OEPA - Priority Conservation Areas (Cuyahoga County)

Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) are areas that are recognized as significant spaces to be preserved as open space. In Ohio, PCAs are locally selected and generally identified in a Balanced Growth Plan that has been approved by local communities and endorsed by the Ohio EPA. This is a voluntary designation and is specifically geared toward watershed protection under the Ohio Balanced Growth Program. While the Balanced Growth Planning process can result in identifying areas prioritized for development and for conservation, the Greenprint shows only the Priority Conservation Areas. Four approved Balanced Growth plans have been completed in portions of Cuyahoga County: Big Creek Watershed, Chagrin River Watershed, Chippewa Creek Watershed, and Furnace Run Watershed. A PCA designates areas for protection and restoration that may be critically important as ecological, recreational, heritage, agricultural, and public access areas. They can also be significant for their contribution to water quality and general quality of life. Optionally, agricultural areas may be designated as Priority Agricultural Areas (PAA). The PCA designation does not change the landowner's property rights, and the property is still subject to local land-use regulation. The land may be eligible for state funding incentives to support and encourage its use as a desirable area for conservation driven by state public policy that would not encourage or provide funding for development within the designated PCA. Balanced Growth Plans: Big Creek Watershed, Big Creek Connects (Friends of Big Creek, 2011) Chagrin River Watershed, Chagrin River Watershed Partners (2009) Chippewa Creek, Cuyahoga River Restoration (Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization, 2008) Furnace Run Watershed, Cuyahoga River Restoration (Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization, 2011)