To the editor:
I am asking for your help to maintain agriculture as a vital part of our community while preserving open space in the Town of Portsmouth. On Tuesday, Oct. 9, the Portsmouth Town …
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To the editor:
I am asking for your help to maintain agriculture as a vital part of our community while preserving open space in the Town of Portsmouth. On Tuesday, Oct. 9, the Portsmouth Town Council will vote on a zoning change to allow manufacturing (currently a brewery) on residentially zoned property that receives a farm tax credit. If this change is enacted, it will detrimentally effect every neighborhood, farm and open space in Portsmouth.
As stated in the proposed zoning change, no more than half of the property can be used for manufacturing. The proposed property is 37 acres, so the manufacturing and infrastructure could consume 18 acres of beautiful farmland. Currently there are more than 100 separate land parcels in the Portsmouth and state farm tax credit program. If a small minority of these properties decides to manufacture on site, the rural nature of our community will be lost forever.
Residents who advocate for open space and farmland preservation should be alarmed. Tax incentives and the land trust process are viable methods to preserve open space. Unfortunately, allowing manufacturing on site will ruin these preservation efforts and add to our current problems relating to traffic, noise, environmental runoff, waste management and pollution.
Manufacturing belongs on industrial zoned property, not in residential. To change the zoning ordinance to satisfy one brewery will have a long-lasting harmful effect on the Town of Portsmouth. Please attend the Town Council meeting and contact Jennifer West, jwest@portsmouthri.com and Town Council members to oppose this zoning change.
Nancy Howard
16 Dianne Ave.
Portsmouth