After a public hearing, the Legislature, by unanimous vote, approved the addition of 525 Acres of land, owned by Dale Mattoon and located at 317 Auburn Road in Lansing, to Tompkins County Agricultural District 1, as recommended by the Tompkins County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board. The AFPB found that the parcel consists of predominantly “viable agricultural land,” as defined in State Agriculture and Markets Law, and that inclusion of the parcel would serve the public interest by assisting in maintaining a viable agricultural industry within the district.
Four people spoke at the public hearing, among them Monika Roth of Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, who called it “a significant request” and a “cornerstone” that provides protection to other farms in the northern part of Lansing.