Agenda - 08-19-2010 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Goal 1: Support the rural landscape Create an economic climate that strategic and early planning, a community can pri- oritize which land is most important to conserve and enhances the viability of working which land can accommodate the projected need for lands and conserves natural lands. future growth. Rural towns and villages are integrally linked with their surrounding landscapes. As such, smart growth in rural areas requires that communities preserve the landscapes that community members say they value. These include farmland, rangelands, forests, and natural areas —the elements that are part of the sense of place for rural communities. These uniquely rural resources are best protected when there is a support- ive economic climate that values working lands and a development climate that promotes the conservation of the natural landscape. Land development and population growth are signs of economic progress in many communities, but these indicators are often at odds with the working farms, natural landscapes, and scenic vistas that characterize rural areas and define their sense of place. When the agriculture -, forest -, and amenity -driven economies are encouraged to prosper, there is less pressure to convert land to developed uses in a haphazard manner. With GOAL 1: SUPPORT THE RURAL LANDSCAPE Strategy 1.a. Ensure the viability of the resource economy in the region Use value taxation Use value taxation (often called current use value taxation or preferential assessment) is a voluntary approach that allows land to be assessed at its current use value (as agriculture or forest land, for instance), rather than at its highest market value, which may include the value of the land based on its current use plus the underlying development rights that have not been exercised by the property owner. Use value taxation is used in some form in every state except Michigan.' Washington state, facing significant urban - growth pressure that has led to approximately 75 per- cent of its active agricultural land having fair - market values greater than the agricultural value (which, statewide, averages at 28 percent of the fair - market value), adopted a current use value taxation policy. Strategy Tools & Policies ta. Ensure the viability of the resource Use value taxation Renewable energy development economy in the region Tax credits for conservation Value-added farm and forest products • Right to farm policies processing • Ecosystem services markets 1.b. Cultivate economic development Purchase of development rights Fee simple acquisition strategies that rely on traditional rural Conservation easements Agritourism and ecotourism landscapes 1.c. Promote rural products in urban areas Direct marketing to consumers 'Buy local" campaigns and support other urban-rural links Government purchase of local products 1.d. Link rural land preservation strategies Transfer of development rights Agricultural, ranching, or forestry to great neighborhoods Priority funding areas zoning • Rural home clustering