Lower Makefield Township has announced a forum specifically to hear the public’s opinion on a Master Plan for Patterson Farm. Friends of the Farm, please SPEAK OUT for farm preservation on June 26, 2023 from 7-9 pm at Lower Makefield Township Community Center, 1550 Oxford Valley Road, Yardley, PA 19067.
This is a long-awaited in-person forum opportunity to let township decision makers, and those charged with creating the Master Plan, know we expect 100 percent of Patterson Farm to be protected from development!
Friends, we have worked very hard over a number of years to achieve easement protection on 100+ acres (in addition to the land under Open Space protection along I-295). NOW we have an opportunity to FINALLY achieve complete protection for ALL of Patterson Farms irreplaceable natural assets. It’s now or never. Action is needed!
Please don’t be misled by the “preserved” signs posted on the farm. About 38 acres remain vulnerable to non-agricultural conversion. And those 38 acres of ‘soils-of-statewide importance’ include wildlife habitat, actively farmed cropland, and the lands beneath ALL the farms’ historic structures!
Talking points for the forum:
• Ask the township to place a conservation easement on the remaining unprotected prime farmland.
•Request that planners undertake a common-sense approach to historic barn repairs, keeping them viable for this AND FUTURE generations as essential agricultural infrastructure while MINIMIZING costs to taxpayers.
•Request that the Patterson Farm cropland lease be managed by the township Farmland Preservation Board, as the other preserved farmland under Lower Makefield Township management is, to assure fair treatment of our farmer tenants.
• Request township supervisors collaborate with the Historic Commission to establish fair and transparent tenant selection criteria for the Patterson Farm farmhouses, prioritizing what is best for the long-term stewardship of the historic homes, and ending the questionable lease deals that have resulted in lost revenue to taxpayers and the deteriorating conditions of the homes evident today.
•Speak from your heart and be HEARD!
Bucks Countians are blessed to have an important National Register eligible historic site and agricultural asset of statewide recognition in our midst with a 340 year legacy of growing food for our community and nation! Only thoughtful long-term planning will assure agriculture stays viable in our community now and in the future to benefit ALL. Please attend on June 26 and make your voice heard for the perpetual preservation of the irreplaceable Patterson Farm! Please continue to share the Petition for Preservation to foster awareness. Thank you.
Additional information about the farm on the Patterson Farm Preservation Linktree
For preservation,
Donna Doan, Board Member
Patterson Farm Preservation, Inc 501c3