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Union County Steering Committee Presents Rural Land Use Plan; Board Directs Staff to Study Subdivision Threshold
Summary
Steering committee chair presented recommended rural land-use strategies including expanded easement purchases, contiguous open-space requirements, and limited low-impact rural commercial uses; commissioners approved a motion directing staff to research lowering the minor/major subdivision threshold.
The Union County Board of Commissioners heard a detailed presentation of a proposed rural land use plan and map amendments intended to preserve agricultural land and rural character.
Alan Baucham, chair of the rural land use steering committee, summarized a year of public outreach and recommended strategies that include expanding the agricultural easement purchase program with a long-term goal of protecting 10% of the county’s agricultural land (committees cited roughly 190,000 acres countywide and a 10% target of about 19,000 acres for 2050), adding limited, low-impact commercial uses in rural areas (with a 5-acre minimum and offset protections), requiring a portion of required open space to be contiguous (committee proposed 60% of the 30% open-space requirement), and allowing fees-in-lieu for small subdivisions that would fund easement purchases.
Baucham said the committee conducted two rounds of public engagement with roughly 400 responses and obtained endorsements from the Soil and Water Conservation District, the Land Use Board and the Agriculture Advisory Board.
Commissioners questioned the mechanics of several recommendations, including how fees-in-lieu would be set, how a requirement that subdivisions have water or sewer access would be enforced, and the timeline for implementation. Bjorn Hansen (senior planner) and county staff said implementation would require Unified Development Ordinance text amendments, coordination with legal counsel, and phased returns to the planning board and land use board.
Commissioner Brian Helms moved to direct staff to research lowering the threshold that classifies a subdivision as a "major" (the current threshold was cited at eight lots) and to return recommendations in January or February 2026. The board approved the motion by voice vote.
The steering committee indicated next steps would include refining implementation strategies, preparing text amendments where necessary, and returning to the land use board and the commission for subsequent adoption steps.
