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Public
Hearings
When: March 31st
Where: Morton,
Bob Lyle Community Center, 700 W Main
What Time: 7:00
PM
When: April
1st
Where: Chehalis, Board of County Commissioners
Chambers, County Courthouse
What Time: 7:00 PM
County
to Designate Additional Agricultural Lands
The Lewis County Planning Commission is
holding workshops to place additional lands under the Agricultural
Resource Lands designation (ARL). The ARL designation, when
applied to land, limits development to agricultural and related
types of uses. The
designation is partially based on the existence of soils considered
to be prime for growing crops, including
hay. If you believe
your land may be affected you should be aware of the process and
possible results.
You may contact the Lewis County Planning
Department for additional information and meeting dates at
360.740.2677 or go to www.lewiscountywa.gov and follow prompts to
Community Development and Planning
Commission.
LEWIS COUNTY
AGRICULTURAL RESOURCE LANDS
by Michael
Mahoney
Once again the Lewis County Planning
Commission is trying to establish Agricultural Zoning that will
please the GMA Hearings Board. There will be several workshops and
then two public hearings, one in Morton on March 31st and one in
Chehalis on April 1st.
It is very important that we get
objective input from the public, representing Best Available
Science. Information that will have maximum impact will include
current taxing status, productivity of the land expressed in Animal
Units per Acre or tons of good quality hay per acre, depth of top
soil (active root zone for ag crops), existence or lack of
functional drainage, availability of irrigation water, and the
flexibility of cropping that the parcel will support.
There is little opportunity for oral
input before the public hearings, but written reports may be sent to
the planning department or presented at the end of each Planning
Commission meeting. We need your help if the ARL Zoning is to be the
best it can be for Lewis County. Without adequate objective
information the zoning will be determined by a few people who are
not involved in Lewis County agriculture.
Talking Points When
giving Testimony in Public Hearings
Defining categories
of agricultural lands of long-term commercial
significance.
Agricultural lands.
(WAC 365-190-050)
(a)
The
availability of public facilities;
(b) Tax
status;
(c)
The
availability of public services;
(d)
Relationship or
proximity to urban growth areas;
(e)
Predominant
parcel size;
(f)
Land use
settlement patterns and their compatibility with agricultural
practices;
(g)
Intensity of nearby
land uses;
(h)
History of land
development permits issued nearby;
(i)
Land
values under alternative uses; and
(j)
Proximity of markets.
Soil type (Prime
soils) drainage, irrigation-soil depth.
Further information;
Commission hearing dates, definitions and area analysis maps can be
obtained at the Lewis County Planning Department. (360) 740-2677 or
go to
www.lewiscountywa.gov
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