|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
Land Use
WHEREAS, of the approximately 1.7 million acres of remaining undeveloped or unpreserved open space in New Jersey, 805,000 acres are actively devoted to agricultural production; therefore, New Jersey’s farmland is in high demand by developers and others with non-agricultural interests; and
WHEREAS, the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) has provided the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) with an average of $92 million annually in new farmland preservation funding for fiscal years 2003-2006;
WHEREAS, although the GSPT was established as a 10-year program expected to provide funding through fiscal year 2009, depletion of the fund has been accelerated by a number of factors; and it is critical that a stable source of funding for farmland preservation be renewed; and
WHEREAS, the GSPT currently has only approximately $150 million total remaining to fund farmland preservation projects in fiscal years 2007 and beyond; and
WHEREAS, preservation of land is only one component of preserving New Jersey’s farmers and agricultural industry; the Department’s approach to smart growth coordinates farmland preservation efforts with economic development strategies at the county and municipal levels; and
WHEREAS, the Department’s Agricultural Smart Growth Plan includes comprehensive proactive strategies that link the land, products, processing and workforce with marketing opportunities; the plan encourages proven traditional measures as well as innovative approaches, such as clustering and using alternative wastewater treatment systems to balance the need for both preservation and growth;
WHEREAS, the plan also opposes large lot zoning and downzoning, two practices that permanently remove the land from agricultural production at an accelerated rate, undermine preservation programs, and erode a farmer’s equity; these actions have a direct, negative impact on the retention of farms and farmers by severely reducing land values and farmland landowner equity; and
WHEREAS, the plan also recognizes long-term land value appreciation as a factor in the continued viability of New Jersey farms; and the maintenance of equity is a key concern for farmers, who use their land’s value as collateral for operating and production loans; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture’s Smart Growth Working Group has developed a web-based Planner’s Tool Kit that provides municipalities and counties with “hands-on” tools to assist with the implementation of the objectives and strategies of the Agricultural Smart Growth Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Highlands Act signed in August 2004 divided the 800,000-acre Highlands region into two areas: a preservation area, where development would be strictly regulated and a planning area, where development would be monitored; and a Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council was charged to prepare and implement a regional master plan for the entire Highlands region; and
WHEREAS, with lessons learned by the agricultural community in the Pinelands, the Highlands law included a significant exemption for agricultural and horticultural activities and related development in the preservation area; as such, agricultural development and activities in the preservation area are separate and apart from the strict regulations that will be imposed by the DEP upon major development in the preservation area; and
WHEREAS, in 2005, the Department of Agriculture began developing rules to implement the separate process for agricultural development and activities in the Highlands Preservation Area; the rules will be adopted in early 2006; and
WHEREAS, farmers in the preservation area of the Highlands are greatly concerned about how the strict regulations will impact the equity of their land; although land acquisition and land use tools such as transfer of development rights (TDR) are key strategies in the preservation area, a dedicated funding source and the actual implementation of a viable TDR program remain as critical concerns; and
WHEREAS, the Department continues to be represented on the “Highlands Working Group” that was established by the New Jersey Farm Bureau to follow the work of the Highlands Council and provide support for the farmer member of the Council; and the Department also continues to be actively involved in the Highlands Regional Master Planning process and continues to be an advocate for the agricultural industry in the Highlands region; and
WHEREAS, efforts continue with regard to establishing a dedicated funding source for farmland preservation efforts in the Highlands region; and the Department continues to monitor and contribute to the dialogue surrounding the Highlands TDR program in order to maximize program success and provide equity protection for affected landowners; and
WHEREAS, other land use concerns of Statewide importance continue to come to the forefront, such as impervious cover restrictions, which is broadly defined to include any surface that is highly resistant to water infiltration; however, the definition can vary depending upon the defining entity; and
