Agenda - 09-20-2011 - 5m; VAD - Maple View Farm-Nutter

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 20, 2011 Action Agenda Item No. S ' rn SUBJECT: Voluntary Agricultural District Desi nation• Maple View Farm DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Parks and Recreation ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACTS: 1) Application 2) DEAPR Staff Memo & Vicinity Map David Stancil, 245-2510 3) Certification from NRCS, Soil Analysis Rich Shaw, 245-2514 Chart & Map Tina Moon, 245-2517 4) Certification from Tax Supervisor 5) Draft APB Minutes August 17, 2011 6) Draft Conservation Agreement PURPOSE: To consider an application from the Nutter family to certify Maple View Farm as qualifying farmland within the White Cross and the Cane Creek/Buckhorn voluntary agricultural districts. BACKGROUND: The ten-year voluntary agricultural district agreement for Maple View Farm has expired, and the Nutter family has decided to use this opportunity to submit a new application with updated tract information. Maple View Farm is located along both sides of Dairyland and Arthur Minnis roads in the northern portion of Bingham Township. The Nutters have identified four parcels, totaling more than 382 acres, for inclusion in the voluntary agricultural district (VAD) program. The County's Voluntary Farmland Protection Ordinance (VFPO) outlines a procedure for the Agricultural Preservation Board (APB) to review and approve applications for qualifying farmland, and to make .recommendations to the Board of Commissioners concerning the establishment and modification of agricultural districts. Section VII of the VFPO contains the requirements for inclusion in a voluntary agricultural district. To be certified as qualifying farmland, a farm must: 1. Consist of the minimum number of contiguous acres to participate in the present-use- value taxation program (20 acres for forestry, 10 for agriculture and 5 for horticulture); 2. Be participating in the farm present-use-value taxation program established by N.C.G.S. §105-277.2 through §105-277.7, or is otherwise determined by the county to meet all the qualifications of this program set forth in G.S. 105-277.3;