Land Use Law
Analysis of Conservation Easements: Non-regulatory land use planning
As part of a course on non-regulatory land use planning, I investigated a land use tool that is very popular in the United States, and something I came across frequently while working in Florida: Conservation Easements.
Through my professional work I had come to rely on conservation easements as a way for Orange County to implement open space plans, but this course provided the opportunity to learn about this tool from a legal perspective. In an effort to further my understanding, I looked at these easements from the perspective of opponents. I researched through case law the problems inherent in conservation easements, including: the problem of perpetuity, the loose language that allows for abuses, and the opportunity for environmental injustice.
Through my professional work I had come to rely on conservation easements as a way for Orange County to implement open space plans, but this course provided the opportunity to learn about this tool from a legal perspective. In an effort to further my understanding, I looked at these easements from the perspective of opponents. I researched through case law the problems inherent in conservation easements, including: the problem of perpetuity, the loose language that allows for abuses, and the opportunity for environmental injustice.
