The Board Of Supervisors have proposed an Equestrian Zoning Amendment which will have far reaching negative impacts on the equestrian industry, farm owners, property values and area land conservation!

Letter to the Newlin Township Board of Supervisors 8/26/2014 on behalf of Concerned Citizens of Newlin Township:

Chair Janie H. Baird
Vice Chairman William Kelsall
Robert R. Pearson
Newlin Township Board of Supervisors
1751 Embreeville Road
Coatesville, PA 19320

As residents of Newlin Township or neighboring townships, we sign and submit this Petition asking that you take no further action on the proposed amendment to the Newlin Township Zoning Ordinance presented during the August 11, 2014 public hearing.

We strongly oppose the proposed amendment for the following reasons:

The amendment is inconsistent with how horse farms have been regulated in the Township for the past thirty years;

The amendment threatens the preservation of our open space which makes Newlin a unique place to live in Chester County and benefits all Township residents;

The amendment will have adverse economic impact on residents and the Township by imposing new, unnecessary, and costly regulations on current owners and operators of horse farms and discourage the future sale and preservation of horse farms in the Township, particularly since zoning ordinances in adjoining townships impose none of these restrictions;

A number of provisions of the amendment simply make no sense, do not reflect how horse farms currently operate  or are maintained, and will lead to unwarranted and costly enforcement actions by the Township; and

Relying on the Zoning Hearing Board to address these issues for some but not all farms reflects disparate treatment, will cost some residents a minimum of $1,500 for the zoning hearing, and create a significant risk of embroiling the Township in future litigation over adverse zoning decisions at a time the Township is trying to find sufficient funds to repair and rebuild Township roads.
 
While we believe no new regulation of horse farms is required, should the Board decide it is obligated to take action, any zoning ordinance amendment should permit the operation of horse farms by right in the Township subject to certain common sense and long-standing restrictions that have been observed by horse farm owners even in the absence of legal requirements or enforcement.

Prompt enactment of a by right zoning amendment will permit this Board and Township residents to move past this manufactured-issue and return to neighborly relations based on common sense and civility that have been hallmarks of life in Newlin Township for years. 

COPIES OF THE SUPERVISORS PROPOSED ORDINANCE AND THE CITIZENS OF NEWLIN TOWNSHIP'S COUNTER PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE BELOW LINK:

http://www.midatlanticeqservices.com/Mid-Atlantic_Equestrian/Newlin_Ordinance.html