0 Nc 30, Stokes, NC 27884

Rural Agricultural District

The RA, Rural Agricultural District is primarily intended to accommodate very low-density residential uses as well as associated public and institutional uses, low intensity commercial uses, and agricultural-related industrial uses which are interspersed throughout areas that are principally characterized as rural in nature. This district reflects the diverse nature of land uses within predominantly rural areas and, therefore, permits a wide array of land uses. The district is specifically established for the following purposes: To preserve and encourage the continued use of land for agricultural, forestry, and open space purposes; To encourage small-scale and low intensity commercial uses that primarily provide goods and services to residents of the surrounding rural areas; To encourage only those industries which are agricultural-related; To encourage the concentration of more intensive urban land uses in and around identified growth areas that have the capacity to accommodate the utility and traffic demands of such development, thereby avoiding premature conversion of farmland to urban uses; and To discourage any use which, because of its character, would create premature or extraordinary public infrastructure and service demands.