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ADAC 06-25-20 Meeting MinutesAgricultural District Advisory Committee June 25, 2020 MEETING MINUTES OF THE FREDERICK COUNTY AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Held in the first-floor Board of Supervisors Room of the Frederick County Administration Building, 107 N. Kent Street, Winchester, Virginia on June 25, 2020. PRESENT: Harman Brumback, Back Creek District; William Cline, Stonewall District; John Marker, Back Creek District Alternate, Cordell Watt, Gainesboro District; and Mark Sutphin, Virginia Co-Extension. ABSENT: Carl Ay, Stonewall District; Jason McDonald, Shawnee District; John Stelzl, Opequon District; Shawn Graber, BOS Liaison and Seth Thatcher, Commissioner of Revenue Office STAFF PRESENT: Mark Cheran, Zoning Administrator; Pam Deeter, Secretary. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mr. Cheran at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Carl Ay and Mr. John Stelzl are unable to attend the meeting but we received a telephone call from both individuals supporting this action. Mr. Cheran presented to the Committee. Every five years Frederick County is required by the Code of Virginia to evaluate, add, renew, or remove properties from the Agricultural & Forestal Districts. Staff gave the criteria to be a Agricultural & Forestal District. This is the year for the renewal of the seven 2020-2025 Agricultural and Forestal Districts and also received request to establish two new Districts. Staff presented each District separately. Mr. Cheran presented the Albin District first. The District is located within the Gainesboro Magisterial District. It is generally located west of Route 37, and North and South of Route 522, near the Albin Rural Community Center. The Albin District is 90 percent agriculture and 10 percent open space/woodlands. Staff stated the District contains 1,014+/- acres and there are no additions or removals to the District. Staff presented the Apple Pie District. The District is located in the Stonewall Magisterial District. The District is located along Payne Road (Route 739) to the north, Welltown Road (Route 661) to the east, Apple Pie Ridge Road (Route 739) to the west, and Glendobbin Road (Route 673) to the Agricultural District Advisory Committee June 25, 2020 south. Again, this District is 90 percent agricultural and 10 percent open space/woodlands. This District remains the same as 2015 with the acreage of 889.00+/- with no additions or removals. Mr. Cheran said next is the Double Church District. This District is located in the Opequon Magisterial District and is generally located along Double Church Road (Route 641), Canterburg Road (Route 636), Grim Road (Route 640), and Wise Mill Lane (Route 737). The District currently contains 889.85+/- acres. Mr. Cheran noted that we did send out second notices to property owners that didn’t reply. We did have some requests to be removed from the Agricultural & Forestal District. After the removal of the properties, the District would have 878.62+/- acres. This District is 75 percent livestock and cultivation of hay and 25 percent open space/woodland. Staff gave the update on the Green Spring District. This District has two parcels and are located within the Gainesboro Magisterial District and currently contains 385.63+/- acres. The location of the parcels is along Glaize Orchard Road (Route 682) to the south and Green Springs Road (Route 671) to the east. The agricultural operation in the District are 40 percent agriculture (livestock, and crop harvesting) and 60 percent open space/woodlands. Mr. Cheran spoke on the Red Bud District. The District is located along Red Bud Road and is in the Stonewall Magisterial District. Staff stated that right now currently there is 1,007.34+/- acres in the District. We have 11 parcels asking to be added to the Agricultural and Forestal District which totals 58.56 acres and 5 parcels to be removed totaling 44.85+/- acres. If approved with the revision the District would have 1,021.05+/- acres. This agricultural operation in this District are 75 percent agriculture (livestock, horses and crop harvest) and 25 percent open space/woodlands. Staff noted the sixth district is South Frederick and currently contains 5,764.21+/- acres. The District is located along Cedar Creek Grade (Route 622), Middle Road (Route 628), Marlboro Road (Route 631) and Hites Road (Route 625) and is in the Back Creek Magisterial District. Thirty-two parcels totaling 862.15+/- have requested to be included in the District and thirteen parcels totaling 1,016.32+/- have requested to be removed from the District. If approved with the additions and removals the District would contain 5,610.04+/- acres. The agricultural operation in this District are 90 percent agriculture (orchard, and crop harvesting) and 10 percent open space/woodlands. Mr. Cheran stated the last district is South Timber Ridge District. The District contains 981.08+/- acres in the Gainesboro Magisterial District. These 17 parcels are managed by one property owner. The general location of properties is along Hollow Road (Route 707) to the north, Muse Road (Route 610) and Gold Orchard Road (Route 708) to the east. This District didn’t change acreage since the last renewal. The agricultural operations in the District are 90 percent agricultural (orchard and crop harvesting) and 10 percent open space/woodlands. Establishment of two new districst. Mr. Cheran came forward and presented the first District. The is a request from Mr. Hulver for the Back Mountain District to be established as an Agricultural and Forestal District. Mr. Cheran noted that it meets the criteria of more than 200 acres. The parcel consists of 489.91+/- acres and is located within the Back Creek Magisterial and fronts Back Mountain Road (Route 600) and Agricultural District Advisory Committee June 25, 2020 borders the Mountain Falls Subdivision to the west. Back Mountain is 80 percent agriculture (livestock and crop harvest) and 20 percent woodlands. Staff noted the last request for establishment was Reliance District to be included in the Frederick County Agricultural and Forestal District. This proposal consists of 5 parcels totaling 203+/- acres and is located fronting Huttle Road (Route 636) and Headley Road in the Opequon Magisterial District. Ninety percent of the proposed District is agriculture (livestock, and crop harvest) and 10 percent is open space/woodlands. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 Albin District Agricultural & Forestal with 1,014.00+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Cline, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 Apple Pie Ridge District Agricultural & Forestal with 889.00+/- acres and seconded by Mr. Cline, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Watt to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 Double Church District Agricultural & Forestal with 878.62+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Marker, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Watt to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 Green Spring District Agricultural & Forestal with 385.63+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Marker, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Brumback to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 Red Bud District Agricultural & Forestal with 1,021.05+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Watt, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 South Frederick District Agricultural & Forestal with 5,610.04+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Watt, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2020-2025 South Timber Ridge District Agricultural & Forestal with 981.08+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Brumback, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the establishment of the Back Mountain District to be included in the Frederick County 2020-2025 Agricultural & Forestal with 489.91+/- acres and seconded by Mr. Brumback, it was unanimously approved. On a motion made by Mr. Brumback to approve the establishment of the Reliance District to be included in the Frederick County 2020-2025 Agricultural & Forestal with 203+/- acres and seconded by Mr. Watt, it was unanimously approved. Agricultural District Advisory Committee June 25, 2020 Mr. Cheran stated he will present the recommendation to the Planning Commission and then to the Board of Supervisors. The next meeting will be 2025 unless something is presented to the County that would need direction from the Committee. The meeting concluded at 6:20 p.m.