
	Triangle Land Conservancy 1101 Haynes Street Suite 205 Raleigh, NC 27604 919.833.3662

Double-dip Deal Defends Dignity of Borland Creek, Protects 192 Acres

Conservation is often the neighborly thing to do. Neighboring landowners Bill Mullen and John & Marion Wilson proved this point by finalizing conservation easements with TLC on September 20 to permanently restrict development on their central Orange County lands on Borland Creek.

The Wilsons, with complete agreement from their three adult sons, donated a conservation easement on their 152-acre property off Arthur Minnis Road. Their neighbor to the north, Bill Mullen, donated a conservation easement on his 40-acre property off Hawes Road.

Several perennial streams, including Borland Creek and a Borland Creek wetland complex, lie on these two properties. The stream and wetland buffers put in place through these conservation agreements protect a total of 7,500 stream feet, or about 1.4 miles of stream frontage.

The easements were donated in full by the landowners, who will qualify for state and federal income tax breaks. The NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund assisted in the projects by providing $45,000 to cover legal and transaction costs and stewardship endowments.

The value of the donation by the Wilsons is $1.5 million. Their land had an appraised value of $12,500 per acre before the conservation agreement; with the conservation easement restricting development, the land is valued at $2,700 per acre. Bill Mullen has not shared his appraisal with TLC.

In addition to the stream and wetland protections provided by these agreements, 178 acres of forest and six acres of agricultural land are protected. Each of the families retains building envelopes for residences and outbuildings. A residence already stands in the 5-acre building envelope on the Wilson property; an envelope on the Mullen property will allow buildings and agriculture on 3 acres.

What is a conservation easement? It’s a legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified organization, such as a non-profit land trust or a government agency, in which the landowner promises to keep the land in its natural condition. The agency is granted the right to monitor the property and enforce the terms of the agreement if need be. The easement is attached to the deed of the property and stays with the deed even when the land is sold or transferred.