Agritourism.
Looking out for farmer’s pocket books, we passed regulations to allow agritourism uses. These uses would help diversify farmer’s income and make agriculture more sustainable.
Agricultural preservation and sustainability are essential to securing our nation’s food supply, and agritourism supports those goals in a fun way.
Agriculture is a very strong component of the St. Joseph County, Indiana economy. Recognizing this, along with increased demand for these uses, the zoning ordinance was amended to allow agritourism uses. Careful consideration was taken to reduce the development burden on implementing these uses regarding traditional commercial development requirements, such as landscaping, parking, and pavement. Legislative balance of mitigating potential negative affects and allowing easy development is a key strength of ordinances that have been adopted from my work.