Planning and Zoning

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Planning and Zoning

• Strategies for Protecting
• Indianas Farmland

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Local Planning

• Brad Buening
• Planning degreeBSU
• 15 yearslocal government
• Land Use Specialist, IFB
• Bridge gap between political/ag

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Local Planning

• Initial charge
• Work with ISDA
• Research existing ag ordinances
• Compile list
• Create model zoning ordinances
• Allow locals to pick and choose

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Local Planning

• Not self-proclaimed expert
• Work experience in planning/local govt
• Agriculture background
• Opportunity to visit and review local ord

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Local Planning

• Visited ½ counties with P Z
• Reviewed approx. 30 proposed ordinances
• Have seen the good, bad, and ugly of zoning

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Local Planning

• The counties that are proactive are working
• 70 of job has been reactive, but effective

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Local Planning

• Quick refresher course on
• Indiana Zoning

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Local Planning

• Types of Plan Commissions
• Metro (1)
• Area (32)
• Advisory (46)
• None (13)

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Local Planning

• Zoning Ordinance
• Actual law/enforceable
• Various zoning districts (ag, res, com,ind)
• Permitted by rightNo public hearings
• Special exceptionmeet specific criteria
• Developmental standards (setbacks, coverage,
  density, height, or area)

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Local Planning

• Local Government Process
• Zoning districts are created
• Residential
• Commercial
• Agricultural
• Industrial
• Open space

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Local Planning

• Local Government Process
• Uses are pigeon-holed in districts
• K.I.S.S. may not apply
• Ethanol plant
• Bio-diesel plant
• Better separation needed
• Need sub-districts
• Residential is good example

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Local Planning

• Local Government Process
• Special exceptions are created
• Unique uses
• Not needed if sub-districts are created

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Local Planning

• Local Government Process
• Developmental Standards established
• Setbacks (front, side, rear)
• Height
• Area
• Density

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Local Planning

• Local Government Process
• Public Hearings
• Petition
• Advertise
• Notify
• Hearing
• Adopt
• Record

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Local Planning

• Planning and Zoning Issues (that I see)
• Farm vs. Non-farm conflicts
• Burden on farmer vs. residents
• SE for farmer (backwards)
• Agricultural clausefor homes in ag area
• Livelihood vs. recreational (choice)

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Local Planning

• I want to keep ag uses from SE (BZA)
• Emotional
• Time consuming
• Expensive
• Based on subjective criteria
• Noise, odor, property values, water usage
• Hard to measure, expensive, staff, time
• Ag zones should allow Ag uses

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Local Planning

• What is AG land?
• Anything Goes
• Agriculture

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Local Planning

• Model Zoning Ordinance
• Not one size fits all concept
• Sliding-scale development (2 versions)
• Multiple agricultural districts
• Farm preservation
• Other methods being used

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Local Planning

• Researched several zoning concepts
• Reviewed pros and cons
• Created hybrids by combining concepts

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Local Planning

• Sliding-scale (version I)
• Larger lots are allowed more development
• Larger remainder for viable farmland
• Residential (2ac max)
• Ag clause
• Contiguous to one another

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Local Planning
Sliding Scale Sliding Scale
Lot Area Max. allowed
Up to 20 ac 1
20-40 ac 2
40-80 ac 3
80-160 ac 4
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Local Planning
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Local Planning
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Local Planning
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Local Planning
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Local Planning
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Local Planning

• If you add language that say contiguous

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Local Planning
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Local Planning

• Sliding-scale (version II)
• Target smaller tracts
• Under 20 acres (already ruined)
• These tracts can be subdivided aggressively
• Residential (2ac max)
• Ag clause
• Contiguous to one another

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Local Planning

• These lots were created by earlier methods
• Counties thought 15-20 ac would preserve
• It only converted faster

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Local Planning

• 20-acre minimum
• Does not work
• Drives price/acre up
• Takes land out of production faster
• Leaves weeds and mess
• Farmer wont come in for 10-12 acres
• Max acreage works better

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Local Planning
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Local Planning

• 3 highlighted lots could net 9-10 lots
• Reduced pressure from viable farmland
• Allowed housing in country setting
• Made the best of a bad situation

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Local Planning

• Another hybrid would be a flat rate
• Allow X of splits for each parent tract
• Can incorporate ag clause/contiguous
• Can control amount of growth

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Local Planning

• Multiple agricultural districts
• Row crop farming (A-1)
• CAFO/CFO (A-2)
• Agri-business (A-3)
• Residential-ag (A-4)
• Ag park (A-5)

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Local Planning

• Reduce land use conflicts
• Maintain property rights
• Efficient use of infrastructure

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Local Planning

• Another simple variation is an A-2
• Housing only on small lot (2ac max)
• Need rezone/SE
• Prove to APC/BZA wont harm A-1
• Personally did this last week
• Point system
• Land use, density, soil types, etc.

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Local Planning

• Farm preservation
• PDR/TDR/LDR
• Infill incentives
• Mitigation (developers 21)
• Cluster development
• Conservation easements (vol)
• Bargain Sale

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Local Planning

• PDR/TDR/LDR
• Great theory
• Farmer gets 401K
• Young farmer able to purchase at farm rate
• Infrastructure not taxed
• Control growth areas
• Hard to track administratively
• GIS makes it easier

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Local Planning

• Infill incentive
• Tax abatement on skipped over land
• Higher densities
• Adjacent to infrastructure
• Lessen pressure on farm land

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Local Planning

• Developer mitigation
• Incentivizing development near city
• Penalize for hop-scotching around
• Trip-generation causing pollution
• Closer, less pollution
• Put a monetary figure to it

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Local Planning

• Cluster development (Open Space)
• Keeping adjacent/contiguous
• Not hop-scotching
• Higher density
• Preserve farm land
• Sensitive area

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Local Planning
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Local Planning
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Local Planning
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Local Planning

• Conservation easements
• Voluntary action by land owner
• Preserves in perpetuity
• Tax incentive
• Young farmer encouragement
• Long runcreate larger tracts

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Local Planning

• Bargain sales
• Selling land below fair market value
• Difference is charitable contribution
• Great way to initiate a land trust

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Local Planning

• Other options
• Ag clause
• BMP/additional DS
• Point system
• Fences, septics, wells, mailboxes, driveways,

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Local Planning

• Most of these options are still just band-aids
• Multiple zones TDR/PDR are broader
• Separate land uses
• Longevity (create trends)
• Others will face again with more houses/CAFO

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Local Planning

• Local flavor and politics will determine
• What to use
• When to use it
• Where to use it
• How to use it

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Local Planning

• Biggest concern
• Multiple zone adoption
• No new zones created
• Have to rezone 1 by 1

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Local Planning

• Glad to review wording
• Assist in ordinance revisions
• Compile other county language

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Local Planning

• Brad Buening
• Land Use Specialist
• 317.692.7886 office
• 317.460.3785 cell
• bbuening_at_infarmbureau.org