The Zoning Card: Week #10 – 2018 summer CSA

The Zoning Card

About a month ago, we received a small white postcard in the mail. It
informed us that the zoning for our property is changing. It said “this
change should not affect the current uses of your property… and may give
you more flexibility in the future.”

The proposed change is from A-1(EX) meaning exclusively for agriculture, to
FP-1, or farmland preservation. The other change is from A-2 (or mixed
agricultural use) to RM-16, (rural mixed use).

At first, I freaked out. I assumed both of these were downgrades of our
agricultural uses. So I went on to the county website and attempted to
educate myself a little further. There, I discovered that designation of
A-1(EX) and A-2 are dissappearing all together. Let me repeat that; in Dane
county these designations seem to be disappearing all together.

The uses of our old zoning codes compared to our new ones really aren’t
that different when compared on paper. It seems mostly name changes. A
renaming.

However, the change still bothers me immensely. Words matter.

The change from exclusively agricultural to farmland preservation is a big
deal. One doesn’t tend to preserve things that aren’t in danger of being
lost. As a farmer, I don’t preserve carrots. I know I can have them
practically year round if I store them right. But strawberries? We preserve
those.

And so now our land needs to be preserved. All one has to do is drive down
the Mineral Point Road corridor and the intense development pressure is
real and obvious. I shouldn’t be all that surprised.

But somehow, this little white postcard feels like another injury, another
wakeup call, another nail in the farm coffin from those who wish to cover
the whole county in ticky tacky.
Here in Dane County we have some of the best agricultural soil in the
country, and what this plan communicates to me at least, is that we should
expect it to dissappear much much more.

Sincerely,
Farmer Cassie

Recipe Suggestions:

Corn and Broccoli Calzones
Sweet and Salty Broccoli Salad
Zucchini Mac and Cheese
Sweet Zucchini Pie
Marinated Green Beans
Best Ever Oven Roasted Green Beans
Raw Kale Salad with Tahini Maple Dressing
Eggplant Delight
Baked Cucumbers in Basil Cream

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