Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 1, 2019 10:13 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative F. Todd Polinchock |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Agritourism For Farmers - "Save Tabora Farm" |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would provide greater opportunities for Pennsylvania’s farm families to responsibly build structures and engage in agricultural product marketing and agritourism enterprises on their farms without local interference. Many families owning smaller farms are finding it difficult economically to continue their farms in their current state. To sustain their farms in the future, more farm families are considering changes to their on-farm operations to increase efficiency of farm production and provide families with additional income from the farm. However, local zoning, land development and construction regulation, and the bureaucracy and cost in obtaining local governmental approval of proposed projects stifle farm families’ ability to make these needed changes. At the same time, reasonable standards for land development and building structures must be established and met by farm families who use land and engage in enterprises to improve the economic viability of the farm. My legislation would restrict local governments from prohibiting the use of land for agritourism, for agricultural purposes or for constructing buildings or structures related to the use of agricultural purposes, including for vinting and selling wine on land used for viticulture. A local government may address the size of structures and parking areas used for agritourism, egress and ingress on land used for agritourism, and may impose building setbacks. My legislation would further provide for limited liability protection for agritourism providers. I invite you to join me in cosponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2093
Memo Updated: October 1, 2019 10:14 AM