Cumberland Valley School District is ending its quest to acquire farm property protected by a conservation easement, in the wake of a new state law that requires prior court approval for such a move.
The district issued a statement Thursday morning that said it was withdrawing its condemnation of the conserved McCormick Farm in Silver Spring Township, in large part because of the brand new state law affecting the issue.
That bill, signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on Sunday, changed legal standards for taking land subject to a conservation easement, as the McCormick Farm is.
It shifts the burden to the condemnor to prove that it could not meet its needs with any other property.
The district, in its statement, said while it questions the legal validity of a provision that imposed the new requirement on any taking taking since Dec. 31, 2017, it did not want to pay the cost in time and dollars of a legal battle.