16 U.S.C. § 460ff–1 — Acquisition of land

The park shall comprise the lands and waters generally depicted on the map entitled “Boundary Map, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio”, numbered 644–80,054 and dated July 1986, which shall be on file and available for inspection in the offices of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, District of Columbia, and in the main public library of Akron, Ohio, and Cleveland, Ohio. After advising the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, in writing, the Secretary may make minor revisions of the boundaries of the park when necessary by publication of a revised drawing or other boundary description in the Federal Register: Provided, That with respect to the property known as the Hydraulic Brick Company located in Independence, Ohio, the Secretary shall have the first right of refusal to purchase such property for a purchase price not exceeding the fair market value of such property on the date it is offered for sale. When acquired such property shall be administered as part of the park, subject to the laws and regulations applicable thereto. The park shall also comprise any lands designated as “City of Akron Lands” on the map referred to in the first sentence which are offered as donations to the Department of the Interior or which become privately owned. The Secretary shall revise such map to depict such lands as part of the park.

Within the boundaries of the park, the Secretary, after consultation with the Governor of the State of Ohio and the Advisory Commission established in section 460ff–4 1 of this title, may acquire lands, improvements, waters, or interests therein by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, exchange, or transfer. The Secretary may not acquire fee title to any lands included within the park in 1986 which are designated on the map referred to in subsection (a) as “Scenic Easement Acquisition Areas”. The Secretary may acquire only scenic easements in such designated lands. Unless consented to by the owner from which the easement is acquired, any such scenic easement may not prohibit any activity, the subdivision of any land, or the construction of any building or other facility if such activity, subdivision, or construction would have been permitted under laws and ordinances of the unit of local government in which such land was located on April 1, 1986, as such laws and ordinances were in effect on such date. Any lands or interests owned therein, as well as any lands hereafter acquired, by the State of Ohio or any political subdivision thereof (including any park district or other public entity) within the boundaries of the park may be acquired only by donation or exchange for equal value. In determining the exchange value of lands of the State or any political subdivision thereof under this subsection, the Secretary shall not include in the value of those lands amounts paid from the land and water conservation fund, if any, for the original acquisition of those lands by the State or political subdivision. The Secretary shall not acquire privately owned lands which are held and used for public recreation uses unless he determines that such lands are essential to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, any Federal property located within the boundaries of the park may, with the concurrence of the agency having custody thereof, be transferred without transfer of funds to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary for the purposes of the park.

With respect to improved properties, as defined in this subchapter, the Secretary may acquire scenic easements or such other interests as, in his judgment, are necessary for the purposes of the park. Fee title to such improved properties shall not be acquired unless the Secretary finds that such lands are being used, or are threatened with uses, which are detrimental to the purposes of the park, or unless such acquisition is necessary to fulfill the purposes of this subchapter.

When any tract of land is only partly within the boundaries of the park, the Secretary may acquire all or any portion of the land outside of such boundaries in order to minimize the payment of severance costs. Land so acquired outside of the boundaries may be exchanged by the Secretary for non-Federal lands within the boundaries. Any portion of the land acquired outside the boundaries and not utilized for exchange shall be reported to the General Services Administration for disposal under chapters 1 to 11 of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41: Provided, That no disposal shall be for less than the fair market value of the lands involved.

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term “improved property” means: (i) a detached single family dwelling, the construction of which was begun before January 1, 1975 (hereafter referred to as “dwelling”), together with so much of the land on which the dwelling is situated, the said land being in the same ownership as the dwelling, as the Secretary shall designate to be reasonably necessary for the enjoyment of the dwelling for the sole purpose of noncommercial residential use, together with any structures necessary to the dwelling which are situated on the land so designated, or (ii) property developed for agricultural uses, together with any structures accessory thereto which were so used on or before January 1, 1975. In determining when and to what extent a property is to be considered an “improved property”, the Secretary shall take into consideration the manner of use of such buildings and lands prior to January 1, 1975, and shall designate such lands as are reasonably necessary for the continued enjoyment of the property in the same manner and to the same extent as existed prior to such date. In applying this subsection with respect to lands and interests therein added to the park by action of the Ninety-fifth Congress, the date “January 1, 1978,” shall be substituted for the date “January 1, 1975,” in each place it appears.

The owner of an improved property, as defined in this subchapter, on the date of its acquisition, as a condition of such acquisition, may retain for himself, his heirs and assigns, a right of use and occupancy of the improved property for noncommercial residential or agricultural purposes, as the case may be, for a definite term of not more than twenty-five years, or, in lieu thereof, for a term ending at the death of the owner or the death of his spouse, whichever is later. The owner shall elect the term to be reserved. Unless the property is wholly or partially donated, the Secretary shall pay to the owner the fair market value of the property on the date of its acquisition, less the fair market value on that date of the right retained by the owner. A right retained by the owner pursuant to this section shall be subject to termination by the Secretary upon his determination that it is being exercised in a manner inconsistent with the purposes of this subchapter, and it shall terminate by operation of law upon notification by the Secretary to the holder of the right of such determination and tendering to him the amount equal to the fair market value of that portion which remains unexpired.

In exercising his authority to acquire property under this subchapter, the Secretary shall give prompt and careful consideration to any offer made by an individual owning property within the park to sell such property, if such individual notifies the Secretary that the continued ownership of such property is causing, or would result in, undue hardship.