BOC ORDER - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

selected area is representative of the land use pattern surrounding the subject parcel and is adequate to conduct the analysis required by this standard. Lands zoned for rural residential or other urban or non -resource uses shall not be included in the study area; The applicant provided a study area encompassing 2,000-acres of surrounding land. This study area included only properties zoned for Farm Use. Lands zoned for rural residential or other non - resource uses were excluded. Information supplied by the applicant, and verified by planning staff, indicates that there is no non -resource zoned land applied to the study area and that the Applicant's report meets the required area for resource zone analysis. The applicant has indicated this study area is representative of the land use pattern surrounding the subject parcel. Uses within the study area include rural residences, timber lots, natural woods, Christmas tree lots, and fields of row crops. The Board finds that the area presented by the applicant is a fair representation of the surrounding area and is sufficient to arrive at a sampling of the land use pattern. (b) Identify within the study area the broad types of farm uses (irrigated or non -irrigated crops, pasture or grazing lands), the number, location and type of existing dwellings (farm, non farm, hardship, etc), and the dwelling development trends since 1993. Determine the potential number of non farm dwellings that could be approved under MCC 17.136 050(A), including identification of predominant soil classifications and parcels created prior to January 1, 1993. The findings shall describe the existing land use pattern of the study area including the distribution and arrangement of existing uses and the land use pattern that could result from approval of the possible non farm dwellings under this provision; The subject parcel is within an area near the edge of the City of Salem UGB, an area which contains several large tracts of Acreage Residential zoned parcels. As a result, the 2,000-acre study area creates a meandering shape that wraps around these tracts and extends around and above peninsulas of residential -neighborhoods. The largest contiguous space of the study area exists in the southern half. The Applicant noted that due to the steep slopes and low value soil, most of the parcels included in the 2,000-acre study area have woodlots and are not in agricultural use. Based on Marion County aerial photographs of the region, very few of the woodlots appear to be intentionally planted stands of timber. One of the stands is directly north adjacent to the subject parcel. South adjacent is a clearcut that occurred between 2021 and 2023. Southwest adjacent of the subject parcel was a clear cut from between 2016-2019 that has been replanted. It is unclear from aerial photographs if this parcel has been replanted with timber or with Christmas trees. Roughly half of the wooded areas within the study area are covered with deciduous trees and irregularly growing evergreen trees. These naturally wooded areas are not considered to be in timber use. The largest stands of timber range from 10-15 acres and are on properties that contain dwellings. The most common agricultural use in the study area appears to be for the purpose of harvesting Christmas trees. The largest Christmas tree operation in the area is only partially within the study area. The entire operation consists of approximately 60-acres of Christmas trees planted across 3- parcels which total over 200-acres. This operation is on the southernmost edge of this 2000-acre study, and less than half of the total operation is within the study area. The largest single parcel in agricultural use is also on the southernmost edge of the 2000-acre study. This parcel is almost 200-acres and has 127-acres devoted to grass seed or hay production, and 20-acres devoted to Christmas trees. It is worth noting that a few acres of the Christmas tree