Carol W. LaGrasse: Open space zoning does not protect ag land or farmers

This letter is to point out the danger of extremely strict rural zoning imposed on parts of Houston County. As president of the Property Rights Foundation of America, I was contacted by interested local landowners who are concerned about their property rights. I'd like to comment about the radical 40-acre rural zoning.

The idea behind the 40-acre zoning scheme is that it would preserve undeveloped land, especially farmland, but it has a serious downside.

You might say that I am writing from "the place where it all began," the North Country in New York State. In 1973, the Legislature imposed 42-acre zoning on almost half the 3 million acres of private land on a 12 county area of upstate New York that was then put under the strict control of a governor-appointed regional zoning agency, called the Adirondack Park Agency.

The plan was to keep the private land from being developed so that nature, forestry and farming would dominate.

What has happened over the years is that the onerous minimum lot size, coupled with other preservation measures such as a steady stream of government purchases of land and conservation easements for the forest preserve, has made it very difficult for local young couples to afford to buy property for a house site or even to buy an existing house.

Job opportunities in land-based occupations are declining, with low paying tourism being promoted. People from the New York City metropolitan area easily outbid locals for the few available house sites, which are on large expensive lots. Generally, these more well-heeled people do not have to earn a living.

Local young people are simply squeezed out. In the northern and central areas, schools are closing, some of them having barely scratched together three to five entering children for a number of years. People rejoice when they see local children playing near their homes.

The trend to try to preserve farmland through large lot zoning is backward. Farmers need to access equity to finance improvements. They may want to sell off a small lot and keep the farm operating after a necessary improvement if financed, but large lot zoning mandates that the farm be dismembered into large pieces.

Open space zoning also makes it impossible for farmers to cut off small lots for their family members, who may want to stay close to home but practice a related commercial occupation, such as equipment repair and sales.

Open space zoning is a system imposed from above by people unsympathetic with farmers. The most hopeful solution to encourage farming is to allow those most expert in farming the latitude to make advantageous land use decisions. These experts are the farmers.

Carol W. LaGrasse, president

Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc.

Stony Creek, New York

LETTER: Open space zoning does not protect ag land or farmers