The City of Visalia invites you to learn more about plans to potentially establish an Agricultural Mitigation Program (AMP) for farmland preservation in Visalia.
“Required by the City’s General Plan before opening the next growth area, an AMP can help conserve natural resources and maintain community character,” shares Brandon Smith, Senior Planner, City of Visalia. “Working with a consultant funded by a state planning grant, we started this process in September of this year and are conducting our first public meeting to introduce the collected data.”
The Public Workshop will take place as part of a work session of the City of Visalia Planning Commission on Monday, November 9th at 6 p.m. at the Visalia Convention Center.
It will include a presentation of recent changes in legislation and case law related to ag mitigation, a summary of farmland preservation best practices and established programs, and a map series of relevant data, including land use, soils, and farmland classifications, collected for the Visalia Planning Area.
Should an AMP be adopted, development projects within the City that convert important farmland to urban uses would be required to conserve farmland outside the City or pay an in-lieu fee.
“Observations based on the data will be presented by staff and the consultant for all those in attendance at the Workshop,” shares Smith. “The first phase of this project is to determine the feasibility of an AMP, so we look forward to presenting the information and receiving feedback from the public and development community.”
For more information on this Public Workshop or to review associated documents prior to the meeting, click here or contact Brandon Smith, Senior Planner, at (559) 713-4636 or brandon.smith@visalia.city.