This is the last part of the county's efforts to review periodically the elements of its land-use laws and align them with the state. The county ordinances being amended are directed at Goal 14, which provides for "an orderly and efficient transition from rural or urban land use." In essence, Goal 14's mandate is to specify the size of allowable future rural commercial, industrial and historic development within the county depending on whether the parcel is within or outside the boundaries of unincorporated communities.

"We don't want big boxes," says Lorraine Gonzales. "We want to eliminate them." Gonzales is a county land-use planner who is responsible for researching and writing the verbiage of the amendments.

As for property classified as Rural Commercial, Section 505 deems all pre-existing commercial uses as grandfathered in under the new law, thereby keeping them from being reclassified as non-conforming uses. Under the newly rewritten ordinance, however, the scale of commercial uses within a particular building has changed. Once the new law takes effect, all new commercial uses within an unincorporated community are limited to 4,000 sf of space per use. All uses outside of an unincorporated community are limited to 3,000 sf. All preexisting uses within the unincorporated community will be allowed to expand to 4,000 sf or an additional 50% of floor space, whichever is greater. All preexisting uses outside an unincorporated community may expand to 3,000 feet or an additional 25% of floor space, whichever is greater.