AUBURN — The City Council appeared closer to a decision regarding updates to the city’s agricultural zone Monday, setting up a possible vote in the coming weeks.

After several months of workshops on the controversial issue, which at times confounded city officials, the council mostly agreed Monday on a path forward by using a concept developed by city staff.

For years, the discussion in Auburn has focused on zoning laws in the agriculture and resource protection zone that stipulate that in order to build a new home, a property owner must own at least 10 acres and earn 50 percent of household income from agriculture or forestry, a threshold that has become increasingly difficult to meet.

The concept recently proposed by staff would drop the income requirement from 50% to 40% of household income, or 40 percent of median household income for the city, whichever is less.

At least four councilors said they preferred that option Monday, rather than going by state guidelines that carry an annual income requirement of only $2,000.

City Manager Peter Crichton has described the move as an “incremental” step in modernizing the zone, intended to loosen restrictions without causing unintended consequences.

The 40% could be lowered to 35% or 30% in the final ordinance language based on further discussion Monday, including concerns from Councilor Andy Titus that shifting the requirement to 40% is “sticking with the status quo.”

For example, with Auburn median income at $46,976, 40% would be $18,790.

Councilor Andrew Titus argued that even reaching an income of $10,000 annually from farming “is a lot to achieve.” He called on the council to decide how to move forward, whether the reasoning was to support farmers or allow more housing.

“If it’s to allow housing, let’s call it what it is,” he said.

Titus and others said they’d like to see form-based code applied to the zone, a type of zoning that chooses a certain aesthetic outcome. However, others have argued that it would allow new development without requiring an agricultural use.

Councilor Holly Lasagna said the idea of using form-based code in the agricultural zone “came up at last minute.”

She said applying that to the zone “has nothing to do with farming.”

Lasagna was among the councilors to support the staff concept of lowering the income requirement.

“I think we should try it, and see what happens,” she said.

Officials have had more difficulty finding a solution for updating the ordinance regarding parcels between 3-10 acres, which have not been allowed to build a dwelling.

The current proposal is to give the Planning Board the ability to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis, with landowners required to also meet the income standard, as well as meet requirements set forth by a new Agriculture Committee.

Lasagna said she wants to make sure the council hears from landowners in the zone regarding the updated proposal.

Some councilors, however, were still not sold on the staff concept.

Councilor Belinda Gerry said she would like the income requirement to be a “sliding scale” based on a number of factors, and that the Agriculture Committee should be up and running prior to the council making any decisions.

Following Monday’s workshop, Mayor Jason Levesque called the council’s movement on the issue a major step. He said the council will likely take up the ordinance before the new slate of elected officials takes office at the end of the year.

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