Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
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<strong>Genesee</strong> <strong>County</strong>: Town of Byron Cost of Community Services Study<br />
1.0 Executive Summary<br />
<strong>Genesee</strong> <strong>County</strong> is one of New York State’s most significant agricultural communities.<br />
The <strong>County</strong>’s unique “muckl<strong>and</strong>s” foster vegetable production while dairy farming<br />
remains a significant operation. After a slight decline in the early 1990’s, real farm sales<br />
in <strong>Genesee</strong> <strong>County</strong> increased by $26 million between 1992 <strong>and</strong> 1997. Over this time<br />
period, real crop sales increased $16 million while receipts from livestock related<br />
products increased $10 million.<br />
The statistics bear that while the value of agricultural goods produced in <strong>Genesee</strong> <strong>County</strong><br />
is increasing, the total number of farms <strong>and</strong> people who farm in the <strong>County</strong> is decreasing.<br />
In other words, farms are becoming larger, more productive, <strong>and</strong> controlled by fewer<br />
people. There is a generation of former farming families who have decided that they<br />
will not pursue a future in the agriculture industry. Their l<strong>and</strong> has come under residential<br />
<strong>and</strong> commercial development pressure as urban sprawl increases in neighboring Erie <strong>and</strong><br />
Monroe Counties. Many l<strong>and</strong>owners have made the decision to subdivide their<br />
agricultural l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> sell parcels for residential development.<br />
<strong>Agricultural</strong> l<strong>and</strong> is a non-renewable resource; once agricultural l<strong>and</strong> is converted to<br />
residential or commercial use, it cannot be returned to agricultural productivity. The<br />
purpose of completing a Cost of Community Services Study (COCS) is to try to<br />
substantiate an important claim that could help protect agricultural l<strong>and</strong> from future<br />
development. The COCS study attempts to prove that preserving agricultural l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
open space within a community can have a positive impact on the local tax base.<br />
A COCS Study was completed for the Town of Byron, New York as part of a <strong>County</strong>wide<br />
Farml<strong>and</strong> <strong>Protection</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> prepared for <strong>Genesee</strong> <strong>County</strong>. According to the results<br />
of the study completed for Byron, the average ratio of dollars generated by residential<br />
development to services required was $1.00 to $1.30. In other words, for every dollar<br />
raised from residential revenues, the Town spent an extra 30 cents on average in direct<br />
services. These services include education, health <strong>and</strong> human services, fire safety, <strong>and</strong><br />
public works. The average ratio for agricultural l<strong>and</strong>, forest <strong>and</strong> other open space was<br />
$1.00 to $.49 cents; for every dollar raised in revenue the Town retained $.51 cents.<br />
Average L<strong>and</strong> Use Ratios for the Town of Byron, New York<br />
Residential Commercial/Industrial <strong>Agricultural</strong>/Forest/Open Space<br />
$1.00: $1.30 $1:00: $0.77 $1.00: $0.49<br />
<strong>Agricultural</strong> & Community Development Services, Inc. 2<br />
peter j. smith & company, inc.