The development of farm land under scrutiny in Town of Eden (complete article from source)
Source: The Sun, by Dave Dahl
July 02, 2009
A proposal to create an agricultural and equestrian residential area in the town of Eden will receive more scrutiny in the upcoming months.
The Eden Planning Board heard a presentation about the creation of six to eight single-family residences on Jennings Road on Tuesday (June 30) night.
Tara Farms Estates would be built on 10 five-acre lots on a 60-acre site that is mostly open land in an agriculturally zoned district.
Frank Brzezinski, a registered landscape architect based in Amherst, told the board the development would maintain the area’s agricultural and equestrian character.
Some board members questioned how the site could be used for agriculture if it is divided into six to eight residences.
“It chews up small lots on prime farmland,” said Andy Romanowski.
Another board member, Kevin O’Gorman, emphasized that farmers use machines on large tracts of land and establishing residences on five-acre lots will not allow farming.
He added that the county government should examine the law concerning the land’s use.
“Erie County should make this decision,” he said.
The board’s chairman, Mark Agle, offered to help iron out the proposal.
“We’ll work with you to the extent that we can,” he said.
In a memorandum to the Planning Board, Nussbaumer and Clarke Engineers and Surveyors, the town’s planning consultant, wrote that parts of the area may be archaeologically sensitive. The firm also urged the board to consider whether the proposal meets guidelines in the town’s master plan.
Agle told Brzezinski to contact Scott Henry, the town’s code enforcement officer, with any further questions.
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