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1 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7:. <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />45 <br />46 <br />47 <br />48 <br />county. Community gardens serve as a variation of this idea, but are intended to provide <br />non - farmers an opportunity to grow flowers and vegetables for family use. <br />4. Continue to promote the Voluntary Agricultural District Program as part of the Voluntary <br />Farmland Protection Ordinance and amend the ordinance to provide for the designation of <br />Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts. <br />5. Identify agricultural priority areas, and areas of contiguous prime and active agricultural and <br />forestlands for protection as "communities " <br />The conservation of "critical mass" bolsters the likelihood of success for farm - oriented <br />communities and enhances the opportunities for inter -farm collaborative marketing. <br />6. Encourage Local Land Use Policies that Support Agriculture and Protect Farmland. <br />How a county plans for growth will greatly impact the viability of its agricultural economy. <br />Orange County should develop policies, which take into consideration agricultural production <br />and development. The Planning Board should include input from the Agricultural <br />Preservation Board (or similar committee) in the planning process. Such policies and <br />actions can include: <br />a. Incorporate elements of this plan in the Comprehensive Plan. Accomplished! <br />b. Offer officials and landowners training in smart growth techniques and infrastructure <br />planning. <br />c. Develop model zoning and subdivision ordinances or principles and distribute to towns <br />for use in their local planning and zoning. <br />d. Tailor zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations to guide growth away from <br />farming areas and buffer farms from neighboring land uses. <br />e. Require buffers between residences and farm fields and buildings as part of new <br />residential subdivisions. <br />f. Implement development guidelines that include soil classifications as criteria for <br />prioritizing agricultural' land. <br />g. Develop memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with municipalities and neighboring <br />counties to promote preservation of land for agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, and <br />to promote agriculture, horticulture, and forestry as an element of regional economic <br />development. <br />7. Encourage the County and Towns to Meet the Infrastructure Needs of the Farm Sector <br />through Appropriate Zoning and Subdivision Regulations. <br />a. Adopt Sensible Zoning and Subdivision regulations. <br />Continue to examine zoning regulations that may impede the efforts of rural property <br />owners to supplement their income. (An Agricultural Support Enterprises program is <br />underway.) Make the application process more user - friendly, through the creation of <br />a manual or users guide with all of the information needed to pursue new enterprises <br />(with references to specific sections of the Zoning, Ordinance) in a single easy to read <br />booklet. Prepare a series of companion brochures that would outline the necessary <br />steps to apply for a specific type of permit, such as a special use permit. Local <br />officials must acknowledge that as agriculture evolves from traditional row crops to <br />more diverse operations, such as organic or specialty farms, land use policies must <br />evolve as well. Amending the Voluntary Farmland Protection Ordinance to allow for <br />the designation of Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts (EVADs) would also help <br />Draft 1012812009 Action Steps to Ensure a Viable Agricultural Community 36 <br />51 <br />