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Ag Board recommends six parcels for addition to Orange County Agricultural District 1, declines two larger requests
Summary
At its April 15 meeting the Orange County Agricultural & Farmland Protection Board recommended adding six properties (totaling multiple parcels, sizes noted per parcel) to Agricultural District 1 and declined two applications, citing limited current agricultural activity on those sites. All motions were approved unanimously.
The Orange County Agricultural & Farmland Protection Board on April 15 recommended that the County Legislature add six properties to Orange County Agricultural District 1 and declined two others after site visits and review of eight enrollment applications.
Planner J. MacLeod told the board it had received eight applications for addition to the district in this year’s annual review. The board considered farm operations and soil viability among eligibility criteria. For six properties the board voted to recommend addition: the Scott and Dhesi property (24.53 acres; market garden, farm stand, mushroom cultivation, pastured poultry), the Spinard property (18.8 acres; hay, eggs, maple tapping, plans for expanding pasture), the Fisher property (9.8 acres; market garden and targeted grazing for vegetation management), the Weyenberg property (7 acres; specialty mushrooms and diversified specialty crops), APJ Enterprises/Alfred Julian (13.2 acres; boarding horses and hay storage; applicant previously removed and reapplied), and the Stubaus property (2.8 acres; flowers, herbs, fruit trees and egg production). P. DeBlock moved to recommend the Scott and Dhesi parcel; A. Sorensen seconded and the motion was approved unanimously.
Two applications were not recommended this year. The board found limited current agricultural activity on the Quinn property (62.2 acres) and on the M.W. Enterprise/Max Labagh property (24.5 acres), and voted to recommend the applicants reapply next year after additional on-site agricultural development. The board noted regulatory considerations for sites that would clear more than one acre, including the need for DEC permits.
The recommendations now go to the County Legislature for final determination. The board’s votes were recorded as unanimous on each motion during the meeting.
