The review of Agriculture District 8 will take place this summer.
The Chautauqua County Legislature is required under state law to review a district eight years after its creation and every eight years thereafter.
An agricultural district is a geographic area which consists predominantly of viable agricultural land. Agricultural operations within the district are afforded benefits and protections to promote the continuation of farms and the preservation of agricultural land.
County Junior Planner Lauren Sharp said the review is an opportunity for landowners who have land in agricultural production to add land to the district, “This is a 300 day review process. We’re in the planning stage now where we inform all of the municipalities that this is coming up. There’s a 30 day period where landowners can submit comments. So, if they have land they wanted added or removed, they submit it during the month of August for this review. The County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board has 45 days to review those requests and give their recommendations to the County Legislature.”
Sharp said the Legislature will then vote on the recommendations before sending that to the state to certify the modifications.
District 8 includes the Towns of Busti, Carroll, Chautauqua, Ellery, Ellicott, Kiantone, Poland, and Stockton, Villages of Bemus Point, Cassadaga, Celoron, Falconer, Lakewood, and Mayville, and the City of Jamestown encompassing 99,006 acres.
All requests should be submitted to the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development, 201 West Third Street Suite 115 Jamestown, New York 14701 or email to sharpl@chqgov.com on or before 4:30 p.m. on August 30th, 2024.
Any questions on the process should be directed to the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development.
The Agricultural District 8 Review Worksheet, current Agricultural District Maps, and additional information can be found on the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development website at bit.ly/CHQagdistrict.
A map of District 8 is on file and open to public inspection at the Clerk’s Office of the Chautauqua County Legislature in Mayville, N.Y. Call 716-753-4215 to schedule an appointment.
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