Town of Seward Draft Agriculture and Farmland ... - Schoharie County

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Land Use Regulation & Land Use Plans The Town of Seward Land Use Code is comprised of zoning regulations, subdivision regulations and regulations governing the siting of mobile homes and the development of mobile home parks and trailer camps. The Land Use Code was originally adopted in 1997 and amended in 2006 and then 2007. The Land Use Code is relatively simple and reflective of the rural and agricultural character of the community. According to the Town of Seward Land Use Code agriculture is a permitted use within the town’s Residential Agricultural (RA) and Open Space (OS) zoning districts. These two zoning districts appear to cover 90 to 95 percent of land in the town. Seward does not have a comprehensive land use in place but has conducted a land use survey to find out how town residents would like to see their town grow. The results of this survey are in the appendix (Appendix F). A review of Seward’s land use regulations by AFT found Seward’s Land Use Code to be relatively simple and reflective of the rural and agricultural character of the community. AFT’s Review of Regulations for Seward focused on four areas of the Town of Seward Land Use Code zoning regulations as they related to agriculture in the Town of Seward: conformance with New York State Agriculture and Markets Law; permitted (and not permitted land uses; zoning dimensional requirements; and zoning definitions. The Review made several recommendations of how the zoning regulations can be improved to be more farm friendly. The complete Review is found in the appendix (Appendix G) of this plan. The Town of Seward’s Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan Committee has chosen to include the following two recommendations from the AFT’s Review of Regulations in the Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan: Establish business classification categories of “agribusiness” and “agritourism” to accommodate side businesses operated by farmers to support active farm operations such as farm equipment and agricultural supply dealerships as well as on-farm activities for the public such as corn mazes and hayrides. (See pages 7 & 8 of the AFT Review of Regulations located in the appendix - Appendix G) Modify definition of “Farm Structure/Use” to eliminate references to minimum size and minimum income. (See page 13 of the AFT Review of Regulations located in the appendix – Appendix G) A recommendation is also included in the plan for the Town of Seward to review the substantial lot size, lot width and yard setback requirements in the town’s RA Residential Agricultural and OS Open Space zoning districts. According to AFT’s Review of Regulations “The practice of utilizing very large lots as a means of protecting rural character and open space resources is common throughout the country. The practice does have some merit when applied toward the protection of rural character and open space resources, particularly in communities with little growth pressure. The practice when applied to agricultural lands and agricultural uses however may have the undesirable effect of 1) Town of Seward Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan 23
emoving excessive amounts of land from agricultural production; 2) unnecessarily restricting the operation of farms; and 3) adding unnecessarily to the cost of running and agricultural operation without substantially advancing the public policy interest or protecting valuable agricultural land resources.” Unless combined with other restrictions, minimum lot size zoning as a means of stabilizing the agricultural land base, often does little to protect land for farming. In fact, larger lots may end up consuming available land resources quickly, accelerating the conversion of farmland. Comprehensive Plan In cooperation with the Schoharie County Planning and Development Agency (SCPDA), the Town of Seward conducted a survey of town residents on the topic of land use (Appendix F). The primary purpose of the survey was to provide the town with information that could be used in the drafting of a comprehensive land use plan, Seward is now seriously considering the possibility of developing a comprehensive plan. Comprehensive plans serve as the foundation of local land use planning. A comprehensive plan represents a community’s vision for its future as well as a road map for how it wants to get there. Comprehensive plans often include: A vision statement describing the community’s long-term goals; Maps identifying different natural and community resources, infrastructure and land uses; Research regarding a town’s citizens, land uses, businesses and natural resources; Feedback from citizens via surveys, public meetings, focus groups and other public participation vehicles; Recommendations to achieve a community’s stated objectives. The development of a comprehensive plan is an important opportunity to engage community residents in thinking about the future. Farmers and rural landowners should be involved early in the process, so that the final plan represents the interests and concerns of farmers. Town of Seward Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan 24
Page 1 and 2: Seward, New York AGRICULTURAL AND F
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements Town of Seward Agr
Page 5 and 6: Appendix A. NYSDAM Agriculture Defi
Page 7 and 8: F. Farmland Protection 1. Educate L
Page 9: Definition of Agriculture The Town
Page 12 and 13: committees a joint executive agricu
Page 14 and 15: Farming in Seward Palatine Germans
Page 16 and 17: Soils The entire Town of Seward, 23
Page 18 and 19: Environmental and Recreational Bene
Page 20 and 21: In 2002 American Farmland Trust con
Page 22 and 23: JERSEY LN EMPIE LN GORDON RD STATE
Page 24 and 25: of dairy products sold in the Town
Page 26 and 27: Conversion Pressure Housing develop
Page 30 and 31: Clearview Dr Winegard Rd Winkler Rd
Page 32 and 33: Goals & Recommendations Goal I Supp
Page 34 and 35: Recommendation 8 Consider Housing P
Page 36 and 37: parcels of agricultural land are co
Page 38 and 39: land’s value for development and
Page 40 and 41: Action ii Take Advantage of Ethnic
Page 42 and 43: markets and wholesale to urban-base
Page 44 and 45: Recommendation 4 Produce Biofuel Co
Page 46 and 47: Goal II: Foster Economic Opportunit
Page 48 and 49: Implementation Responsibility Parti

Town of Seward Draft Agriculture and Farmland ... - Schoharie County

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