Corps of Engineers.

Q.What is Miami Corporation?
Miami Corporation is a privately owned family investment company. It was incorporated in 1917 by descendants of the same family that participated in the founding of International Harvester, a world renowned farm implement company in its day. Several of the family members owned winter homes in the Miami, Florida area during the early 1900’s, and enjoying their time there, chose Miami as the name for their family investment company. Miami Corporation investments include lands in Oregon and Louisiana as well as Florida.

Miami Corporation and its affiliates have owned the Farmton Tract since the 1920’s and have managed the land for more than 80 years. Miami Corporation is the largest private landowner in Volusia County and one of the largest in Brevard County.

Q.What are Environmental Core Overlay lands?
The Volusia County Council recently adopted the Smart Growth Sub-element of its Comprehensive Plan. A key component of the amendment is an Environmental Core Overlay (ECO) map, identifying nearly 300,000 acres of "interconnected natural systems of environmentally sensitive lands" which have been characterized as the "must save" places in Volusia County.

These lands include the Conservation Corridor, Florida Forever Priority “A” lands, portions of the Environmental Systems Corridor, additional lands needed to ensure connectivity between large natural areas, and lands already in public ownership or under conservation easement.

Miami Corporation is the largest single owner of ECO lands in Volusia County with over 11,000 acres of Farmton lands in the overlay.

Q.What is the Farmton Plan?
The Farmton Plan is a Comprehensive Plan Amendment being proposed in Volusia and Brevard Counties in the form of a new innovative land use designation and flexible land use planning tool. The Farmton Plan would serve to further Volusia County’s smart growth goals and objectives and creates policies for future development designed to raise the bar for sustainability standards.

Q.Why was the Farmton Plan created rather than using conventional land use planning methods? How does it differ from conventional planning?
The Farmton Plan differs from conventional land use planning methods found in Chapter 163 of Florida Statues in that it:

Applies smart growth principles that allow the area to be planned holistically, over a long period of time and across a large undeveloped landscape
Establishes a longer planning horizon of fifty years
Permanently secures the protection of key environmental corridors within the region potentially decades before any development could occur
Achieves natural resource protection goals through strong collaboration between multiple stakeholders, including the landowner
Ensures that any future development will comply with very high standards for sustainability with the flexibility to incorporate new technologies as they emerge
Facilitates the expansion of the fifty-mile multi-use East Central Regional Rail Trail across the Farmton tract

Q.What is “Greenprinting” or “GreenKey”?
"GreenPrinting" or “GreenKey” is a relatively new planning approach that uses early identification of "green infrastructure" so that important natural resources can be recognized at the onset before any development is planned and then conserved in perpetuity.

GreenPrinting is based on sound science, and comprehensive on-the-ground analysis of the natural surroundings. This ‘green infrastructure’ is identified at the onset so that no development is planned there. Through conservation easements and other guarantees these natural lands -- including wildlife corridors, landscape linkages, conservation areas, restoration sites, and open space - can then be permanently protected.

In the Farmton Plan, “greenprinting” and “GreenKey” are used interchangeably

Q.What are the environmental and wildlife benefits of the Farmton Plan and Greenkey?
The Farmton Plan is the first large scale private planning effort which puts protection of environmentally sensitive lands first. In planning for Farmton, the owners and their team have reached out to The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, Volusia Forever, and Brevard Environmentally Endangered Lands Program to identify the most significant natural resources worthy of protection.

Using an approach known as "green printing," the Farmton Plan identifies and protects over 30,000 acres up front. These lands include Volusia Environmental Core Overlay lands and lands which added to that will create regional wildlife corridors. These areas are identified as "GreenKey" lands and will be subject to a conservation easement and protected in perpetuity.

These natural lands provide important habitat for Black Bears, wading birds, eagles, swallow-tailed kites and many other species. They have fittingly been named GreenKey because they are the missing link in a potentially huge wildlife corridor which connects more than a million acres – from the St. Johns River to the Ocala National Forest.

Q.How does the Farmton Plan compare to land use options that currently exist for the property?

Q.How much of the Farmton property will be protected?
If the Farmton plan is approved it would ultimately create the permanent protection of two thirds of the Farmton tract. The final number will not be known until the review of the comprehensive plan is completed.

