Santa Clara County takes a step back on agricultural rezoning plan following backlash from small farmers, equestrians and wineries

Amid overwhelming backlash from equine businesses wineries and small farmers Santa Clara County administrators are pumping the brakes on proposed changes to the type of maturation and operations allowed on agricultural land in unincorporated parts of the county Once known as the Valley of the Heart s Delight due to its flourishing orchards Santa Clara County has lost more than acres of farmland over the last three decades and an additional acres are at peril according to county leaders In an effort to endorsement and preserve agriculture the county is reexamining zoning rules in rural and agricultural districts But the process has caused alarm among farmers ranchers equestrians and vintners who say the proposed changes put their livelihoods at exposure as the modifications might force them to shut down altogether After months of apprehension by these business it appears their concerns have been heard On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal from Supervisor Sylvia Arenas that would essentially send the procedures back to the drawing board and ensure the county incorporates extensive widespread and consistent locality concerns Arenas whose district includes the southern part of the county that encompasses much of the area s agricultural lands noted she required to ensure they got the framework right for everyone The ordinance here has a lot of implications for our local businesses and their livelihoods so I want to make sure that it isn t just good for one particular industry that it is for all of the industries included in the agricultural group she mentioned Arenas proposal asks county agents to create an agricultural task force and ensure that farm stands can operate without needing a special and costly permit She s also proposing to create a path for businesses that are right now out of compliance to be grandfathered in and eventually legalized The supervisor also wants to reduce a few of the thresholds outlined in the draft program to help small farmers County representatives previously longed to require no less than acres of land to be able to raise livestock Arenas wants to shrink that down to one acre Laurie Holderman of Dawnridge Ranch in San Martin explained the board on Tuesday that requiring a minimum of acres is unrealistic in our county where land is scarce and extremely expensive She in the present operates her goat farm on acres Goats do not require large acreage Holderman noted Zoning regulations should assistance sustainable farming practices rather than dictate exactly how farmers manage their animals Arenas is also asking the county to include wineries within the agricultural umbrella Kim Engelhardt the president of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley and owner of Lion Ranch Vineyard Winery in San Martin reported the board that the last insufficient months have been the preponderance stressful in her years in the industry as the proposal could put wineries on a path toward closure Various of the suggested changes could have saddled wineries with costly new permit and event fees The uncertainty surrounding the future of our businesses is overwhelming she reported What has been proposed by the planning department is neither reasonable nor collaborative These proposals were developed without consultation from the people who will be the greater part affected Anxious equine businesses also are expected to get several reprieve from Arenas s proposal which asks county agents to look at horses separate of the changes being made for agricultural businesses The county initiative sparked outrage from equestrians as it would no longer have classified horses as livestock or issued permits for stables in ag special zones Rachael Parakh the director of community relations for the Santa Clara County Horsemen s Association thanked Arenas for resetting the process Families and the whole area count on this she noted of horses We don t want to be relegated to history We believe that it s part of our living area now and we look to celebrate the equine and agriculture population County officers are expected to analysis back to the board next spring with more information Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee praised Arenas proposal and the county s objective of preserving its limited farmlands With agriculture having been changed so dramatically in the past decades to being industrialized by conglomerates and large companies it is certainly very tough if not impossible for smaller farms to survive these days especially right here in Santa Clara County he stated Before Santa Clara County became Silicon Valley this was the Valley of Heart s Delight and we want to keep it that way