Ada County First to Adopt Blueprint Recommendation in Ordinance
On June 18, 2008, Ada County became the first local government agency to not only adopt recommendations of the Blueprint for Good Growth into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, but also adopt a provision into ordinance. Ada County has ammended its zoning ordinance to eliminate the Non-Farm Subdivision zoning entitlement from its zoning regulations.
Originally envisioned as a way to assist the agricultural community by providing a means to get economic returns out of unproductive farmland, the entitlement had become a patchwork of small water and wastewater systems that often had considerable problems. In addition, the agriculturally productive farmland that remained was not permantly set aside as open space, even though that was what the zoning map designated the land as. If the property was subsequently annexed, it then typically created a clash of large lot homes on marginal water and wastewater systems next to high density homes on urban services. Once the water and wastewater systems fail, the owners were charged large connection fees to urban services.
The elimination of this zoning entitlement will help move Ada County forward in creating better coordination between urban and rural property uses and should lead to better patterns of growth in Ada County.
Tags: Growth, Regional Cooperation