SUN JOURNAL • December 15, 2022
The Planning Board has been urged to reject a City Council proposal to remove the long-held income standard in the agricultural zone without first replacing it with another mechanism to control residential development. In September, the council passed a resolution asking the board to provide an opinion on whether the city should eliminate the income standard, which requires a certain level of income be derived from agriculture activities as a condition to build a residence in the zone. However, during a workshop this week, the Sustainability and Natural Resource Management Board and members of the public said the city should not remove the standard until a new framework for limiting development in the zone can be created. Some said simply removing the standard without a more careful process would cause a “land rush.”