Opinion ID: 1776306
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the commission's actions herein were based upon the application of an invalid zoning ordinance presumption.

Text: The Commission is charged with the responsibility of preparing and adopting plans for the development and well-being of Bourbon County, Kentucky, and the formulation of means to implement those plans. Daviess County v. Snyder, Ky., 556 S.W.2d 688 (1977). Its authority is statutory (KRS Chap. 100). Strict compliance with the statute is mandatory. Creative Displays, Inc. v. City of Florence, Ky., 602 S.W.2d 682 (1980). KRS 100.277 requires that All subdivision of land shall receive commission approval, and until such approval is received and entered on the plat, it may not be recorded in the office of the county court clerk. Dealing with subdivisions, KRS 100.111(22) provides that any division of a parcel of land involving a new street constitutes a subdivision. However, there is the following exception: Providing That a division of land for agricultural purposes into lots of parcels of five (5) acres, or more and not involving a new street shall not be deemed a subdivision. Consequently, if Grissom has divided his farm into lots of not less than five acres each for agricultural purposes and there is no new street involved in the subdivision, there is a presumption that the resulting area would not be considered a subdivision. The subdivision plat may then be recorded. The Bourbon County subdivision regulations pertaining to land use in agricultural zones provide as follows: 3.22 Agricultural Zone 3.221 Uses Permitted a) Agricultural activities including agricultural crops, dairying, and the raising of fowls, or animals of any kind and feeding lots. Land in residential lots of five (5) acres or more in agricultural zones shall be presumed devoted to agricultural use. b) Single-family dwellings occupied by the owner or operator of the farm and such additional single-family dwellings as are necessary for occupancy by the employees of the farm operation. Permanent type buildings (not mobile homes) erected for this purpose and afterwards found to be unnecessary for such purposes may be rented for residential use. In defining subdivision, Section 1.8 of the Commission's regulations provides: `Subdivision' means the division of a parcel of land into three (3) or more lots or parcels except in a county containing a city of the first, second, or third class, or in an urban county government where a subdivision means the division of a parcel of land into two (2) or more lots or parcels for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale, lease, or building development, or if a new street is involved any division of a parcel of land: Providing that a division for agricultural purposes into lots or parcels of five (5) acres, or more and not involving a new street shall not be deemed a subdivision. The term includes resubdivision and when appropriate to the context, shall relate to the process of subdivision or to the land subdivided; any division or redivision of land into parcels of less than one acre occurring within twelve (12) months following a division of the same land shall be deemed a subdivision within the meaning of this section. (Emphasis added) The record reflects that the Grissom land, prior to it being divided, and other land adjacent thereto were zoned for agricultural use. It is Green's position that Grissom is attempting to create a residential subdivision without complying with the planning and zoning requirements, but merely by having the small tracts take on the statutory and ordinance presumption of being agricultural.
Green charges that the presumption of agricultural use for tracts of five acres or more clearly violates the statutory scheme for planning and zoning (KRS Chap. 100). We must bear in mind that planning and zoning are not synonymous. Zoning is concerned chiefly with land use; whereas, planning has to do with the systematic and orderly development of a community. The Commission may, without cavil, adopt a comprehensive plan and zoning regulations. In the subject action, Grissom sought to secure the approval of his subdivision plat in order that it may be recorded in the county court clerk's office and the 15 tracts sold off without considering any economical, technical, social or physical advancements or changes as required by KRS 100.197. The subdivision as proposed by Grissom in effect constitutes a change in the land use from agricultural to residential. KRS 100.111(22) provides that such division of agricultural lands (1) into tracts of five acres or more, and (2) not involving a new street, shall not be deemed a subdivision. On the other hand, the ordinance, in addition to reiterating this statute, provides that such lots of five acres or more in an agricultural zone shall be presumed to be devoted to agricultural use. This presumption is not a natural or logical extension of KRS 100.111(22). We find that the presumption of agricultural use as contained in Section 3.221 of the ordinance is in conflict with the provisions of KRS Chapter 100 dealing with the subdivision of land and the designation of land use. Consequently, it is invalid.
A legislative body has authority to prescribe that a certain state of facts shall constitute a presumption of agricultural use. The prescribed facts necessary to bring into being the presumption however must have a reasonable relation to the orderly development of a community. In the instant case, the uninhibited division of farm land into five-acre tracts, as herein sought, circumvents and emasculates rather than promotes the orderly development of a community by established planning and zoning requirements.