Minutes 04-14-2022-Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Metadata

Thumbnails

Annotations

5 Commissioner McKee said part of the reason we have large lot sizes are due to regulations for storm water runoff and other regulations. He said that it is important to recognize that county regulations affect lot sizes. He said these regulations are related to watershed runoff, impervious surface, and many other reasons that generate a requirement of a minimum lot size of two acres per house for a great part of the county. He said that he is not criticizing looking out for the environment but rather asking that they remain aware that it is county regulations that lead to larger lot sizes. He said that if someone purchases a ten-acre parcel then they are not required to adhere to a lot of those regulations and have a way around it. He said the desire for high end homes also adds to the larger parcels. He said that people want to put large homes on large tracts of land. He said the median income in Orange County allows for people to afford to build large homes and buy those large tracts. He said he would welcome a process to mitigate that. He said he does not see that happening because the county would have to extend water and sewer to encourage smaller lots. He said another factor is the profit potential with farming vs. development. He said from a personal experience, he bought a 26-acre tract and divided it into five separate parcels. He said that in one and a half years, he made more than he had in 19 years farming it. He said that dividing a farm up can result in a profit that is more than decades of farming. He said that the southern portion of the county used to be covered in dairy farms with the northern part tobacco farmed. He said those are all going away. He said that his wife grew up on a dairy farm in the county and he grew up on a tobacco farm and he hates to see the change but that is what is happening, and he does not see it coming back. Chair Price asked Portia McKnight how large her dairy farm is. Portia McKnight said her dairy farm is fifty acres and they have been farming for 20 years. She said that is not a very large farm and that they only have 30 cows. She said policies can be written to shift things if they want to. She said the Board is able to do something. Chair Price said they should work with the FFA to get young people interested in farming. Commissioner Greene said the policy decision to not extend water and sewer throughout the county was made over 30 years ago. She said that decision was to protect watersheds and prohibit sprawl. She said she thought there might be a middle ground or an alternative between the status quo large lots - that are necessary to have enough space to perk for a septic tank. She said she would like to better understand the alternatives that are being discussed before breaking the rural buffer. She said one option could be cluster lots with homes built close together and supplied with community septic. She said that once they break the rural buffer, no one will be happy. Commissioner Fowler asked if continuing the Voluntary Agricultural program would help preserve land. Peter Sandbeck said it is only one piece of the puzzle and it is voluntary for only 10 years. He said people can walk out at any time. He said the current number of farms is only a small percentage of all the farmland in the county. He said the average age of farmers is around 60 years old. He said they are thinking about the future and what their children might need to with the property to provide for their families. He said they would like to work with all the agencies and then come back at a work session to discuss ideas with the Board. Commissioner Richards said she looked forward to that. Chair Price said she hears about people who move into a new development next to a farm who complain about the smell and the noise. She feels that should be expected. She said they need to work on these issues to preserve farmland. She said that there is work to be done on this. Kim Piracci and Christian Hirni presented for the Commission for the Environment.