Initial Greenkey planning areas would create immediate protection of well over 30,000 acres of environmentally sensitive and regionally significant lands including 11,000 acres of Volusia County lands in the Environmental Corridor Overlay, substantially all lands designated Environmental Systems Corridor, and other areas identified as regional wildlife corridors.

These GreenKey lands are connected to other public lands and conservation areas. If the plan is approved these areas can become part of a vast interconnected system of more than a million acres of permanently protected natural lands

Q.What guarantees will there be to ensure that lands designated for permanent preservation through Farmton-Greenkey will be protected forever?
Lands designated as GreenKey will be permanently protected by a conservation easement and a conservation management plan. Under Florida Law, a conservation easement is a deed of the development interests in land to a public agency or a conservation organization. The easement bars development activities on the property in perpetuity.

In addition, the land will be subject to a conservation management plan which will impose specific conservation requirements on future management activities of the property. In other words, the natural values of the property such as being habitat for wildlife will continue to be maintained over time.

Q.What are Sustainable Development Areas?
Sustainable Development Areas are areas reserved for future residential and mixed use development. These areas shall contain a mixture of uses that provide for a balance of commercial, residential, recreational, open space (active and passive), resource protection, educational and other supporting uses.

Sustainable Development Areas would be designed with a Master Plan and reviewed through the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process and would comply with financial feasibility and infrastructure needs as they may be required in the future. Costs of infrastructure will be born by future developers so that these areas are fiscally neutral, meaning they will not create any additional taxes for current residents.

Q.Can the government just buy the environmental lands it wants to preserve?
There are a number of outstanding programs at the state and local level which have been very effective at purchasing environmental lands. Florida Forever, Volusia Forever, and Brevard Environmental Endangered Lands programs have spent millions of dollars preserving thousands of acres of lands in our region.

However, there is simply never enough money to buy all the conservation lands that these programs would want to preserve. The value of the Farmton Tract exceeds the total funding for Florida Forever for one year. Actually, it is interesting to note that the amount of property which is proposed to be conserved under the GreenKey plan exceeds the amount of conservation lands purchased by Volusia Forever.

Q.Will the new community go through the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) review process?
Yes. The Farmton Plan includes language that requires that any development that may occur in the future will go through a Development of Regional Impact review process or whatever other review process is required in the future.

Q.Will there be any increase in density or intensity of use in the near future?
No. Densities and intensities are required to be maintained at the level currently permitted by the Volusia County Comprehensive Plan at least until the year 2025.

Q.What are the economic and community benefits of the Farmton Plan?
While there are no development plans for Farmton at this time, when the new community is eventually created, the requirements within the Plan will lead to many economic and community benefits. Areas reserved for future development (Sustainable Development Areas) will create new jobs and increase annual payroll revenues as well as increases in ad valorum taxes generated in Volusia and Brevard Counties.

Additionally, more than 30,000 acres of environmental lands will be preserved forever at no cost to Volusia or Brevard County taxpayers. Other community benefits include new recreational opportunities – especially along the proposed multi-use East Central Regional Rail Trail that will traverse the Farmton property. Improvements to hurricane evacuation routes will also provide current and future residents with safer and faster ways to travel in the event of a natural disaster.

Q.Will tree farming operations continue if the Farmton Plan is approved?
Yes. Tree farming operations will continue as long as there is a viable market for forestry products. Policies contained in the Plan ensure that agriculture and silviculture activities are allowable uses as long as they are consistent with Best Management Practices.

Q.Will hunting still be allowed on the Farmton Tract?
Yes. Hunting will continue to be a part of Farmton activities for the foreseeable future.

Q.When would development of the new community begin and end?
The landowners are a privately owned family investment company and have managed the land for more than 80 years as a forestry operation. They are not developers and have no development plans for the property at this time.

Q.What is the East Central Regional Rail Trail?
The East Central Regional Rail-Trail, the longest abandoned rail line ever purchased in Florida, traverses the Farmton Tree Farm property. The corridor was purchased by the State of Florida Office of Greenways and Trails and has been turned over to Volusia and Brevard counties for development and maintenance. The 50-plus mile corridor runs from Enterprise through south Deltona to Edgewater and Titusville. This corridor will become part of Volusia County’s Showcase Multi-Use Trail network. Proposed uses include cycling, hiking, running, skating, wildlife viewing, and equestrian in appropriate areas.