Orange County holds public hearing on proposed additions to Agricultural District No. 1

The Orange County Legislature held a public hearing June 5 at the Orange County Government Center in Goshen to take public comment on two landowners’ requests to include properties in Orange County Agricultural District Number 1.

The hearing, convened by Education and Economic Development Committee Chair Joseph Nuda, followed notice that the annual modification is being processed under New York State Agricultural Markets Law §§303‑a and 303‑b. The county planning commissioner, Alan Sorenson, told legislators the Ag and Farmland Production Board reviewed both sites and recommended including both parcels in the district; he also said the Town of Newburgh submitted a letter opposing inclusion of the Newburgh property. No legislative action was taken at the hearing.

The proposed additions are described in the public notice as approximately 146,575.1 acres comprising Agricultural District No. 1 and include two enrollment applications: one from Marco Padone in the Town of Wallkill for a hemp-growing operation, and one from APJ Enterprises of Newburgh LLC in the Town of Newburgh for expanded horse‑boarding operations. Sorenson told the panel that the county’s ag board visited both parcels and recommended inclusion.

During the public comment portion, a neighbor identifying themselves as a Lakeside Road resident objected to APJ Enterprises’ canopy and equipment storage, saying the 40‑by‑80 canopy and heavy equipment have created visual and traffic concerns on the local 30 mph town road. The resident said the site contained excavators, decommissioned trucks and trailers, and that commercial traffic would harm local pedestrian and neighborhood uses.

An attorney for the applicant, Roland Bloomer, responded that the new owner has performed cleanup and site work since purchase, that the canopy is set well back from the road and intended for farm storage, and that commercial vehicles previously on the site have been removed or resolved with the town. Sorenson reiterated the Ag and Farmland Production Board recommended inclusion despite the Town of Newburgh’s opposition, and he said the town’s letter was provided for the record.

County officials informed attendees that documents relating to the 2025 annual modification are available at the county clerk’s office on the second floor of the Orange County Government Center and on the county website for inspection during normal business hours. Chair Nuda closed the hearing after no further speakers signed up.

Because this meeting was a public hearing only, the Legislature did not vote on either inclusion; the record will be available for subsequent committee and legislative consideration.