DCPREZ-0000-07222 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

it at the going rate for agricultural land. It was thus divided into rural residential parcels. Of the 19.9 acres in Primrose, fully 10 are unsuited to grain cropping due to slope, woods, soil, or rock outcrop ondition. As noted in your staff person's report, only 30% of the Primrose portion is "prime" soil. (That means approximately 6 acres, roughly the same amount of usable rop acreage as in Montrose.) This can not be considered "prime" agricultural land under any reasonable consideration of the term. It is, how ver, very desirable to maintain as managed open green space. To be able to afford t do so, the owners will have to be able to generate some sort of reasonable return on it value. 3. The current owner of th property, Arthur Jennrich, ceased dairy farming several years ago as a result of d sability due to heart damage. He subsequently underwent open heart surgery for v lve replacement. He currently works part time in a non farm setting and is considered partially disabled. He cannot conduct the normal operations of a dairy farm. A mini al number of livestock and a modest corn and soybean rotation have been maintai ed, essentially as a hobby. Neither of his sons is interested in farming. 4. There is no reasonable oll economically justifiable means of expanding the current farm operation for dairy or gain. It is landlocked by residential development to the north and east, by a recently a nounced private nature preserve to the south, as well as heavily wooded hills, and y mixed use residential properties to the west, whose primary access is from State ighway 69. 5. The golf course concept was put forward as a means of preserving the farm site, the farmer/owner's direct connection with and stewardship of the land and the agricultural flavor of the site, rather than raping the property into residential parcels. While that goal can and will be acc mplished using Green Co properties only, should the Dane Co. request be denied, he only real recourse to the Jennrich family for economic use of the 45 acres in P imrose and Montrose would be to market it as a similar rural residential parcel to th other two already existing on the former Wierwill farm. This would be a prime exam le of the law of unintended consequence, greater rural residential development, an ndesirable outcome for all parties, because of refusal to allow a para agricultur activity, which can and will maintain the rural character of the site, on the same pr perty. 6. Concerns raised by Primrose regarding return of the property to agricultural usage, should the golf course go out of business were and can be addressed by the same mechanisms used by Greer Co., namely to limit the permit to the original applicants and their corporation only. The townships have the additional protection of having to approve of any change in the future. If a food and fiber emergency takes place in the future which requires pr duction on every available parcel, the golf course can be converted simply by applyin a plow. 7. Economic viability of a nine hole golf only course has been questioned by both Primrose and by Mr. Standing, staff to your committee. There are such courses