Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Master Management Plan - 2014

APPENDIX B – WAKE COUNTY PROGRAMS TO MITIGATE SECONDARY AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS

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

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