For Immediate Release:
Contact:   Joe McQueen

(518) 388-4772

April 12, 2017

Schenectady County Approves Properties for County Agricultural District 

(Schenectady County, NY)  The Schenectady County Legislature voted to approve eight properties totaling 211 acres for inclusion in the County’s agricultural district during their April 12, 2017 meeting.

“Schenectady County is committed to our local farmers and we actively encourage them to request inclusion in the agricultural district,” said Holly Vellano, Chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Environmental Conservation, Renewable Energy & Parks.  “We are pleased that so many of our local farms and growers are taking advantage of this program that helps foster a better agriculture business environment and maintain open space in Schenectady County.”

The goal of the district is to encourage the continued use of farmland for agricultural production and maintain and enhance the agricultural industry within Schenectady County.  The district provides a combination of landowner incentives and protections, all of which are designed to forestall the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses. With the addition of these parcels, the Schenectady County Agricultural District consists of 19,239 acres, representing approximately fifteen percent of the total land area in the County.

After a thirty day review period was completed, applications were reviewed by the County’s Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board and recommended to the County Legislature for final approval.  Six properties are in the Town of Glenville, one in the Town of Duanesburg, and one in the Town of Rotterdam.

-30-