Monroe County’s Agricultural District No. 5 is currently under review, as is required every eight years. As part of this process, property owners have the opportunity to add their land to or remove their land from the District.
Monroe County’s District No. 5 encompasses approximately 96,475 acres in portions of the Towns of Chili, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Ogden, Parma, Riga, Sweden, and Wheatland and the Villages of Churchville, Hilton, and Spencerport. A map of the District is on file and open to public inspection in the office of the Clerk of the Monroe County Legislature and online at the Monroe County Planning Division website: www.monroecounty.gov/farmland.
Property owners have the opportunity to request viable agricultural land be added to an established statecertified agricultural district during a 30-day period annually. The Monroe County Legislature is accepting comments about the District and requests for modification to the District for 30 days, from March 1, 2025 through March 30, 2025. Forms are available at http://www.monroecounty.gov/farmland. Any proposed modifications to the District must be submitted in writing to the Clerk of the Monroe County Legislature within this 30-day period for public review. Submit requests to: Clerk of the Legislature, County Office Building, Room 407, 39 West Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614; or email the form to: dgrant@monroecounty.gov.
After March 30, all requests to modify the District and a report on the District will be referred to the Monroe County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board. The Board then has 30 days to submit a report to the County Legislature that discusses local land use practices in the Districts; proposed modifications to the Districts; and a recommendation to continue and modify or terminate the Districts.
The Monroe County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board will hold a Public Information Meeting regarding the District Review at the Town of Ogden Community Center, 269 Ogden Center Road, Spencerport, on Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m.
There will be a Public Hearing on this matter at a meeting of the Planning and Economic Development Committee before the County Legislature takes action on the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board’s proposal. The Public Hearing Notice will be published in local newspapers, posted on the county website, and sent to affected municipalities and landowners.
Contact Bob King, Monroe Community College, Agricultural and Life Sciences Institute at 585-292-2065 or rking@monroecc.edu with questions and comments or for more information.
Provided information
