Agenda - 11-17-2009 - 4g - Laserfiche WebLink

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47 1 county. Community gardens serve as a variation of this idea, but are intended to provide 2 non-farmers an opportunity to grow flowers and vegetables for family use. 3 4 4. Continue to promote the Voluntary Agricultural District Program as pan` of the Voluntary 5 Farmland Protection Ordinance and amend the ordinance to provide for the designation of 6 Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts. 7 8 5. Identify agricultural priority areas, and areas of contiguous prime and active agricultural and 9 forestlands for protection as "communities " 10 The conservation of "critical mass" bolsters the likelihood of success for farm-oriented 11 communities and enhances the opportunities for inter-farm collaborative marketing. 12 13 6. Encourage Local Land Use Policies that Support Agriculture and Protect Farmland. 14 How a county plans for growth will greatly impact the .viability of its agricultural economy. 15 Orange County should develop policies, which take into consideration agricultural production 16 and development. The Planning Board should include input from the Agricultural 17 Preservation Board (or similar committee) in the planning process. Such policies and 18 actions can include: 19 a. Incorporate elements of this plan in the Comprehensive Plan. 20 b. Offer officials and landowners training in smart growth techniques and infrastructure 21 planning. 22 c. In collaboration with the towns, develop model zoning and subdivision ordinances or 23 principles and distribute to towns for use in their local planning and zoning. 24 d. Tailor zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations to guide growth away from 25 farming areas and buffer farms from neighboring land uses. 26 e. Continue to require buffers between residences and farm fields and buildings as part 27 of new residential subdivisions. 28 f. Imp{ement development guidelines that include soil classifications as criteria for 29 prioritizing agricultural land. 30 g. Develop memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with municipalities and neighboring 31 counties to promote preservation of land for agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, and 32 to promote agriculture, horticulture, and forestry as an element of regional economic 33 development. 34 35 7. Encourage the County and Towns to Meet the Infrastructure Needs of the Farm Sector 36 through Appropriate Zoning and Subdivision Regulations. 37 a. Adopt Sensible Zoning and Subdivision regulations. 38 Continue to examine zoning regulations that may impede the efforts of rural properly 39 owners to supplement their income. (An Agricultural Support Enterprises program is 40 underway.) Make the application process more user-friendly, through the creation of 41 a manual or users guide with all of the information needed to pursue new enterprises 42 (with references to specific sections of the Zoning Ordinance) in a single easy to read 43 booklet. Prepare a series of companion brochures that would outline the necessary 44 steps to apply for a specific. type of permit, such as a special use permit. Local 45 officials must acknowledge that as agriculture evolves from traditional row crops to 46 mare diverse operations, such as organic or specialty farms, land use policies must 47 evolve as well. Amending the Voluntary Farmland Protection Ordinance to allow for 48 the designation of Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts (EVADs) would also help ©raft 11!09/2003 Action Steps to Ensure a Viable Agricultural Community 36