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0 <br />DRAFT <br />would gradually phase out of traditional farming and develop into low-density residential <br />uses. The pattern of development is another subject area for later discussion. The <br />amount of land in the Rural Buffer enrolled in the present use value program for <br />agriculture, forestry and horticulture, today, is approximately 28 percent. <br />Two things have changed during the last twenty years. One is the emergence of <br />organic farming as a popular alternative to traditional farming. Organic farming typically <br />requires less land than traditional farming and can occur as a compatible neighbor to <br />residential uses. Second is the trend of connecting urban residents to local farms, <br />which is linked to food sustainability issues, supporting local growers, buying locally <br />produced goods. <br />Agricultural sustainability <br />The agricultural support enterprises proposal is designed to keep farmers farming, by <br />making agriculture profitable. Should this program extend into the Rural Buffer, it would <br />likely encourage the continuation of the existing active farms. It could encourage, new, <br />smaller-scale and organic farmers to consider starting operations in the Rural Buffer. It <br />could also encourage new farm businesses, such as farm stands and "pick-your-own" <br />operations. <br />Promoting new agricultural operations and agricultural support operations may be seen <br />as inconsistent with the intent of the original Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan. But as <br />residential development continues to occur in Orange County and its municipalities, <br />many town residents are seeking a farm connection-as evidenced by the recent <br />Piedmont Farm Tour when approximately 6,500 individuals visited farms in Orange <br />County on two afternoons in late April. Residents in Chapel Hill and Carrboro seem to <br />enjoy not only the rural character of places like Dairyland Road but also the potential <br />link to the farming community. Operations such as Maple View Farm illustrate the <br />potential for successful relationships between urban residents and local farmers, one <br />that provides the farmer with supplemental income and one that provides residents with <br />a rural experience and a locally grown product. <br />ASE Consistency with County Land Use Plan <br />The agricultural support enterprises proposal is designed to allow selected farm uses to <br />occur in a way that is consistent with our overall land use plan. The proposal provides <br />more opportunities for advisory board input and public comment during the approval <br />process. In addition, staff's recommendation to develop a conditional district process <br />for rezoning property to Agricultural Services for specific agricultural support enterprises <br />provides a mechanism for the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to limit the <br />extent and intensity of an enterprise as part of the approval. Unlike general rezoning, <br />property subject to the conditional district rezoning process may only be used for a <br />specific land use(s), based on asite-specific development plan. Since applications are <br />site specific, the BOCC can consider the suitability of the proposed use based on its <br />location within the county. In other words, the BOCC could approve a rezoning for a <br />certain use in a rural area in northern Orange County and deny a rezoning request for <br />the same use in the Rural Buffer. The location factor will become increasingly important <br />as sections of the county transition from active farming to low-density residential. <br />Agriculture! Support Enterprises Page 2 <br />