WHEREAS, as outside pressures continue to try to cap the amount of impervious cover on preserved farms, the Department of Agriculture supports a science-based approach that addresses the issue on a site-by-site basis.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the delegates of the 91st State Agricultural Convention assembled in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 8, 2006 endorse the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Smart Growth Plan and its five-part approach to land use and conservation, balanced with economic development initiatives.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we recommend that the Department of Agriculture take the lead in supporting and advancing equitable and feasible density-transfer methods, including but not limited to clustering, regional growth zones, Pineland Development Credits (PDCs) and transfer of development rights (TDR’s) to coordinate preservation planning in conjunction with growth planning. The Department should also support and advance the use of current and new wastewater technologies to allow for the implementation of sound, innovative planning techniques to assist municipalities and counties with the implementation of the objectives and strategies of the Agricultural Smart Growth Plan.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Department should also explore funding options to advance the development and expansion of agricultural facilities and infrastructure systems. Other statewide initiatives, such as Ag Enterprise Zones, should be explored to stimulate the retention and viability of farms and the businesses that support them.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we are opposed to downzoning or large-lot zoning or zoning that has the practical effect of large lot zoning, because it fractures and consumes farmland, promotes land-consumptive sprawl, and adversely affects landowner equity. These zoning practices are counter productive to the principles of smart growth and should be discouraged by the Office of Smart Growth.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we recognize that the protection of farmer landowner equity is critical to the preservation of agriculture in New Jersey, and the preservation of the land base. The cost of stopping sprawl, preserving open space, and protecting the environment must be shared by all those who benefit, not placed primarily upon those who wish to keep their land in agriculture or open space.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we oppose the adoption of restrictive land use and wildlife management or protection ordinances by any municipality in the State of New Jersey that are not science based or that exceed the powers granted to those municipalities under existing laws and statutes. County Agriculture Development Boards are encouraged to exercise their power to monitor and make recommendations to the SADC, county and municipal governing bodies and boards, regarding resolutions, ordinances, regulations and development approvals which would threaten the continued viability of agricultural activities and farmland preservation programs within agricultural development areas
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we direct the Department to monitor the activities of, and regulations promulgated by, other state and federal agencies and County Boards of Agriculture and make recommendations to these entities when their actions and regulations have an impact on agriculture.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we recommend that all landowners involved in all preservation programs (TDR sending areas, Pinelands credit sending areas, etc.) be eligible for the same package of benefits or State incentive programs available through the State Farmland Preservation Program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we recommend that the Department of Agriculture continue to monitor the work of the Highlands Council, participate on the Highlands Working Group and continued to be engaged in the effort to identify a dedicated source of funding for farmland acquisition in the Highlands region.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call on the Legislature to require that all public land acquired for open space purposes, that is farmed or can potentially be farmed, continue in an agricultural use or be placed in an agricultural use until it is needed for its acquired purpose - thereby keeping more of the State’s land base in agriculture. Doing so will expand the industry and minimize the maintenance that is needed to control exotic and invasive species. Keeping publicly-owned land in ongoing agricultural use will allow the land to be recognized as “established” in the Freshwater Wetlands Act, eligible for agricultural exemptions, where lands that have laid idle for more than five years are no longer recognized as such. In addition, private management of public land is cost-effective; thereby saving tax dollars that would otherwise be spent on land maintenance and is likely to result in more consistent land management because farmers will want the land maintained in a manner that will result in the greatest crop yield.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we strongly recommend that the Department of Agriculture work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to clarify whether fallow farmland can protected under the Freshwater Wetlands Act as an “established” agricultural use and to encourage the NJDEP to accommodate agricultural practices under the Act that may require land to lay fallow for a period of years.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we encourage participation of the entire agricultural community in the smart growth planning process and the ongoing cross-acceptance process. We direct the Department of Agriculture to work with Rutgers University, Farm Bureau, the County Boards of Agriculture, the County Agriculture Development Boards, commodity groups, community leaders and other interested partners in the implementation of the Department’s Agricultural Smart Growth Plan.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we continue to oppose any hard and fast caps on impervious cover. We support a threshold trigger for new impervious cover and the use of science-based criteria, which is evaluated on a site-specific basis.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the State Planning Commission to integrate the Department’s Agricultural Smart Growth Plan into the State Comprehensive Smart Growth Plan to ensure a balanced approach that recognizes the importance of agriculture in New Jersey.
