Yea! a property owner planning to farm is allowed to build a barn!

The January 24 ZBA agenda included several public hearings:

1 - a property of 10.7 acres on Diddell Road had two variances approved to build a pole barn. The variances included an additional accessory structure - and the size of the structure. A condition that the barn not be used for rental was applied to the variance. There seemed to be some confusion about the difference between the property being in an Agricultural District vs. eligibility for an Agricultural Assessment. The former refers to the land being used for farming purposes the latter is a tax/financial discussion about the business of the farm.

2- The request by the Children's Enrichment Project on 9D in Hughsonville was requesting a variance for the amount of acreage required for a private community or fraternal recreation club. This request was approved.

3 - A request for a variance of 5.2 feet for a deck on Edgehill Drive was approved.

4 - A request for a larger accessory structure (garage) for a Curry Road property was approved.

5 - A request to add a pre-fab shed to a 12.6 acre property on Daniel Sabia Drive was approved (because the property already includes a gazebo and horse lean-to... this is a third accessory structure, requiring a variance).

Discussions were held for a property on Fox Hill Road, where the applicant would like to replaced a larger, pre-existing deck with two smaller decks requiring a 2 foot variance for one and a 7.48 variance on another. The public hearing is scheduled for February 14.

A discussion about an area variance required for a property on Schlichter Road. This is difficult, because to comply, major construction work would be required -- including moving foundations, removing bathrooms etc. and potentially could reduce the amount of livable space to below the minimum of 1,200 square feet. This is an area of the town where cottages were converted to homes many years ago - before zoning. An initial public hearing is scheduled for February 14th, where the ZBA members will participate in a discussion with the engineer on what acceptable accomodations could be.