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APPENDIX B – WAKE COUNTY PROGRAMS TO MITIGATE SECONDARY AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
B-8
The guidelines for this program are covered by State Statute (NCGS 106-735 through
106-743,
Farmland Preservation Enabling Act
). Since these statutes were enacted, 86 county
programs have been created. Key components of the Wake County Voluntary
Agricultural program are:
A seven-member Agricultural Advisory Board, appointed by the County Board of
Commissioners, manages the program. Members include five farm owners, one
agribusiness representative, and one Soil and Water Conservation District
Supervisor.
The Advisory Board considers applications from landowners to form agricultural
districts, conduct hearings on public projects (such as roads and schools) that might
negatively affect agriculture in a district, and advise the county on other issues
affecting local agriculture.
Farmers wishing to participate in the program sign a simple application indicating
that they plan to remain in farming for the next 10 years. They may withdraw from
the program at any time
.
Signs are erected along the roads in agricultural districts identifying the areas as
such.
Participants in the program are exempt from paying assessments for water/sewer
lines that extend past their property.
All purchasers of land near agricultural districts are notified that they should expect
dust, machinery noise, animal waste/chemical odors, and other similar elements
associated with living in a farming area.
Farmland Protection and Wake County Agricultural Economic
Development Program
The Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors works
cooperatively with landowners to encourage farmland preservation and protection. A
voluntary farmland program was established in 1998 and includes efforts to offer estate
planning to farmers, and protect farms through the purchase or donation of easements
and tax relief. The program received limited funding, but was successful where funding
was available.
In 2012, Wake Soil and Water Conservation District received its first donated easement
for 47 acres for permanent farmland protection.
In 2013, the Wake County Board of Commissioners endorsed their new farmland
preservation plan, the Wake County Agriculture Economic Development Plan
(WCAEDP) to replace the 1998 plan (Wake County, 2013). The recommendations of the
WCAEDP are:
Integrate economic development with farmland protection
Expand County voluntary land preservation programs through conservation
partnerships