Gumtree is only partially correct. It is a long story…too long to detail here.
It is just a heads up as I’m just saying if anyone is thinking of adding to their property, know the back story going on in their township.
I have attended the Newlin township meetings where all this was debated since 2014 and am familiar with all the players.
The fact that there was horse zoning since the 1980’s is true, but in 40 years, it was never enforced…until the traffic debacle…and caught some people, including some “big name” riders/farms, by surprise.
The fact that there are “landed gentry” involved is having a big effect on smaller farms, run by people who are not wealthy, but who are retired or working day jobs.
A lot of the current “agitators” are people who are retired and on fixed income running a boarding business to supplement their income, or just small fry who run small businesses out of their home/farm.
The AG’s office cannot “decree” that horse keeping is agricultural…the AG’s analysis determined that horse keeping is ag activity, citing case law, etc. The township solicitors disagreed with the analysis. How Newlin settles the matter (my prediction) is that it will end up in court to settle the argument between the various legal POV’s.
The latest incarnation of the horse zoning ordinance is on Newlin’s, “News & Events” not in the “Ordinances” section came about when the AG’s office disputed the horse ordinance that was voted in.
http://www.newlintownship.org/newsandevents.html
I was present when the farm owners asked to meet with supervisors.
[QUOTE=gumtree;8838000]
There is a little bit, lot more to than what is being stated here. Newlin is one of “those” townships in the Unionville area that I referenced in my comment.
I know all of the horse folks involved. Some of which called me for my input after reading a comment or two in one of the threads above from what I understand. Which made me chuckle a bit because I am by no means an expert on the subject. I just learned a bit from having gone through the drill in some other states.
It started after some really nice people bought a fabulous property in a prime area of Unionville. Paid BIG bucks. The owners both ride and take lessons and boarded with a friend of mine. The farm they bought had a lot of horse infrastructure in place. The majoirity of which they didn’t need/use. So they rented the barn, indoor, etc to their trainer. She brought with her around 20+ clients. Which increased the daily traffic on the small country road that is shared with some well healed long time residents who liked things just they way there were/have been.
The increase in traffic was minimal. The trainer did not hold clinics or shows. IMO it was a bit self serving of those who kind of started the whole controversy. The ONLY reason the Unionville area is on the map and a highly desirable area to move to in one can afford it is because of horse farms, people. The ONLY reason there is tons of “open space” is because of generations of horse people. Families that have not sold out to development. A lot of the land in the area is under conservation easements. Which those who live/own some of the small lots and or developments benefit greatly from.
That being said the Unionville area is the poster child for what 1%ers look, act and live like. The majority of the wealth is old school money. A lot of great people but they do tend to live in “la-la land”. How the rest of the real world lives, especially those of us who’s horse farms are not only our home but our livelihood is a bit lost. No disrespect to those who were born with financial security intended.
“They threatened to sue the township. Township (in 1 month) produces a revised horse zoning ordinance that affects all horse farms and effectively reduces number of horses that can be kept”
This is not entirely correct. Newlin revised the zoning of horse properties in the early 80s. When large properties were being subdivided and “farmetts” being created. The number of horses “per acre” was on the books and what horse activities were considered “pleasure use” and what was considered “commercial use”. AT the time other than Thoroughbred breeding and racing, horses used for “sport” pleasure or competition was not considered agricultural nor for tax purposes was it considered a “business”.
So what some residents did was go to the Township supervisors and demanded that the Township to enforce the horse zoning rules and regs that have been on the books for years.
Unfortunately a number of horse farm owners never bothered to check, review the existing horse zoning BEFORE they bought their property.
The majority if not all of the farm owners who were taken by surprise and were told they had X days to comply with the existing zoning were a “hobby business” by and large. In other words their “horse business” was not their only source of income. They either had family money and or a spouse that had a “real” job that paid quite well. So if the township shut them down and or forced them to comply with the existing zoning it was not going to put them on the street.
It did have a detrimental effect on those who rented the horse facilities from property owners. If there wasn’t enough property to comply. This was their livelihood and their business plan was based on being able to stall, field board X amount of horses to make the numbers work.
Yes, Newlin did revise and upped the number of acres require per horse. But this was NOT retroactive. Any existing property owner could apply to the Township to have their property “Grandfathered” under the existing zoning. From what I understand it was pretty straight forward and easy to have done. But there was a $1,500 fee which from what I understand people were really pissed about paying. It made me chuckle, $1,500 is not exactly a lot of money in the grand scheme of “horse expenses” and considering most of the properties effected were worth a LOT of money it chump change. As I said to one friend, Sorry but I’m not breaking out he small violin.
After this whole thing started I ran into the people and now friends who bought the property that kind of stated the whole thing that I reference above. He and his wife are both attorneys with a big Philly law firm. I said what a way to be welcomed to the neighborhood. They laughed and said it was a hassle but it is what it is. I said you guys are attorneys what was your position, they said they discussed it with some of the younger members of their firm and they said; “sounds like rich people’s problems”. We all had a big laugh. Because in the end that is pretty much exactly what it is.
The properties effected were not a bunch of mom & pop horse businesses that were just trying to scratch out a living. The weren’t being pushed out by “Gentrification”. The whole area has been “gentrified” for decades.
“One farm asks the Attorney General to look into the matter.”
More like a “group”. When I was asked my thoughts on what recourse they may have I suggested they look into using a recent law that was passed call something like “The right to farm” and see if it would apply to horse farms. Now that PA has reclassified, recognized sport, pleasure horse farms as agriculture. The law was enacted because subdivisions were being built around large and small pre-existing farms. The new neighbors complained about all of the smells, noise, farm activities effecting the quality of their lives.
Gee, I guess they didn’t notice all those cows, pigs, etc on the other side of the road or fence of their back yard when the bought the house. I guess they didn’t check out the property during fertilizing season. The whole reason they wanted to move to the area is because of all the open land, bucolic farms. I guess they figured the big farm owners were going to and were keeping their farms as parks for the newbies to enjoy.
Township Supervisors are “elected”. A large farm owner is 1 vote. A small subdivision next to it can represent hundreds of votes. The math is pretty easy for Supervisors to figure out who they are going to side with and they started throwing all kinds of restrictions and rezoning at existing farm owners. That’s when the state jumped in and passed the Right to Farm Act.
And that’s how/why the A-G got involved.
“ANOTHER zoning ordinance without horse farm resident input”
Pretty sure this was done before the A-G sent a letter to the Supervisors.
To be clear I am not siding with the Newlin Supervisors. I think they handled it very poorly. I think a lot of the johnny come lately NIMBY (not in my back yard) fail to realize the WHOLE reason they and many others want to live in the areas is because of all of the open land and beautiful horse farms that were there long before they came along. They want the “parks” but they don’t want to “pay” for them.
My farm is a few miles west in Highland Township and very Ag friendly by and large. I looked at and checked all of the rules and regs here before I bought my property. The majority of farms in this township are real family owned working farms. We respect each others land use AND how our actives may have a negative effect on a neighbor. But we don’t run to the “court” we discuss it between ourselves and work things out by and large.[/QUOTE]
