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pervisors cannot abolish an existing ag district.
In addition, the new legislation authorizes counties to include district provisions beyond zoning restrictions. This has already been done in Rappahannock: all districts approved here since establishment of the first ag district prohibit the division of parcels smaller than 50 acres.
The new ag district amendments also:
• Reduce the core acreage needed to establish a district from 500 acres to a minimum of200.
• Eliminate the ceiling of 3,500 acres for land allowed under single ownership in an ag district.
• Add protection of watersheds and wildlife habitat to the purpose of Agricultural and Forestal Districts, making land in those categories eligible for inclusion.
• Lower the threshold for review of proposals by state agencies, local governments and certain utilities to acquire land in an ag district. Formerly the review procedure was triggered by an acquisition proposal for 10 acres from a single farming or forestry operation or 100 acres from an entire district; now it’s one acre from a single operation or 10 acres from the whole district.
• Add a requirement for local governments to notify adjacent landowners of a proposal to create an Agricultural and Forestal District.
This article is reprinted from the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection newsletter.
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