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51256. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a city or county, upon <br /> petition by a landowner, may enter into an agreement with the landowner to <br /> rescind a contract in accordance with the contract cancellation provisions of <br /> Section 51282 in order to simultaneously place other land within that city, the <br /> county, or the county where the contract is rescinded under an agricultural <br /> conservation easement, consistent with the purposes and, except as provided in <br /> subdivision (b), the requirements of the Agricultural Land Stewardship Program <br /> pursuant to Division 10.2 (commencing with Section 10200) of the Public <br /> Resources Code, provided that the board or council makes all of the following <br /> findings: <br /> (a) The proposed agricultural conservation easement is consistent with the <br /> criteria set forth in Section 10251 of the Public Resources Code. <br /> (b) The proposed agricultural conservation easement is evaluated pursuant to the <br /> selection criteria in Section 10252 of the Public Resources Code, and particularly <br /> subdivisions (a), (c), (e), (f), and (h), and the board or council makes a finding that <br /> the proposed easement will make a beneficial contribution to the conservation of <br /> agricultural land in its area. <br /> (c) The land proposed to be placed under an agricultural conservation easement <br /> is of equal size or larger than the land subject to the contract to be rescinded, and is <br /> equally or more suitable for agricultural use than the land subject to the contract to <br /> be rescinded. In determining the suitability of the land for agricultural use, the city <br /> or county shall consider the soil quality and water availability of the land, adjacent <br /> land uses, and any agricultural support infrastructure. <br /> (d) The value of the proposed agricultural conservation easement, as determined <br /> pursuant to Section 10260 of the Public Resources Code, is equal to or greater than <br /> 12.5 percent of the cancellation valuation of the land subject to the contract to be <br /> rescinded, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 51283. The easement value and <br /> the cancellation valuation shall be determined within 30 days before the approval <br /> of the city or county of an agreement pursuant to this section. <br />