Ag districts

Ag districts

reapproved

by planners

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock Nt»i Staff Writar

The Rappahannock Planning Commission approved renewals for two agricultural and fores tal districts last week, and also approved “tag ons” for properties owned by Louise and Thomas Eastham to two other ag districts.

The 2,128-acre Krebser Agricultural and Forestal District was approved for renewal for an additional 10 years. All landowners who had been participating in the district chose to continue. Also Werner Krebser requested that three additional parcels be added to the district, and those additions of 23.2, 23.2 and 34.9 acres were approved for inclusion.

The 1,960-acre Haskell Agricultural and Forestal District was also approved for a 10-year renewal. All participating property owners chose to remain in the district.

In addition the Easthams requested that the 2,497.5-acre Ben Venue Farm and an additional 116.836 acres owned separately be added to the Mulkey Mountain Agricultural and Forestal District and that a 296.1-acre parcel and a 31.3-acre parcel be added to the East Wakefield Agricultural and Forestal District. These additional were also approved by the planners.

An agricultural and forestal district is a special zoning classification that helps protect farm land by severely restricting what can be done with it. The land in these districts may not be subdivided into small tracts, and the highway department can not cut a new road without enormous trouble.

Once land has been included in an ag. district, the zoning classsification is frozen until the term is up. The normal term limit is 10 years.

County Administrator John McCarthy agreed noting that no new agricultural and forestal districts have been created in the past nine years. “This is the only way this program grows,” he said.