Bill > A5157

Introduced Session

This bill would establish a pilot program to allow special occasion events to be conducted on preserved farmland under certain conditions. Under the bill, the State Agriculture Development Committee (committee) would establish a pilot program, allowing for special occasion events to be conducted on preserved farmland, provided that the conditions set forth in the bill are met. The owner of preserved farmland who wishes to conduct special occasion events would be required to provide written notice to the committee and to the county agriculture development board (board) of the county in which the preserved farmland is located prior to conducting any special occasion event on the preserved farmland. Under the bill, the special occasion event would be required to use the agricultural or horticultural output of the farm, to the maximum extent practicable, to promote agricultural tourism and advance the agricultural or horticultural output of the preserved farmland. The bill also provides that the special occasion event could not unreasonably interfere with the agricultural or horticultural output of the preserved farmland, and that no more than 10 special occasion events would be held in a calendar year on any parcel of preserved farmland. The gross income generated from all special occasion events conducted for the calendar year together would account for less than 50 percent of the annual gross income of that preserved farmland. In addition, under the bill, no new structures could be constructed on preserved farmland for the purpose of holding special occasion events, and no public utilities, including water, gas, or sewage, other than those already existing and available on preserved farmland, would be allowed to be extended, for the purpose of holding special occasion events. The bill requires special occasion events to comply with all applicable State and local laws, regulations, resolutions, or ordinances including but not limited to food safety, litter, noise, solid waste, traffic, and the protection of public health and safety; however, the bill provides that a special occasion event may be held as a matter of right without need for a variance or site plan approval on any lot and block all or a part of which is preserved farmland. In developing and administering the program required by the bill, the committee would be requires to ensure that the holding of a special occasion event on preserved farmland does not interfere with any agricultural deed restrictions for farmland preservation purposes on the preserved farmland. The pilot program established by the bill would expire on the first day of the 44th month after the bill is enacted into law. This bill is similar to the current pilot program allowing for special occasion events to be conducted on wineries on preserved farmland. This bill would help the State's agricultural community to remain economically viable, by allowing owners of preserved farmland to earn additional income from hosting special occasion events, just as the current pilot program allowing for special occasion events to be conducted at wineries on preserved farmland has provided economic assistance to those wineries.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Clinton Calabrese (D)*,  Ronald Dancer (R)*,  Carol Murphy (D)*,  Jay Webber (R), 

Combined with A5384 (ACS) (on 01/09/2020)