Agenda - 09-17-2013 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 1 Chair Jacobs said this process has been going on since 2001, and the Board would like 2 to finally move forward; however it is alot for the new Commissioners to take in. He said the 3 Board members should not feel compelled to give direction on all items tonight, and perhaps 4 some items will need to be re-visited if further discussion is needed. 5 Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification regarding the existing conditional use 6 method. 7 Perdita Holtz said that "conditional use" and "conditional zoning" districts are distinct 8 from each other. 9 Commissioner Gordon asked about the previous wording of"existing" and "new" 10 conditional use districts. 11 Perdita Holtz said it would be a new conditional use district to address agricultural 12 support enterprises. She said that none of the existing conditional zoning districts relate to 13 agriculture. 14 Commissioner Gordon pointed out some slight differences on the "BOCC Direction and 15 Input" in the packet and the PowerPoint. 16 Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification on a list in the material from the 17 agricultural board in their packet. She asked if the agricultural board wanted clarification on 18 these items or if these were simply focus points. 19 Perdita Holtz said she was not clear about the purpose of the list, other than a desire for 20 input from staff. She said the matrix was put together to show that many of the concerns are 21 not from a zoning standpoint, but that permits are still needed from environmental health or 22 other county departments. 23 Commissioner Gordon noted that it sounds as if this was just a request for clarification 24 on these specific items. 25 Craig Benedict said he attended the Agricultural Preservation Board meeting. He thinks 26 this list is for clarification and differentiation between economic development issues, 27 environmental health issues, building issues, and trade issues. He said this wasn't a complete 28 list, but it was a list of unknowns. 29 Commissioner Gordon said this is complex, and the Board should not assume there is 30 surety about all of the directions and issues. She noted that the proposed uses go from lower 31 to higher impact. She said there are uses that can go on large farms or lots such as Maple 32 View Farms. She said the controversy comes in when these more commercial uses are placed 33 near residential areas. She feels this has not been captured in the past. She said that in those 34 places that are suburban, like the rural buffer, the best idea is to start small, as these areas can 35 be fairly residential. 36 Commissioner Price said the intent of this was to help the farmers and respect the rural 37 heritage. She said few farmers can make a living solely through farming. She said the purpose 38 was to make it easier for farmers to sell their products and to create co-ops. She said she has 39 concerns about the 180 day limit; restroom requirements for road side stands; and trying to limit 40 activities in a rural areas. She said there is a need to differentiate on some of the terms, and 41 some of these things need to be allowed without going through conditional and special use 42 processes. 43 Chair Jacobs said her concerns are more about the onerous nature of the ways in which 44 the proposals are being outlined. He asked which of the six questions in the PowerPoint does 45 this fit into. 46 Commissioner Dorosin referred to Commissioner Gordon's point regarding restriction of 47 uses based on size and asked if these aren't already decided by statutes that exempt a bona 48 fide farm from zoning. 49 Perdita Holtz said Commissioner Gordon was referring to previous concerns, like a meat 50 packing facility. She said these could serve a wide community and would not be a bona fide