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Canton voters have chance to speak on new agricultural zoning proposal

Posted 4/8/13

The public is urged to attend this coming Thursday's, April 11, 7 p.m., St. Lawrence County Planning Board meeting where the Board will take up the Canton Town Council's two amendments for their …

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Canton voters have chance to speak on new agricultural zoning proposal

Posted

The public is urged to attend this coming Thursday's, April 11, 7 p.m., St. Lawrence County Planning Board meeting where the Board will take up the Canton Town Council's two amendments for their rural town residential zones regarding minimum acreage size and special use permits for growing activities and raising chickens. The public is welcome to comment. Now being circulated in the rural residential zones of the Town of Canton is the following: "Petition in Support of Community Gardens, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and the Keeping of Chickens in the Town of Canton's Residential Zones. Gardens and backyard chicken flocks are part of our North Country heritage. Sharing of produce among friends and neighbors through trade and sale should be encouraged. Such activities build community, increase access to fresh food, and provide much-needed income to struggling families. Currently, the Town of Canton is proposing to expand Special use Permits to include community gardens/CSAs and chickens (no roosters) only on parcels of land over three acres in size. This is nearly three football fields. The stated purpose of the special use permit from the Canton Code is to, 'bring needed flexibility and individuality to the otherwise rigid control of zoning regulations. We the undersigned are in favor of eliminating the minimum acreage requirement in the Town of Canton's proposed amendments, as there is a special permit application process and in the case of chickens, adjacent neighbor approval is required.