13908 Palmer Rd, Willis, MI 48191-9612

Agricultural-Conservation District

The Agricultural-Conservation AG-1 District is hereby established to preserve prime agricultural lands and land used for hunting, fishing, hiking, equestrian activities, and similar private rural outdoor recreational activities; to minimize land use conflicts with agricultural uses; and to protect viable agricultural enterprises from encroachment from suburban and urban uses and developments. Residential subdivisions and site condominium developments are considered to be incompatible with the intent of this District; This District is intended to maintain and preserve large contiguous blocks of agricultural land, both by original designation and by future annexation of smaller holdings to existing areas. The District is intended to be applied to areas that have soils well suited to agricultural activities, and to large contiguous parcels of land currently or historically used for agricultural or private rural outdoor recreational purposes. It is further intended that the Agricultural-Conservation District shall serve as the primary district for conservation of off-site open space under the Planned Unit Development PUD option; The intent of the Agricultural-Conservation District is to minimize excessive and unnecessary public expenditures caused by scattered demand for urban levels of public services in otherwise rural areas; and to protect areas of the Township for agricultural production, distribution, and accessory uses. This District is also intended to help maintain land values and related property tax assessments at levels that farm activities can support, and to avoid property tax increases, through speculation for higher density use, which force prime farmland into non-agricultural uses; It is further recognized that certain value-added services and agricultural-support uses are necessary to support local agricultural activities and the rural economy of the Township. Accordingly, it is the intent of this District to promote agricultural and private outdoor recreational uses as an important component of the local economy, and to allow for a limited range of agriculture oriented tourism, educational, and commercial uses, subject to standards designed to minimize impacts on the Township’s rural character.