This District is hereby established to provide space for agricultural and conservation uses which comprise an important part of the economy. The intent herein is to permit lands best suited for agriculture and conservation to be utilized for these purposes and to prevent the encroachment of urban and other incompatible land uses to protect the physical and economic well-being of agricultural and conservation activities.

Further, this District is intended to provide suitable locations on the fringes of the urban areas for urbanization which will occur in the foreseeable future. It is not intended that this District provide a location for a lower standard of residential, commercial or industrial development than is authorized in other districts. Rather, this District should (A) promote an organized, efficient pattern of urban development by providing conditions conducive to continued use of land for agricultural purposes in appropriate locations, thereby reducing economic pressures which would otherwise lead to a scattered, inefficient, inconvenient patterns of urban activities, and (B) to conserve the county's natural forest and recreational resources. The types of uses, area and intensity of use of land authorized in this District are designed to encourage and protect any agricultural or conservation uses until urbanization is warranted and the appropriate changes in districts can be made.

Property and buildings in the AC — Agricultural and Conservation District shall be used only for the following purposes:

Land Area. All building sites derived from the division of farm land or any other parcel of land must be a minimum of three acres unless a single lot-of-record under 3 acres exists; in this instance the lot may be utilized for the development of a one-family dwelling. This regulation does not apply to campsites or summer homes as the land area for campsite parcels is based upon the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, but in all cases shall contain a land area exceeding one acre.

Setbacks. All structures must be set back a minimum of 35 feet from the road right-of-way line and 10 feet minimum from all other property lines. When an Agricultural District abuts a Residential District, all farm buildings must be located not less than 35 feet from the property line.