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Discusses Connecticut's PA 490 Program, enacted in 1963.

Discusses the state selling or acquiring open space land (outside of land transfers in the legislature's annual conveyance act).

Discusses whether there are any limits on the proportion of land that a municipality can require a developer to dedicate for open space.

Discusses how municipalities tax land classified as open space.

Discusses referendum on the Garden State Preservation Trust Act.

Discusses if Connecticut law requires developers to set aside land for open space in a proposed project before a local planning and zoning commission can approve it.

Discusses private water companies participating in Connecticut's "490" property tax relief program.

Describes whether there have been any recent bills introduced proposing to create a "greenway" along Route 6 and the Hop River.

Discusses what mechanism prevents a town that purchases open space with state funds from later selling that land to a developer.

Discusses North Carolina's law allowing individuals or organizations to donate conservation easements in exchange for a tax credit.

Discusses what would be required for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to acquire the property for the Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Program after the town acquired it by eminent domain.

Discusses how many open space properties the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has purchased or assisted in purchasing since the passage of Public act 98-157 in the following towns: Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Marlborough, Portland, and Westbrook.

Discusses New Jersey governor Christie Whitman's open space initiative, particularly with regard to farmland preservation.

Summarizes the discussion of farmland preservation in the legislative history of recent open space legislation.

Summarizes the second round of open space grant awards under the Protected Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program.

Compares two Massachusetts laws allowing specific towns to acquire open spaces with comparable Connecticut laws, specifically whether Connecticut's laws, like Massachusetts', allow towns to impose special taxes exclusively for acquiring open spaces.

Discusses the pros and cons of allowing towns to levy a real estate conveyance tax to acquire and preserve open spaces.

Discusses whether forested land is eligible for the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program and whether the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) can pay the survey fee for properties that apply to the program. Also discusses whether towns can slow growth by delaying the issuance of permits.

Discusses whether a municipality can spend money received from a developer in lieu of open space to purchase land development rights or whether it may be used only to purchase the land outright.

Discusses whether there are state programs available to buy open space land or help towns buy open space land.

Discusses whether a town must accept open space land a property owner wants to convey to it.

Discusses towns' purchase of development rights and transfer of development rights programs and (2) the age of towns' plans of development.

Discusses HB 5738, which would allow municipalities to require developers covered by CGS 8-30g to comply with statutory open space provisions.