AGENDA DATE: 12/1/2021
TITLE:
Title
Agricultural and Forestal Districts (AFDs)
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Ordinance to amend County Code Chapter 3, Agricultural and Forestal Districts, Article 2, Districts of Statewide Significance, Division 2, Districts, to review certain districts, and to add lands to certain districts.
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Kamptner, DeLoria, Filardo, McCulley, Rapp, Clark
PRESENTER (S): Scott Clark
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: : Localities are enabled to establish agricultural and forestal districts (AFDs) under the Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act (Virginia Code ? 15.2-4300 et seq.). AFDs serve two primary purposes: (1) to conserve and protect agricultural and forestal lands; and (2) to develop and improve agricultural and forestal lands. Land within an AFD is prohibited from being developed to a more intensive use, other than a use resulting in more intensive agricultural or forestal production, without prior Board approval. In addition, the County is prohibited from exercising its zoning power in a way that would unreasonably restrict or regulate farm structures or farming and forestry practices in contravention of the Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act unless those restrictions or regulations bear a direct relationship to public health and safety (Virginia Code ? 15.2-4312).
The consolidated public hearing and the proposed ordinance pertain to three requested additions to existing AFDs, and the periodic reviews of one AFD.
Additions
A landowner may apply to add land to an AFD at any time (Virginia Code ? 15.2-4310). Virginia Code ?? 15.2-4307 and 15.2-4309 require the Agricultural and Forestal District Advisory Committee and the Planning Commission to review such applications and report their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, which must hold a public hearing and, by ordinance, may add land to an existing d...
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