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HomeMy WebLinkAboutADACMinutes2025April15 Agricultural District Advisory Committee April 15, 2025 MEETING MINUTES OF THE FREDERICK COUNTY AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Held in the first-floor conference room of the Frederick County Administration Building, 107 N. Kent Street, Winchester, Virginia on April 15, 2025. PRESENT: Harman Brumback, Back Creek District; John Marker, Back Creek District Alternate, Cordell Watt, Gainesboro District; Patricia Scheulen-Ferrell, Back Creek District; Leslie Spencer, Gainesboro District; and Mark Sutphin, Virginia Co-Extension; John Jewell, BOS Liaison; and Tonya Sibert, Commissioner of Revenue ABSENT: Jason McDonald, Shawnee District; Jaclyn Mommen, Back Creek District 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. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the meeting minutes of February 20, 2024, and seconded by Mr. Brumback, it was unanimously approved. Mr. Cheran presented it to the Committee. That 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 an Agricultural & Forestal District. This is the year for the renewal of the thirteen 2025-2030 Agricultural and Forestal 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 proposed acreage is 1,014+/- acres and there are no additions or removals to the District. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Albin District Agricultural & Forestal with 1,014.00+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Jewell, it was unanimously approved. 3 Agricultural District Advisory Committee April 15, 2025 Staff presented the second Apple Pie District. The District is 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 south. Again, this District is 90 percent agricultural, and 10 percent open space/woodlands. This District in 2020 had 889.00+/- acres and for the 2025 renewal has increased to 936.03+/- acres. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Apple Pie Ridge District Agricultural & Forestal with 936.03+/- acres and seconded by Mrs. Spencer, it was unanimously approved. Mr. Cheran continued with the third district Back Mountain District. This District is located within the Back Creek Magisterial District and fronts Back Mountain Road (Route 600) and Boarders the Mountain Falls Subdivision to the west. The District remains the same as 2020 with one property owner with 489.91+/- acres. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025- 2030 Back Mountain District Agricultural & Forestal with 489.91+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Mrs. Scheulen-Ferrell, it was unanimously approved. Staff stated the fourth district 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 854.51+/- 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. One property owner wants to create a subdivision. After the removal of the properties, the District would have a proposed 693.87+/- acres. This District has 75 percent livestock and cultivation of hay and 25 percent open space/woodland. On a motion made by Mr. Brumback to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Double Church District Agricultural & Forestal with 693.87+/- acres and was seconded by Mrs. Scheulen-Ferrell, it was unanimously approved. Green Spring is the fifth District. This District currently contains 476.49+/- in the Gainesboro Magisterial District. A landowner passed and his property was put into a trust with that addition making the year 2025 proposed acreage 870.32+/-. 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. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Green Spring District Agricultural & Forestal with 385.63+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Jewell, it was unanimously approved. Mr. Cheran continued with the sixth district Hayfield.. The Hayfield District is located within the Gainesboro Magisterial District and is generally located 2.5 miles west of the intersection of Route 50 and South Hayfield Road (Route 600). The District has increased parcels and property owners. The agricultural operation in the district is 40 percent agriculture (livestock, and crop harvesting and 60 percent open space/woodlands. On a motion made by Mrs. Scheulen-Ferrell to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Hayfield District Agricultural & Forestal with 939.9+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Marker, it was unanimously approved. 4 Agricultural District Advisory Committee April 15, 2025 Mr. Cheran presented the Long Creek Farm District as the seventh district, which is in the Back Creek Magisterial District. This Agricultural District is generally located west of the intersection of Shady Elm Road (Route 651) and Springdale Road (Route 649). This District was created in 2023 with 1,076.90 and remains the same acreage today. The District consists of approximately 90 percent pasture/orchard uses and 10 percent crops/woodlands. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Long Creek District Agricultural & Forestal with 1,076.90+/- acres and was seconded by Mrs. Scheulen-Ferrell, it was unanimously approved. Staff continued with the North Frederick District as the eighth district. This District is located within the Gainesboro Magisterial District and is generally located west of the intersection of North Frederick Pike (Route 522) along North Sleepy Creek Road (Route 734) and Bloomery Pike (Route 127). The District consists of approximately 90 precent forestry uses, and 10 percent open space/woodlands. On a motion made by Mr. Brumback to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 North Frederick District Agricultural & Forestal with proposed 1,929.41+/- acres and was seconded by Mrs. Schuelen-Ferrell, it was unanimously approved. The nineth district is 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 1,147.20+/- acres in the District. If approved with revision, the District would have proposed 1,204.43+/-acres with additions and removal of parcels. This agricultural operation in this District is 75 percent agriculture (livestock, horses and crop harvest) and 25 percent open space/woodlands. Mr. Brumback inquired why the Shenandoah Battlefields have so many small parcels. Mr. Cheran replied that is could have come from a trust. Staff mentioned that one parcel could be affected by a right-of-way, whenever Route 37 is built. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Red Bud District Agricultural & Forestal with 1,024.43+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Jewell, it was unanimously approved. Reliance is the tenth district. This District is in the Opequon Magisterial District and is generally located in front of Huttle Road (Route 636) and Headley Road. The area within the District is rural in nature. Agriculture (livestock, and crop harvest) are 90 percent of the land and 10 percent open space/woodland. This District had an increase of one parcel making the 2025 proposed acreage 221.50 acres. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 Reliance District Agricultural & Forestal with 221.50+/- acres and was seconded by Mrs. Scheulen-Ferrell, it was unanimously approved. South Frederick is the eleventh district and currently contains 6,894.42+/- 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. Four parcels totaling 398.58+/- don’t meet the criteria to be included in the agricultural district. These properties are part of the Bartonsville Solar project which has a conditional use permit for the operation. If approved, the removals of the parcels the District would contain 5,866.21+/- acres. The agricultural operation in this District is 90 percent agriculture (orchard, and crop harvesting) and 10 percent open space/woodlands. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal 5 Agricultural District Advisory Committee April 15, 2025 of the 2025-2030 South Frederick District Agricultural & Forestal with 5,866.21+/- acres and was seconded by Mr. Watt, it was unanimously approved. Mr. Cheran stated the twelfth district is South Timber Ridge District. The District proposed 1,312.44+/- acres in the Gainesboro Magisterial District. These 24 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 hasn’t changed the 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. Another citizen inquired and wanted to be included in District. He has 48+/- acres which will increase the total acreage once the paperwork is completed. On a motion made by Mr. Marker to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 South Timber Ridge District Agricultural & Forestal with proposed 1,312.44+/- acres and was seconded by Mrs. Scheulen-Ferrell, it was unanimously approved. Staff concluded with the White Hall District. This district proposed acreage is 974.30+/-. The District is located within the Gainesboro Magisterial District and is generally located on Wright Road (Route 661) and Apple Pie Ridge Road (Route 739). The District has seven parcels and one landowner and remains the same acreage. On a motion made by Mr. Brumback to approve the renewal of the 2025-2030 White Hall District Agricultural & Forestal with a proposed 974.30+/- acres and seconded by Mr. Marker, it was unanimously approved. Mr. Cheran stated he will present the recommendation to the Planning Commission and then to the Board of Supervisors. The next meeting will be 2030 unless something is presented to the County that would need directions from the Committee. The meeting concluded at 6:50 p.m. 6