Implementation in Chatham

The final recommendations have been endorsed by the Town Board:

• The Chatham Agricultural Partnership (CAP) has been appointed by the Town Board to oversee implementation of the recommendations and serve as advisors to the Town Board on all agriculture related issues;
• The farming goals and strategies drafted by the CAP have been included in the town’s revised comprehensive plan;
• Exploration of Purchase of Development (PDR) funding was begun but not acted on once it was determined that Chatham is not large enough to raise the financial resources needed to support a PDR program;
• The 2005 Essential Guide to Agriculture in Chatham was published with a focus on profiling farming in the town;

• Chatham Town board passed a resolution in support of a home rule bill to use the 2% real estate transfer fee for farmland preservation;
• Chatham’s Home Rule Bill for Farmland Preservation passed the NYS Senate;
• Chatham Grown, a film about farming in Chatham, was shot and edited. The film presents basic information about farming in Chatham, discusses the fragility of the currently farming system, and educates viewers about the ways to preserve and conserve land, both through voluntary donation of development rights and through a PDR/LDR program;
• The 2006 Essential Guide to Agriculture in Chatham was published with a focus on ways to preserve farmland;
• CAP members continue to partner with Glynwood Center making presentations, participating in training, and sharing all materials with other towns in the Hudson Valley.