Bill Text: NJ A3703 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Permits construction of agricultural labor housing on preserved farms that board horses.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture Committee [A3703 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A3703-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Permits construction of agricultural labor housing on preserved farms that board horses.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the construction of agricultural labor housing on preserved farmland and supplementing P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et al.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation, or any farmland preservation deed restriction, to the contrary, a person who owns preserved farmland and who engages in the boarding of horses on the preserved farmland may construct a residential dwelling for the housing of agricultural labor employed on the premises for the purposes of supervising and tending to the horses. A landowner shall obtain the approval of the holder of the development easement and the committee prior to constructing a residential dwelling pursuant to this section. The committee shall ensure that the residential dwelling is sized appropriately based on the landowner's labor needs, and may impose any other reasonable conditions on the construction of the residential dwelling as the committee deems necessary.
b. For the purposes of this section, "preserved farmland" means land on which a development easement was conveyed to, or retained by, the committee, a board, a county, a municipality, or a qualifying tax exempt nonprofit organization pursuant to the provisions of section 24 of P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-31), section 5 of P.L.1988, c.4 (C.4:1C-31.1), section 1 of P.L.1989, c.28 (C.4:1C-38), section 1 of P.L.1999, c.180 (C.4:1C-43.1), sections 37 through 40 of P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-37 through C.13:8C-40), P.L.2016, c.12 (C. 13:8C-43 et seq.), or any other State law enacted for farmland preservation purposes.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would permit the construction of agricultural labor housing on preserved farms that board horses.
Under existing regulation, an owner of preserved farmland is permitted to build structures for the housing of agricultural labor employed on the premises, with the permission of the development easement holder and the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC). However, the SADC will only grant this approval if it determines that the proposed construction would have a positive impact on the continued use of the premises for agricultural production. The SADC has not granted this permission to persons who engage in the boarding of horses because, according to the SADC, horse boarding, unlike horse breeding, does not constitute "agricultural production." Horse boarding operations, which are essential to the equine industry in the State, often require 24/7 supervision for a variety of health and safety reasons and, thus, require agricultural labor housing for employees.
This bill would permit a person who owns preserved farmland and who engages in the boarding of horses on the preserved farmland to construct a residential dwelling for the housing of agricultural labor employed on the premises for the purposes of supervising and tending to the horses. A landowner would have to obtain the approval of the holder of the development easement (a county agriculture development board, county, municipality, or nonprofit organization, if not the SADC) and the SADC prior to constructing the residential dwelling. The committee would ensure that the residential dwelling is sized appropriately based on the landowner's labor needs, and could impose other reasonable conditions on the construction as it deems necessary.
