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Orange County schedules public hearing and authorizes funding to preserve Morcheski Farm in Warwick
Summary
The Rules Committee scheduled a public hearing and authorized Orange County to pay up to $272,569 toward an undivided interest in a conservation easement to preserve the 66-acre Morcheski Farm in Warwick.
The Orange County Legislature's Rules Committee rescinded a December 2024 resolution that incorrectly described who would hold co-title to a conservation easement and then set a public hearing under New York General Municipal Law 247 to consider acquisition of a conservation easement on the Morcheski Farm in the town of Warwick.
Committee members were told the Morcheski Farm is about 66 acres and that the county would purchase development rights to preserve the farm. Planning staff said the state is contributing through farmland-protection implementation grants that can cover 70 to 75 percent of the cost, making the county's share good leverage for the open-space program.
As part of the same package, the committee authorized acquiring an undivided interest in the conservation easement at a maximum county cost of $272,569, not to exceed 25 percent of the project cost, to be appropriated from the 2024 Orange County Open Space Fund. The committee set a public hearing for Feb. 21 at 3:30 p.m. under New York General Municipal Law
Officials noted the county received seven open-space applications in the recent round and that the legislature had authorized $4 million for open-space projects in 2025. Planning staff said they expect to fund about three applications from the current round and offered towns and villages the option to apply jointly.
The motions to rescind the earlier resolution, to set the public hearing, and to appropriate the county share passed by voice vote.
