02/08/1995 P&Z Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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and metropolitan system plans. The Council will work with local units of government to establish the location and staging of the metropolitan urban service area. Action Step 5B The Council will retain the current urban service area boundary for the year 2000, making appropriate changes after verifying land demand and supply with local governments along the boundary line. Action Step 5C The Council will work with local communities through the comprehensive planning process to designate areas for longer term future urbanization by establishing 2005 and 2010 urban service area boundaries. THE RURAL SERVICE AREA Action Step 5D The Council will support three land use types outside the metropolitan urban service area; commercial agriculture, rural centers and general rural use. The rural service area includes the commercial agricultural area, rural centers and the general rural use area. The commercial agricultural area includes "agricultural preserve" land under the Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves Act that is certified by the local government as eligible for the agricultural preserves program. It also includes the long term agricultural land that is categories as Class I, II, III or irrigated Class IV land according to the Capability Classification Systems of the Soil Conservation Service and the county soil survey. In a prime farmland area, the Council will support a density of one housing unit per 40 acres. The rural centers are 34 small cities that used to serve primarily as retail and transportation centers for surrounding agricultural areas, but are now home to many residents who work in the urban area and many industries with few ties to agriculture. Examples include Young America, New Market and St. Francis. These cities should pace development with their ability to provide their own urban services, but without regional facilities. The general rural use area is land outside the urban service area that has a wide variety of land uses, including farms, provide for low density residential development and facilities that mainly serve urban residents, such as regional parks. "Low density residential development" is defined as a maximum density of one unit per 10 acres computed on the basis of 640 acre parcels (one square mile). Regional facilities and services should not be extended into this area to serve high density development like that found in the urban service area. 2