Title: Does "AG" Stand for "Agriculture" or "Anything Goes"
1Does "AG" Stand for "Agriculture" or "Anything
Goes"?
- The State of Agricultural Zoning in Ohio
2Motivation for Studying Township Zoning and
Agriculture
- Urbanization affects agriculture
- positively
- negatively
- Communities respond to growth and change with
planning and zoning - Communities seek assistance from Extension
Educators - Not much is known about the content of
agricultural zoning in Ohio, or in the US
3Ohio Exurban Development
4Ohio Resources
5Zoning by Exurban Stage, 1997
6Township Zoning in Ohio
- Past and current studies focus on where zoning
exists in rural Ohio - OSU Extension, Zoning Survey and Ohio Rural
Zoning Map, 1998 - Gough and Cowley, Zoning Survey, 2004
- What about how zoning exists in rural Ohio?
- What is the content of Ohios rural zoning?
7Study conducted by Clark and Hall Phase I
- Research Goals
- What role do townships envision for agriculture
in their community? - Review of ordinances conducted
- Describe characteristics of local zoning that
relate to agriculture. - How does this role vary across the state?
- Identify relationships between local zoning
characteristics and a townships stage of
exurbanization. - Over 80 ordinances selected
- Region (NW, NE, Central, SW, SE)
- Level of exurbanization
8Regions used in methodology
Northeast
Northwest
Central
Southwest
Southeast
9Exurban Stage
rural
Most rural
Most urban
urban
10Typical Zoning Typology
- Exclusive
- Non-exclusive
- Large lot zoning
- Area-based zoning
- Fixed or sliding scale
- Other
- Agricultural buffers
- Cluster zoning
These all can be zoned AG. But how do they
function?
11Our Agricultural Zoning Typology
- How does the ordinance address agriculture?
- Zoning type assigned based on
- Purpose of the agricultural zone
- Preamble, intent language
- Actual function of the ordinance
- District regulationspermitted and conditional
uses, zoning techniques
12Goals of Agricultural Zoning
- Used to be
- Food security
- Resource protection
- Now
- Rural lifestyle
- Promoting orderly growth
- Other resource protection
- Keeping housing away from CAFOs or keeping CAFOs
away from housing - Protecting a working landscape
13Agricultural Zoning Typology
14Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Green Township, Ashland County
- Prime Farm District
- Purpose To protect and preserve the prime
agricultural lands in the township for
agricultural use. To prevent or minimize
conflicts between common farm practices and
non-farm uses.
15Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Green Township, Ashland County
- Permitted Uses
- Agriculture
- Farm dwellings
- Home occupations, essential services, accessory
uses - Conditional Uses
- Non-farm dwellings for immediate family members
- Oil/gas wells, public and semi-public uses,
commercial and custom butchering, cell towers
16Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Green Township, Ashland County
- Minimum lot size 1 acre
- Also has a General Farm District, aimed at
protecting openness and rural character and
providing areas for rural development. - More permitted and conditional uses in this
district, maintains a 1 acre lot minimum - Also has a Rural Center District, to provide
areas for convenience goods and services for
residents of surrounding area. - Last revised 1999
17Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Pittsfield Township, Lorain County
- Primary Agricultural Use District
- Purpose To provide for protection of
agricultural economic uses from incompatible land
uses and more intense development patterns which
would deteriorate agricultural viabilityto
provide an environment which encourages residents
to continue farming investments
18Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Pittsfield Township, Lorain County
- Landowners must apply to be in a Primary
Agricultural Use District - 300 contiguous acres required multiple
landowners may combine - Landowners must commit to remain in the district
for 10 years
19Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Pittsfield Township, Lorain County
- Permitted Uses
- Principal farm dwellings, relative farm help
dwellings (2) - General agricultural operations
- Forestry, vet clinics, home occupations,
commercial nurseries, private kennels and
stables, roadside stands, community supported
agriculture, government facilities and public
parks.
20Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Pittsfield Township, Lorain County
- Conditional Uses
- Development transfer area dwellings
- Farm help dwelling (1)
- Bed and breakfast (4 room maximum)
- Homestead retention dwelling
- Commercial uses cell towers, ag tourism,
u-pick, family business, ag support services,
exotic animal uses - Churches
21Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Pittsfield Township, Lorain County
- Minimum lot sizes
- Dwellings 40 acres
- Vet clinics, kennels, stables, churches 5 acres
- Ag services 2 acres
- Cell towers 1 acre
- Residential Conservation Developments
- May seek rezoning for up to 16 acres for this
type of development in a Primary Ag Use District. - Last revised 2002
22Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Milford Township, Defiance County
- Agricultural District
- Purpose To preserve and protect the decreasing
supply of prime agricultural landto control the
indiscriminate infiltration of urban development
in agricultural areas which adversely affects
agricultural operations.
23Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Milford Township, Defiance County
- Permitted Uses
- Agriculture
- Public uses, public service facility,
non-commercial recreation - Conditional Uses
- Single family dwellings
- Sand/gravel/mineral extraction, quasipublic use,
commercial recreation, cemetery, church, cottage
business
24Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Preserves
- Milford Township, Defiance County
- Minimum lot size 3 acres
- Criteria for dwellings as conditional uses
- Must be consistent with goal of substantially
preserving agricultural character of land, will
not create excessive congestion of adjacent
roads, will be adequately served by public
utilities and services. - Last revised 1997
25Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Protects
- Miami Township, Montgomery County
- Agricultural District
- Purpose To provide for agricultural activities
and related uses and to protect and preserve
areas of prime agricultural soils for continued
agricultural and agriculturally related uses.
26Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Protects
- Miami Township, Montgomery County
- Permitted Uses
- Agriculture
- Single family dwellings on 20 acres or more
- Religious, public and educational uses on 3 acres
or more - Conditional Uses
- Certain dwellings on less than 20 acres
- Airports, cemeteries, animal facilities, riding
academies, recreational uses, ag meeting halls,
community buildings, rodeos, ag services, boat
storage and sales, bed and breakfasts, cell towers
27Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Protects
- Miami Township, Montgomery County
- Minimum lot size 20 acres
- Also has a Planned Agricultural District for
cluster housing (voluntary district) - Last revised 2004
28Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Recognizes
- Liberty Township, Licking County
- Agriculture District
- Purpose
- To preserve and protect the decreasing amount of
prime agricultural land, preserve and protect
open space, wildlife habitat, forestry, water
resources, and rural lifestyle - To control the indiscriminate infiltration of
urban development in agricultural areas, which
adversely affects agricultural operations - Land within this district shall not be viewed as
land waiting to be developed, but instead, land
that is currently being used for a viable purpose
29Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Recognizes
- Liberty Township, Licking County
- Permitted Uses
- Agriculture
- Single family dwellings
- Public parks and playgrounds, private stables,
accessory uses and structures, home occupations. - Conditional Uses
- Commercial stables and kennels, golf courses,
animal hospitals, implement sales, feed and
fertilizer sales, government buildings, schools,
churches, cemeteries, mining, transient uses.
30Agriculture is the sole purpose/ Recognizes
- Liberty Township, Licking County
- Minimum lot size 2.75 acres
- Also has a Low Density Residential District
- Last revised May 2003
31Purpose includes agriculture/Recognizes
- Reading Township, Perry County
- Farm Residential District
- Purpose To preserve land currently used for
agricultural purposes while allowing limited
residential, business, and other development that
would have a minor impact on the surrounding
environment.
32Purpose includes agriculture/Recognizes
- Reading Township, Perry County
- Permitted Uses
- Agriculture
- Single family dwellings and temporary living
spaces - Accessory structures, signs, home occupations,
roadside farm stands - Churches and schools
- Conditional Uses
- Public and semi-public uses, cemeteries,
airports, recreation facilities, clubs, animal
hospitals, telecommunication towers, mining,
commercial uses, adult entertainment, large signs.
33Purpose includes agriculture/Recognizes
- Reading Township, Perry County
- Minimum lot size 1 acre
- Only other district is a Residential District
- Last revised October 2000
34No Agricultural Purpose/Recognizes
- Deerfield Township, Warren County
- No Agricultural District
- Several Residential Districts
- Purpose To establish and maintain areas for high
quality homes with varying degrees of population
density.
35No Agricultural Purpose/Recognizes
- Deerfield Township, Warren County
- Permitted Uses
- Agriculture
- Dwellings
- Accessory uses
- Conditional Uses group homes, educational
institutions, churches, government buildings,
clubs, non-commercial recreation, cemeteries,
stables, roadside stands, bed and breakfasts, day
care facilities, hospitals, rest homes, mixed
uses, offices, cellular structures.
36No Agricultural Purpose/Recognizes
- Deerfield Township, Warren County
- Minimum lot sizes
- Single Family
- Without central sewage ¾ acre
- With central sewage 14,000 sq. ft.
- Two Family
- Single 10,000 sq. ft.
- Two family 12, 000 sq. ft.
- Multi-Family
- Single 5,000 sq. ft.
- Two family and multi-family 12,500 sq. ft./2
units 2,500 each additional unit - Other uses 1 acre
- Last revised August 1997
37No Agricultural Purpose/Ignores
- No agricultural district
- Agriculture not mentioned as a permitted use in
district regulations - Separate Exclusionary Clause
- To the extent exempted under Section 303.21 of
the Ohio Revised Code, nothing in this resolution
shall prohibit the use of land for agricultural
purposes or the construction or use of any
building or structure incidental to such
agricultural use. No zoning certificate for any
such agricultural use, building or structure
shall be required.
38Initial results cases chosen
39Expected results
40Expected results
41Initial results
42By Region
43By Region
44By Exurban Stage - purpose
45By Exurban Stage - function
46By Growth Stage - purpose
47By Growth Stage - function
48Observation thus far
- Previous typologies are not enough to describe
how agriculture is considered in current codes. - Unlike expectations, often purpose and function
do not match. - For as long as zoning has been in place in Ohio,
one would expect creative approaches to be more
pervasive for providing protections for
agriculture.
49Observation thus far
- Compatibility issues Stated intent to protect
ag from incompatible uses, but residential
development is permitted, thus considered
compatible? - Regional and urbanization trends appear in this
initial analysis.
50Recommendations
- Create a direct linkage between stated district
purpose and the function of the district - At minimum, for legal reasons
- Recognize the difference between productive and
non-productive purposes of agricultural zoning - Reframe agricultural zoning in terms of
agriculture - Explore agricultural zoning techniques that are
creative and locally relevant - Agriculture need not be limited to one zone
51Recommendations
- View ag zoning in combination with other non-ag
zones - Be more proactive with zoning
- Learn from others
52Contact
- The Ohio State University
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and
Development Economics - Jill Clark - clark.1099_at_osu.edu 247.6479
- http//aede.osu.edu/programs/exurbs/
- Peggy Kirk Hall aglaw_at_osu.edu 247-7898
- http//aede.osu.edu/programs/aglaw/