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2 <br />Staff also presented a detailed summary of the Agricultural Support Enterprises proposal in July <br />of 2006 to give new members of the Planning Board a history of the initiative and additional time <br />for questions. Staff referenced the two-tier intensity level at the July meeting. <br />At the May 2007 meeting, staff recommended the creation of a new Agricultural Support <br />Enterprises Manual to make the program more user-friendly. Staff hopes to begin meeting with <br />local farm agency boards (Soil and Water Conservation District, Agricultural Preservation Board, <br />and others) during the summer to ask for input on the contents and format of the Manual. Staff <br />found farmer and farm agency staff input invaluable during the initial stages of the project and <br />would like to offer them the opportunity to provide meaningful input into this important project. A <br />version of the use matrix would be included in the proposed Manual, so there will be additional <br />opportunities for the Board to review and discuss specifics, should the need arise, during the <br />final approval process for the initiative. This approach would allow the Board to consider staff's <br />original material along with comments from the farming community, Planning Board and <br />Economic Development Commission. <br />This initiative remains an important part of the County's effort to preserve farmland and farming <br />as a viable economic pursuit. The economic development aspect of farming has become so <br />important to the survival of local farms that the county has hired an Agricultural Economic <br />Development Coordinator and has included the farm economy as a critical component of the <br />Economic Development Element of the Comprehensive Plan. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no direct fiscal impact associated with this discussion. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board authorize the key <br />elements of the Agricultural Support Enterprises proposal in accordance with the schedule <br />provided as Attachment 2: <br />1) Amend the Zoning Ordinance to allow conditional district zoning and develop minor <br />revisions to the Land Use Element, only where required to establish support and/or <br />consistency; <br />2) Prepare clear performance standards; and <br />3) Create the ASE Manual. <br />By approving this recommendation, the BOCC is NOT approving specific uses that may <br />have been provided for the purposes of discussion. <br />