VIEW COMMISSIONED RESEARCH ON AG LAND PROTECTION
In 2019, the board of The Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund commissioned Tom Daniels, PhD, professor and program director of Land Use and Environmental Planning at University of Pennsylvania, to summarize his analysis and provide recommendations on agricultural land protection programs with potential use in Napa County.
The following report by Dr. Tom Daniels, "Agricultural Land Protection, Annexation, and Housing Development: An Analysis of Programs and Techniques with Potential Use in Napa County," is available for download as Executive Summary or in full.
In his report, Dr. Tom Daniels presented several strategies that had been successful around the country to address the central question for Napa County: How could it balance the pressing needs for 1) affordable housing, 2) open space that benefits the community and environmental health, and 3) agriculture which drives the local economy?
"Napa County, its municipalities, and LAFCO are doing a lot of things well in managing the growth of the county," Daniels concludes in the 108-page report that forms the bases of his presentation. "The recommendations presented here are meant to add to, not replace, the efforts already underway." He suggests various kinds of cooperative agreements, public-private partnerships, and potential funding sources.