Advice from the Village Code Enforcement Officer

Yesterday I met with Bruce Lyon, code enforcement officer for the Village of Penn Yan. He explained to me that the Pleasant Ave. property is zoned R1 - residential single family. The community garden would fit within the guidelines of R1 zoning as an "accessory use to residential" as long as it's a not-for-profit, solely for the benefit of the gardeners or organizations participating, and no retail sales are conducted on the premises.

He recommended that we create a gravel entrance and parking area, to prevent vehicles tracking mud into the street. We will also need to be cautious about not creating a nuisance for the neighborhood, so use of manure fertilizers and composting activities will have to be done carefully to control odors.

He mentioned that it will be a good idea for us to draw up a written proposal for the project and submit it to both the Village Board and the Planning Board for input.

Bruce also gave me some interesting information about the geography of the area. The soil on the land is very shallow and a seam of shale (rocks) runs close to the surface. The area is also within a flood plain (Bruce said maybe every 50 years or so we would experience a flood there). So any sheds or other structures built for the garden will need to be secured into the ground with stakes. If we create any raised beds, Bruce recommended that 3 ft. sections of rebar be driven into the ground through the bed frames.

Lots of food for thought! Thank you Bruce!