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Search Results for Topic : Farmland Protection & Preservation
Updated Town and Village of Middleburgh Comprehensive Plan
Date Added: Monday, June 11, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Economic Development, Flood Prevention, Historic Preservation, Land Use Planning, Open Space Preservation, Solar Energy, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
The Town and Village of Middleburgh, New York’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan calls for commercial-scale solar farms to be allowed through a Special Use Permit and that standards be applied to this use that ensures consistency with the scenic, environmental, and agricultural needs of the community. According to the plan, modifications to the community’s zoning ordinance should be made to ensure that these farms do not create negative aesthetic impacts and or direct glare onto roads or neighboring properties. The Plan also calls for the Town’s zoning ..
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State of New York Transfer of Development Rights Ordinance
Date Added: Monday, May 8, 2017Purchase of Development Rights, Scenic Resources, Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), Natural Resource Protection & Conservation, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
State
This law authorizes cities within New York State to transfer development rights with respect to parcels of land under zoning ordinances or local laws, and also governs the transfer of development rights between sending and receiving districts...
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Town of Newtown Zoning Ordinance
Date Added: Monday, May 8, 2017Agriculture, Zoning, Natural Resource Protection & Conservation, Farmland Protection & Preservation
Connecticut
Municipal
The town of Newtown created a conservation and agriculture zone, which, in part, is focused on the retention of agriculture as a beneficial industry within the town. No land or structure within the zone may be altered except for the purposes of natural resource conservation or farming...
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State of North Carolina Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance – Counties
Date Added: Sunday, May 7, 2017Open Space Preservation, Agriculture, State Land Use Law, Farmland Protection & Preservation
North Carolina
State
Counties have all the same powers with regard to agricultural land protection as cities have (see above). Additionally, counties have further authority, not provided to cities, under the Farmland Preservation Enabling Act, located at Article 61 within Chapter 106. Under § 106-736, counties may establish by ordinance a farmland preservation program. Such a program must provide for the establishment of voluntary agricultural districts consisting of a minimum number of acres (to be determined by the board of commissioners) and the formation of suc..
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State of North Carolina Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance - Cities
Date Added: Sunday, May 7, 2017Historic Preservation, Open Space Preservation, Agriculture, State Land Use Law, Farmland Protection & Preservation
North Carolina
State
Under the Conservation and Historic Preservation Agreements Act, found at Article 4 within Chapter 121, cities have the authority to acquire conservation easements and other interests in property for the purpose of retaining the land for, among other uses, agriculture, horticulture, and farming. § 121-35, § 121-37. (See Conservation Easements, above.) Additionally, North Carolina has a statutorily stated goal of preserving one million acres of farm lands, open space, and conservation lands by 2009. §§ 113A-240, 241. However, the provisions of t..
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State of Massachusetts Conservation Restrictions Ordinance
Date Added: Saturday, May 6, 2017Affordable Housing , Farmland Protection & Preservation, Wetlands & Watercourse Protection, Conservation Districts & Subdivisions
Massachusetts
State
This statute grants the authority to “any governmental body” to acquire and hold conservation restrictions for purposes including conservation of land or water area. The restriction is subject to approval by the secretary of environmental affairs. In determining whether the restriction is in the public interest, the governmental body shall take into consideration the public interest in conservation and any national, state, regional, and local program as well as any public state, regional, or local comprehensive land use or development plan af..
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State of Massachusetts Agricultural Incentive Areas Ordinance
Date Added: Saturday, May 6, 2017Incentive Zoning, Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
Massachusetts
State
This statute authorizes a city or town to determine and designate agricultural land or land with horticultural use as agricultural incentive areas upon consultation with, and review by local and regional planning and zoning boards. Section two of this statute authorizes a municipality to establish an agricultural incentive area committee for purposes of performing the functions under this chapter, “Agricultural Incentive Areas,” namely the preservation of agricultural or horticultural lands via the designation of agricultural incentive areas a..
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Town of Brookhaven Supplementary Zoning Provisions Ordinance
Date Added: Saturday, May 6, 2017Local Boards, Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
This ordinance creates the Agricultural Advisory Board. ..
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Town of Eden Agriculture Advisory Committee
Date Added: Thursday, May 4, 2017Local Boards, Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
Chapter 5 of the Town Code for the Town of Eden creates the Agricultural Advisory Committee for the Town and describes its powers and duties. ..
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Town of Chili Agricultural Conservation District Ordinance
Date Added: Monday, May 1, 2017Accessory Uses , Open Space Preservation, Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
This law was created by the Town Board of Chili, NY, in an effort to protect agricultural lands within the town by creating the Agricultural Conservation District. The law describes: the accessory and conditional uses that are allowed, the dimension requirements for the district, incentive zoning requirements and other miscellaneous requirements needed to set up the district. ..
