(a) Purpose. The purpose of these standards is to mitigate the potential for conflict between farming activities and urban uses. The mitigation provisions of this chapter seek to achieve the following objectives:
(1) Minimize the impacts of urban development on agricultural production activities.
(2) Minimize the potential for complaints about agricultural practices and activities.
(3) Ensure the continued use of agricultural land for agricultural uses.
(4) Minimize potential conflict by developing a well-defined boundary between agricultural and urban uses. The best boundary will be one that minimizes conflict in both directions.
(b) Definitions. The following definitions apply only to this chapter:
(1) "Agricultural land uses" means the use of land for the cultivation and husbandry of plant and animal products, including agricultural activities permitted on land zoned exclusive farm use (Agriculture).
(2) "Mitigation area" means a management zone of varying size, shape, and characteristics between different land uses that uses combinations of mitigation elements to buffer between agricultural land and urban land uses.
(3) "Mitigation element" means a physical or legal feature within a mitigation area that mitigates an adverse impact. A mitigation element may consist of vegetation, transportation and utility corridors, natural barriers, deed restrictions, or other natural or manmade features.
(4) "Spray drift" means airborne movement of agricultural chemicals onto a non-target area.
(5) Urban Receptor, Sensitivity Of.
A. Urban Receptor, Higher-Sensitivity (H).
i. Residential use.
ii. Motel, hotel, or hostel.
iii. Place of worship; public meeting facility.
iv. Child care center, kindergarten, school, university, or other educational institution.
v. Medical center or hospital.
vi. Public or quasi-public use, such as library, park, etc.
vii. Other similar uses.
B. Urban Receptor, Lower-Sensitivity (L).
i. Commercial use, except for any defined as higher-sensitivity urban receptor.
ii. Industrial use.
iii. All other uses not classified here.
(c) Description of Impacts Requiring Mitigation.
(1) Spray Drift. Principally, spray drift is caused by agricultural chemical use, but can apply to urban use of agrochemicals. Separation between urban and agricultural uses is the preferred tool to mitigate the impact of the spray drift, employing either large setbacks or a combination of smaller setbacks and a tree buffer.
(2) Trespass and Vandalism. Trespass and vandalism are often considered by farmers to be the most serious adverse potential impact to agricultural operations in proximity to urban areas. Climb-resistant, trespass-inhibiting fences and/or hedges in the mitigation area are the means of reducing these impacts, as is placing the buffer in individual ownership (such as larger urban lots with strict setback requirements).
(3) Odor. Odor is one of the less important agriculture-related adverse impacts. Unless there are site- specific reasons why mitigation of odor is critical (such as the presence of a livestock feed lot), issues with odor are sufficiently addressed by requiring that owners of new urban development within 1,000 feet of agricultural land receive notice through an explicitly worded deed declaration of the potential adverse impacts to which they will likely be exposed as a result of living within 1,000 feet of agricultural land.
(4) Dust, Smoke, and Ash. Like odor, this grouping of potential adverse impacts is one of the least important agriculture-related issues in the region, and, like odor, can be addressed by the use of a deed declaration.
(5) Runoff. Stormwater and irrigation runoff arise from both urban and agricultural uses, and can adversely impact agricultural operations as well as urban health and livability. Impacts may be avoided or significantly reduced by employing erosion-prevention and erosion-control measures during construction, and by an adequate stormwater plan for urban development that takes into account impacts from and on the adjacent agricultural land.
(6) Noise. Noise is an impact arising from agricultural operations. This section contains no noise mitigation requirements, but applicants are encouraged to consider community design and construction practices that provide some level of noise mitigation.
(Ord. 20-2018. Passed 6-19-18.)