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Farmer urges Peters Township to enforce agricultural buffers after Tuscany 2 development placed homes close to orchards
Summary
Farmer Robert Simmons told the commission that spatial buffer zones shown on plans were not established with plantings and that new protected-wetlands delineations and a 100-foot regulatory setback are now restricting his farming operations; staff said the spatial buffer is recorded but landscaping and sequencing were not completed and pledged to explore procedural fixes.
Robert Simmons told the Peters Township Planning Commission on June 11 that a longstanding problem with agricultural buffer implementation is threatening his orchard operations as the Tuscany 2 subdivision is built adjacent to his fields.
Simmons said he has farmed the property for decades and that previous discussions and studies had indicated a continuous buffer along his property line. He said the recorded plan shows a 25-foot spatial buffer but that plantings were not installed and that houses and a cul-de-sac have been placed close to his orchard. Simmons said the situation worsened after a protected-wetlands delineation created a regulatory 100-foot setback from wetlands and an additional vegetative strip requirement that together restrict where he can farm. "I'm losing — losing — losing constantly," Simmons said, describing repeated loss of productive ground and the inability to spray or spread manure in areas now constrained by the wetlands setback.
Staff responded that the spatial buffer is shown on the recorded plan but that landscaping and the required sequence of installations were not completed during construction; staff noted overhead utility easements and construction sequencing can complicate where plantings are placed and said they are reviewing the implementation process. Commissioners and staff discussed options, including adding temporary screening during construction, reviewing planting sequencing, and considering future ordinance adjustments such as a larger agricultural setback.
What’s next: staff said it is working on guidance for buffer sequencing and will look at procedural changes to ensure protective landscaping is installed earlier in the construction sequence; commissioners requested more outreach to affected farmers if future wetland delineations or setbacks alter farming operations.
