Action Needed On Farmland
A battle in Sagaponack about what should and should not be allowed on reserved farmland has pitted a developer against village officials. Although on first look it appears a very localized matter, it points to a greater and evolving problem.
Years ago, when the East End towns and Suffolk County first began buying up building rights on good-quality agricultural land or seeking to get these properties into reserves through the subdivision process, the belief was that by putting some money into the right hands and enacting strict limits, farming would be assured in perpetuity. What the well-meaning officials did not foresee was the continuing boom in real estate prices and the desire of the well-to-do for expansive lawns or for polo grounds or horse stables, which are generally permissible on these reserves.
In the Sagaponack example, as reported in The Southampton Press, a developer planning three houses had an irrigation system installed at considerable expense on an adjacent 10.5-acre plot in an agricultural easement, which apparently would have precluded its use as a lawn. Unfortunately nothing in the easement, or many like it elsewhere, requires that the land be actually used for crop production. So today we see parcels that were once considered saved are now little more than an amenity for someone’s weekend palace.
Groups, especially the Peconic Land Trust, have been pointing this out for some time. The trust has begun to actively recommended that when governments acquire rights to productive land, they pay enough to obtain assurances that it will always be available for real farming. Looking back at previous land deals and easements similar to the disputed one in Sagaponack, the trust says money could be used selectively to offer additional payments to landowners for expanded rights with food production the ultimate goal.
Like much of the country, the East End is experiencing a welcome renaissance in farming, with jobs being created, and good, healthy, local food ending up on residents’ tables. More can be done to see that prime and productive land remains under the plow, and officials should be eager to see that it always does.