Chapter 15.27
REMOTE/EXTREMELY LIMITED DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL (R/ELDP) ZONING DISTRICT

Sections:

15.27.010    Purpose.

15.27.020    Type I Permitted, Type II Administrative and Type III Conditional Uses.

15.27.030    Lot Size.

15.27.010 Purpose.

The intent of the remote/extremely limited development potential (R/ELDP) zoning district is to implement comprehensive plan goals and policies directed toward protecting the environment and retention of open spaces at a level consistent with carrying capacity of the land and cost-effective service availability. This zoning district has two primary characteristics that may be found together or separately: remoteness (locations generally outside of expected rural fire suppression service areas, with high costs for extending or maintaining roads and services given inaccessibility), and extreme development constraints (excessive or unstable slopes, soil constraints, topographic or flooding characteristics, wildfire potential). The R/ELDP zoning district also includes land with public values covered by Statute (e.g., shorelines or critical areas, or features such as sensitive fish and wildlife habitat). The zoning district has generally been applied to foothills, ridges, and arid uplands typically not well suited for commercial timber production. It has also been applied within some urban growth areas where development constraints exist – such as unstable slopes, flooding potential, etc. Agricultural uses are generally limited to grazing or other dry land farming, although soils and the land may become productive where irrigation water is available.

The specific intent of the R/ELDP zoning district is to:

(1)    Provide for very low intensity rural land uses and densities on lands with public emergency service constraints generally located outside existing fire districts, or more than five road miles from a year round responding fire station;

(2)    Minimize public health and safety risk on lands which have been mapped as critical areas (floodways, flood-prone areas, wetlands, shorelines), excessively steep slopes, or where developmentally constrained soils are predominant;

(3)    Provide development criteria for lands which have public values that must be protected under state law, where shorelines, wetlands, sensitive fish and wildlife habitat or other critical area features are predominant;

(4)    Limit development of lands generally located beyond the existing all-weather county road or state route access network, or where remote location makes public service delivery costs prohibitively high;

(5)    Protect commercial farm, forest or mineral extraction uses from incompatible development; and

(6)    Provide for implementation of the National Scenic Highway designation of State Route (SR) 410 and for protection of the scenic values of SR 12 through Type II or III review of appropriate limited-scale commercial project permits.

(Ord. 1-2000 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2000).

15.27.020 Type I Permitted, Type II Administrative and Type III Conditional Uses.

Type I permitted, Type II administrative and Type III conditional uses, as listed in Chapter 15.18. Particular emphasis shall be given to maintaining and enhancing the scenic values of the county and protection of critical areas through this review.

(Ord. 1-2000 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2000).

15.27.030 Lot Size.

(1)    The minimum lot size in the R/ELDP Zoning district shall be forty acres, or one quarter-quarter section, including public right-of-way (e.g. 40 acres); except,

(2)    The acreage of a marginally non-conforming lot that has existed since May 21, 1997 may be multiplied by a factor of 1.15 to determine whether or not it qualifies for a single division consistent with the minimum lot size of this zoning district.

(Ord. 1-2000 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 2000).