Parma poll asks about preserving farmland
Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, by Meaghan M. McDermott
June 11, 2007
With less than one-fifth of Parma's nearly 42 square miles developed, preserving open space and farmland might not seem to be one of the town's immediate priorities.
But town leaders and some residents say this is the perfect time for the town to preserve Parma's bucolic views, working farms and rural way of life.
"A lot of other towns have waited much too long before working to preserve open space," said Marilyn DeMeyer, a member of Parma's Farmland and Open Space Preservation Committee. The six-member committee began meeting in February and hopes to develop a plan for the town in coming months.
To help gauge overall community interest in land preservation, the committee is mailing a survey next week to all residents of Parma and the village of Hilton. Survey results will be compiled in August.
"We're going to ask people what their perspective is of Parma, what they feel the character of the town is and what they feel is important," said Scott Copey, chairman of the open space committee. He also said the time is right for Parma to protect its land.
"Development of a town is a process, and the later you come in on the process, the harder it is to preserve things," he said. "As time goes on, the land values increase and there's more pressure for development of farmland. We want to get ahead of it."
According to the American Farmland Trust, protecting farmland against encroaching sprawl is a growing challenge for New York. More than 26,000 acres of prime farmland is developed in the state each year, more than double the amount protected. The group advocates protecting one acre of farmland for each acre developed.
That can be done through directly purchasing land or by paying a farmer an amount of money comparable to the difference between its value as farmland and its value as developed land, in exchange for a legal agreement that keeps the land undeveloped even if it's sold.
Ensuring that local farming remains viable is close to DeMeyer's heart: She and her husband, Gene, have grown grains and vegetables for wholesale and fresh markets on their 100-acre Butcher Road farm for more than 27 years.
She noted that not only does open space help keep tax bills lower (since, unlike housing tracts, farmland doesn't require taxpayer-provided services such as schools, ambulances, sewers, lighting districts or fire protection), but it also helps to protect local employment and easy access to locally grown food.
She said the committee could model its recommendations on Penfield's successful open space plan. Under that plan, voters in 2001 approved issuing up to $10 million in bonds to protect farmland by purchasing properties or development rights. The town has since preserved about 1,200 acres of open space.
Other communities, such as Pittsford, Henrietta and Webster have also invested money in open space protection in recent years. But such plans haven't been established in the county's more rural, less populous western suburbs.
Parma could be a trailblazer, said Town Board member Jim Smith. "But first, we need to get the survey out to the people in Parma to see what kind of priority they place on maintaining open space in the town and see if they even put a value on that," he said.
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