Agenda - 05-21-2007-d1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DRAFT 9 Rural Buffer Intent The second component to this memorandum is to revisit the original intent of the Rural Buffer, to begin a dialogue with our JPA partners to determine if this intent is still valid/appropriate as it pertains to agriculture and related agricultural enterprises. When the Joint Planning Land Use Plan was adopted in 1986, the state of local farming was very different from what it is today. It was assumed that the area within the Rural Buffer may gradually phase out of traditional farming and develop into low-density residential uses. The pattern of development is another subject area for later discussion. The amount of use value farming and forestry in the Rural Buffer is approximately 28%. Two things have changed during the last twenty years. One is the emergence of organic farming as a popular alternative to traditional farming. Organic farming typically requires less land than traditional farming and can occur as a compatible neighbor to residential uses. Second is the trend of connecting urban residents to local farms, which is linked food sustainability issues, buying locally produced goods, etc. Agricultural Sustainability The agricultural support enterprises proposal is designed to keep farmers farming, by making agriculture profitable. Should this program extend into the Rural Buffer, it would likely encourage the continuation of the existing active farms. It could also encourage, new, smaller-scale and organic farmers to consider starting operations in the Rural Buffer. It could also encourage new farm businesses, such as farm stands and "pick- your-own" operations. Promoting new agricultural operations'and agricultural support operations need to be reconciled with the intent of the original Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. But as residential development continues to occur in Orange County and its municipalities, many town residents are seeking a farm connection. Residents in Chapel Hill and Carrboro seem to enjoy not only the rural character of places like Dairyland Road but the also the potential link to the farming community. Operations such as Maple View Farm illustrate the potential for successful relationships between urban residents and local farmers, one that provides the farmer with supplemental income and one that provides residents with a rural experience and a locally grown product. ASE Consistency with County Land Use Plan The agricultural support enterprises proposal is designed to allow these farm uses to occur in a way that is consistent with our overall land use plan. The proposal provides more opportunities for advisory board input and public comment during the approval process. In addition, staff's recommendation to develop a conditional district process for rezoning property to Agricultural Services for specific agricultural support enterprises provides a mechanism for the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to limit the extent and intensity of an enterprise as part of the approval. Unlike general rezoning, property subject to the conditional district rezoning process may only be used for a specific land use(s), based on asite-specific development plan. Since applications are site specific, the BOCC can consider the suitability of the proposed use based on its location within the county. In other words, the BOCC could approve a rezoning for a certain use in a rural area in northern Orange County and deny a rezoning request for the same use in the Rural Buffer. The location factor will become increasingly important as sections of the county transition from active farming to low-density residential. Agricultural Supporf Enterprises Page 9