Auburn's longstanding agricultural zone was significantly altered Monday night. The city council approved changes removing a requirement that residents earn a certain percentage of their income from farming to live there.
The new ordinance now requires any new housing to have some sort of connection to recreational or natural resource uses. Residences can't be bigger than 20% of the lot.
The change was supported by some residents who were concerned that removing the income requirement without any agricultural stipulations would lead to aggressive development in the area.
That faction was represented by Chris Carson, who said it was the best option for change. He stressed the importance of protecting the region's agricultural character.
"These areas include land with significant development constraints that should not be developed, as well as land that is not appropriate for development at this time," he said.
Councilor Dana Staples said it was remarkable a compromise could be reached, given the friction leading up to it.
"I'm just surprised that we've come to a place where people are more or less in the right, in the right frame set and more or less happy with this proposal," he said.
The income requirement had been debated and challenged several times since it was put in place in the 1960s. Mayor Jason Levesque called it possibly one of the "most significant" rezoning actions in the state.
