21739 E 500 North Rd, Downs, IL 61736

Agriculture District

Agricultural land is under urban pressure from expanding incorporated areas. This urban pressure takes the form of scattered development in wide belts around the incorporated communities of McLean County, brings conflicting land uses into juxtaposition, creates high costs for public services and stimulates land speculation. Certain agricultural land constitutes unique and irreplaceable land resources. It is the purpose of the Agriculture District to provide a means by which agricultural land may be protected and enhanced as an economic and environmental resource of major importance to the County. Therefore, the Agriculture District is intended to accomplish the following objectives: Promote the use of agricultural land that is most suitable for farming activities; Protect the value of agricultural land from indiscriminate incompatible and conflicting land uses; Conserve and protect open space, wooded areas, streams, mineral deposits and other natural resources from incompatible land uses and provide for their timely utilization; Provide for the location and govern the establishment and operation of land uses which are compatible with agriculture and are of such a nature that their location away from residential, commercial and industrial areas is most desirable; Provide for the location and govern the establishment and use of residential uses that are accessory to and necessary for the conduct of agriculture; Provide for the location and govern the establishment and use of limited non-farm dwellings.