Escambia Zoning Change Allows Some Homes On An Acre Or More To Be Sold Away From Farmland

February 5, 2021

The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to amend zoning to allow homes to be severed away from larger agricultural parcels and sold, if certain conditions are met.

Agricultural zoning currently allows one dwelling unit per 20 acres. The new zoning amendment allows the sale of residential structures that predate the agricultural zoning designation to remain conforming uses as long as they are sold on a parcel that is at least one acre in size.

“This action doesn’t allow for increased density by what we are doing,” Barry said. “The home would be severed out of the parent parcel. The remaining orphaned parcel doesn’t have an entitlement for a home.”

For example, a farmer might purchase a 20 acre parcel that contains a home. The farmer would be allowed to sell the home on a one acre parcel. Another home could never be constructed on the remaining 19 acres, but that acreage would remain zoned for farming, including timber.

Barry said that when a farmer buys a large tract of property in agriculture areas, there’s often an older home on it. The farmer often has no intended use for the structure. Previously, that forced them to sever out 20 acres to have a conforming use in order to sell the house.

With the zoning change, they can now sell the home with an acre or more and retain the remainder of the land for farming.

“This has a possibility of creating a better protection for the agriculture nature of the north (part of the county) than just about anything we’ve ever seen,” Commissioner Doug Underhill said.

Pictured: The sun sets over a North Escambia cornfield. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

7 Responses to “Escambia Zoning Change Allows Some Homes On An Acre Or More To Be Sold Away From Farmland”

  1. Not right on February 6th, 2021 7:13 am

    I dont get it.if it’s your land you should do what you want to when you pay taxes. Why does the gov.control everything you do? Just like on hwy 97 all that land is for sales for more houses coming north.if farmers quit farming what is people gona for for food.china I guess will control our food.

  2. Reader on February 5th, 2021 11:15 pm

    ///I’m just curious if the party who purchased 100 acres of 150 can build a new home and then sale 95 acres of//

    Presuming you are talking about ag zoning — no. The property with the new home would not qualify….because the home would not “predate the agricultural zoning designation “. It could be used for ag uses only.

  3. John on February 5th, 2021 10:04 pm

    I’m just curious if the party who purchased 100 acres of 150 can build a new home and then sale 95 acres of unwanted property again under the same same zoning change and then continue with the flop flop maneuver until the whole track is now a new development.

  4. @ A Alex on February 5th, 2021 2:08 pm

    Im happy with that Minimum. I grew up here back when it was dirtroads and nothing but farms. This allows to continue to keep agriculture alive. If you want more than one acre im sure the farmer or land seller would be willing to discuss. But I like that its only a minimum.

  5. William Lingo on February 5th, 2021 9:58 am

    I like the idea of 5 acre lots

  6. Bama on February 5th, 2021 8:36 am

    @ A Alex
    That is a minimum, not a maximum. The seller can sell more than 1 acre if they choose, and the buyer wants more. They just can’t sell less than an acre.

  7. A Alex on February 5th, 2021 7:16 am

    Live here in Molino…. Very disappointed in minimum of one acre…. Thats a postage stamp size lot here in the country. Neighbors have 2-3 acres. We have five. Minimum should have been 2 1/2 acres

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News