The Town of Camp Verde often promotes its identity alongside an agricultural lifestyle.
Last week, the Town Council expanded opportunities for agritourism, which is “the act of visiting a working farm, ranch, agricultural or horticultural agribusiness for the purpose of enjoyment, education or active involvement of visitors to experience a rural lifestyle,” according to the town.
The definition includes different uses of land, like self-pick farms, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, barn dances, wine tastings and bird watching.
Before last week, there were restrictions in the town’s code about where these types of activities could take place.
The original rules were established in 2011, Community Development Director Michael Jenkins said.
They restricted activities to land designated agricultural.
There are no such properties inside the town’s limits, according to Jenkins.
Before last week, properties needed to be at least five acres to qualify as agricultural zoning.
Despite the requirements, the community development office’s report noted that several smaller parcels of land were already being used for agricultural purposes.
“We began to look at possibilities for people who don’t have five acres of land,” Jenkins said.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, July 1, edition of The Camp Verde Journal.
