Appeal of MacEachran

John MacEachran, the owner of certain property in Concord, petitioned the N.H. Agricultural Lands Preservation Committee (committee) to purchase the development rights of his property pursuant to RSA ch. 36-D (Supp. 1979). This statute has as its stated goal “the protection of agricultural land facing conversion to non-agricultural uses” by purchase of the development rights. Laws 1979, 301:1. The committee was created to “evaluate, accept or reject sites” and, in doing so, to consider (a) the degree to which the acquisition would serve to preserve the agricultural potential of the State, (b)…