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2 Bingham Township. She noted that the map on display at the meeting was not identical to the small map that had been distributed. She requested that the large map be displayed so that citizens could review it and that it also be published in several local newspapers. She is in support of this proposal. BOB STRAYHORN indicated that he is a resident of New Hope Church Road, an Orange County farmer and member of the Rural Character Study Committee. He commented that a lot of negotiation went into the Committee's final report and he supported most of the recommendations of that Committee. This proposal is intended to improve the life of all Orange County residents and is not supposed to take away value from landowners. For that reason, he does not support requiring a two acre minimum. He also commented that the open space developments, or clusterings, concept is not his idea of rural use. He does not oppose clustering being one of the options as long as it is not required. He opposed cluster development being mandatory. The agreement that the Rural Character Study Committee reached was that the landowner would have the right to choose how to develop their property. Offering incentives to developers who protect that rural character was very well received in the public meetings held by the Rural Character Study Committee. He asked that those incentives be considered as a part of this plan. CLAUDE LUNSFORD asked for clarification about the use of lots of record which are less than one acre. COMMISSIONER CAREY indicated that if a lot has already been subdivided it can be built upon. MURRAY LYNCH, an Orange County resident and farmer, indicated that he was in agreement with Mr. Strayhorn. He commented that the tax base would fall if the minimum lot size is set at two acres. He ask that the Commissioners vote against this minimum. TONY CLEESE, President of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, spoke in support of sustainable agriculture and organic agriculture. He commented on how farms could be included in the rural character preservation strategies. He serves on a statewide task force which is studying how agriculture and society integrate. Some of the problems they have identified are that 1) farming is not currently financially viable, 2) billions in federal funds are being channeled into the support of farming, 3) many rural communities are suffering because of the financial difficulties of the farmers and 4) tobacco is collapsing as a farming commodity. He feels that although it is difficult for the farmers to continue to maintain their land, that solutions do exist. One solution is to integrate farms into the community design. One way of doing that is for shares of the harvest to be sold to members of the community. A community-wide survey of prime agriculture land could be undertaken to identify land which would then be designated as farming land. Incentives, or cost share, could then be offered to keep farmers on the land. He indicated that Orange County, with three active farmers markets, is already a beacon of hope for farmers. He asked that land uses be designated in the most appropriate ways possible to support the farming community. TYSON CLAYTON indicated that he was a lifelong resident of Orange County and a representative of Hillsborough Savings and Loan. He commented that although 57% of the county is already in 2 acre minimum lots, that is not any reason for the remainder to be designated 2 acres. The Supreme Court has recently ruled that planners must show that legal, and mandated, land set-asides are designed to address specific environmental harms. He does not believe that this minimum lot requirement addresses public or environmental harm. He indicated that the public hearing notice stated that major subdivisions in the rural areas already average approximately two acres per lot. That is not justification for two acres being mandatory. Affordable housing will suffer a setback if the two acre lot minimum is approved. He asked that the Commissioners