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ning for existing rural areas with more
<br />intensive development, such as unincor-
<br />porated hamlets and villages, shoreline
<br />developments, and resorts built or vested
<br />prior to the adoption of comprehensive
<br />plans prepared under the GMA. Aptly titled
<br />Limited Areas of More Intensive Rural
<br />Development (LAMIRDs) generally allow a
<br />greater amount of rural development than
<br />is ordinarily permitted outside of planned
<br />growth areas. The GMA states that mea-
<br />sures controlling rural development should,
<br />among other objectives, be visually com-
<br />patible with the surrounding rural area, re-
<br />duce sprawling, low- density development,
<br />and protect critical resource areas.
<br />However, many counties in
<br />Washington, as elsewhere in the United
<br />States, have areas of existing rural residen-
<br />tial development and rural nonresidential
<br />land uses that play an important role in the
<br />local economy. Therefore, the GMA permits
<br />LAMIRDs in three separate scenarios. The
<br />first is for the infill, development, or rede-
<br />velopment of existing commercial, indus-
<br />trial, residential, or mixed use areas. The
<br />other two instances are for the intensifica-
<br />tion or expansion of residential, tourism,
<br />or nonresidential uses on existing lots. For
<br />instance, LAMIRD designation allows rural
<br />businesses to expand on existing lots.
<br />King County, Washington, has estab-
<br />lished a Rural Economic Strategies (RES)
<br />program to support rural businesses that are
<br />compatible with the rural character of the
<br />region. They have created six rural economic
<br />clusters and recommended specific strate-
<br />gies to strengthen each cluster's economic
<br />base. These clusters are agriculture, forestry,
<br />home -based businesses, tourism and recre-
<br />ation, rural towns and neighborhoods, and
<br />rural cities. Recommended strategies include
<br />reviewing county regulations and procedures
<br />governing agriculture- related businesses,
<br />exploring options to prepare business plans
<br />for farm and forest businesses, and creating
<br />a model to promote tours of working farms,
<br />heritage sites, and habitat restoration sites.
<br />Scott County, Minnesota, has also
<br />faced the question of defining what is rural.
<br />Its comprehensive plan identified roughly
<br />one - quarter of the county's land base as
<br />permanently rural. County planners and the
<br />Center for Rural Design at the University of
<br />Minnesota then engaged the public in a
<br />series of public meetings using visual prefer-
<br />ence surveys and roundtable discussions to
<br />create a more fine- grained description of the
<br />elements of a rural landscape. A rural charac-
<br />ter map was then created to identify four rural
<br />character areas: mixed land rural residential,
<br />natural and cover residential, lake country
<br />residential, and farm country. Finally, these
<br />maps were used, along with visual preference
<br />surveying, to garner the community's feel-
<br />ings on the appropriate types and patterns of
<br />development in each of these rural character
<br />areas as well as how planning and design
<br />guidelines could be useful in directing devel-
<br />opment in these areas.
<br />CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
<br />The rural areas of your community should
<br />not be viewed simply as "those areas out-
<br />side of where we plan to grow." Too often in
<br />the past planners have principally focused
<br />on houses, industry, and civic institutions
<br />within adopted growth boundaries and
<br />viewed the areas outside the growth line
<br />as static, monolithic areas of natural re-
<br />sources and agriculture. Even worse, they
<br />looked at these places as merely holding
<br />areas until development arrived. The fol-
<br />lowing points should be considered by
<br />communities as they plan for their rural
<br />areas' community character and economic
<br />health:
<br />Too often, planners
<br />have looked at rural
<br />areas as merely
<br />holding areas until
<br />development arrived.
<br />Identify the specific components of
<br />your rural areas. What is the form and char-
<br />acter of existing villages as well as postwar
<br />residential development? Identify all of the
<br />small businesses and the associated tax
<br />base and employment that exist in your
<br />community. Inventory all of the various
<br />farm - support businesses in your commu-
<br />nity. Work with a local university or state
<br />geographic information office to map all of
<br />the natural resources in your community.
<br />Assess the agricultural economy in your
<br />community: What is the average size of
<br />farms? What are they growing? What is the
<br />average age of farmers in your community?
<br />Craft plans and land -use regulations
<br />that reflect and recognize the unique devel-
<br />opment patterns of your rural area. Don't
<br />borrow someone else's suburban residential
<br />zoning regulations or economic development
<br />plan. Engage your citizens in identifying how
<br />your community first came about and how
<br />it evolved to what it is today. Obviously, a
<br />town founded as a mill center in the 1800s is
<br />most likely no longer serving that function.
<br />However, if it was laid out in a linear pattern
<br />parallel to a major stream, future develop-
<br />ment should reflect this pattern.
<br />Foster existing economic activities that
<br />benefit and are compatible with the local
<br />community. Washington's LAMIRD provisions
<br />illustrate the importance of locally based
<br />commerce and industry. In Lancaster County,
<br />many of the farm -based businesses oper-
<br />ated by the county's Plain Sect Amish and
<br />Mennonite farmers provide goods and ser-
<br />vices used by their Plain neighbors. Examples
<br />include blacksmiths, farm equipment manu-
<br />facturing, and small machine repair.
<br />Cover image: © IStockphoto com /Michael Gatewood design concept by Lisa Barton
<br />VOL. 30, NO. 3
<br />Zoning Practice is a monthly publication of the American Planning Association. Subscriptions are
<br />available for $95 (U.S.) and $120 (foreign). W. Paul Farmer, rAICP, Chief Executive Officer; William R.
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