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Ordinance Concerning the Right to Farm in the Town of Woodstock
Date Added: Monday, March 21, 2016Right-to-Farm, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
This ordinance authorizes the farmer’s right to farm in the town, thereby maintaining agricultural land as open space and maintaining a traditional livelihood of residents of the town...
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State of Pennsylvania Agricultural Security Areas Ordinance
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
Pennsylvania
State
This statute provides the authority for cities and counties to establish agricultural preserves to protect agricultural land uses. The statute sets a general minimum acreage requirement of 250 acres but allows such districts to be composed of “any number of noncontiguous tax parcels or accounts.” The statute also describes fees, notice requirements, and duties of the reviewing board...
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State of New York Coordination with Agricultural Districts Program
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
State
This law states that local governments shall not pass rules or regulations that unreasonably restrict farm structures or practices unless they bear a direct relationship to public health and safety. Any application for development in an agricultural zone, or within five hundred feet of one, must include an agricultural data statement that the developer must send to the town board, planning board, or zoning board of appeals, as well as to the owner of the agricultural property. ..
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Town of Malta Farming Ordinance
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Right-to-Farm, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
It is the general purpose and intent of this chapter to maintain and preserve the rural tradition and character of the Town of Malta, to permit the continuation of agricultural practices, to protect the existence and operation of farms and to encourage the initiation and expansion of farms and agricultural businesses...
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Massachusetts Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance
Date Added: Wednesday, February 24, 2016Farmland Protection & Preservation
Massachusetts
State
This statute authorizes a city or town to establish a conservation commission for the promotion, development and protection of the natural resources of the city or town. Paragraph two below authorizes such commission to adopt rules and regulations governing the use of agricultural lands under its control to achieve its purpose. Such regulations shall not be less stringent than those regulations under section forty of chapter one hundred and thirty-one, which sets the statewide minimum standard for the regulation of the environment and natura..
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The Jefferson County Farmland Protection Program
Date Added: Wednesday, February 24, 2016Farmland Protection & Preservation
West Virginia
Municipal
This county farmland protection plan offers provisions for land acquisition and the purchase of conservation easements based on a system of prioritization to determine the allocation of funds...
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California Land Conservation Act
Date Added: Wednesday, February 10, 2016Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
California
State
The California Land Conservation Act provides the authority for cities and counties to establish agricultural preserves to protect agricultural land uses. The Act permits cities and counties to enter into renewable contracts with landowners to designate land uses for a given parcel...
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Town of Brookhaven Right to Farm Ordinance
Date Added: Wednesday, February 10, 2016Right-to-Farm, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
The Right to Farm ordinance is a legislative intent acknowledging the importance of agricultural production to the Town’s character, environment, and economy, and defines protected farm practices. Food production, horticultural products, livestock, maple syrup, honey, horses, tree farms, and aquaculture products, are permitted to happen at all times without exception. This ordinance promises that it will advise developers against projects that are located within 1,000 feet of a farm, within an agricultural district or are working around an a..
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Town of Brookhaven Farmland Bill of Rights
Date Added: Wednesday, February 10, 2016Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
Under the Town of Brookhaven’s Farmland Bill of Rights, Town bodies or officials that have land use or development responsibilities must notify applicants of proposed development projects of the existence of a protected farming operation within 1,000 feet of the development’s boundaries. The ordinance establishes that the benefits of bona fide agricultural production, both to the residents of the community as well as to the local government, outweigh the nuisances associated with farming operations. The ordinance defines the agricultural produc..
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Town of Brookhaven Agricultural Advisory Board Ordinance
Date Added: Wednesday, February 3, 2016Local Boards, Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
Municipal
Brookhaven’s Agricultural Advisory Board ordinance allows for the creation of an 11-member advisory board. The board, comprised of local residents from the agricultural community and community-based organizations interested in land preservation and agriculture, makes recommendations to the town board about the implementation of an Agricultural Use Agreement Program and the use of agricultural easements as land use planning and preservation tools. ..
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New York State Statutes that Provide for the Protection of Agricultural Lands
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
State
Michael Morea’s article reviews different New York State statutes and different methods that can be implemented to preserve farmland and still allow development. The author concludes that New York State is trying to carry out its Constitutional policy of preserving farmland, but that the statutes are largely separated and it is difficult for the municipality to create a effective policy. Some of the statutes that the author discovered provide tax breaks and financial incentives for the creation of easements restricting the land to agricultural ..
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