Agritourism takes center stage at P&Z meeting

SALISBURY — A local farmer met with the Planning and Zoning Commission during its regular meeting on Feb. 18 for a pre-application discussion surrounding altering zoning regulations surrounding agritourism.

Robert Taylor, who runs Sleepy Cow Farm in Lakeville, was joined by attorney Daniel Casagrande of Cramer & Anderson LLP to present the proposed amendment to the regulations. Salisbury currently does not have explicit zoning for agritourism businesses, and Casagrande and Taylor urged that the commission consider allowing agritourism on local farms via special permit approval.

Casagrande presented a draft of the proposed regulation to the commission, defining agritourism as an “activity conducted on a farm that is offered to a member of the general public or to invited guests for the purpose of education, recreation, or active involvement in the farm operation.”

The draft offered examples of agritourism activities, including hay rides, produce picking, petting farms, wedding or event hosting and pumpkin patches, among others.

The regulation draft stated that activities categorized as agritourism be allowed in the RR-1 (residential) zone given that it complies with the proposed restrictions, which include specifications and limitations regarding acreage, parking, location and operating hours. The draft is available for public review on P&Z’s meeting documents webpage.

P&Z Chair Michael Klemens expressed hesitation to alter zoning regulations in reference to a single applicant, citing public misunderstanding following a 2024 alteration to hotel zoning that allowed for restricted hotel development in the RR-1 zone.

Klemens instead advocated for addressing the lack of agritourism zoning as part of a broader overhaul of Salisbury’s zoning regulations that is planned to ramp up over the next year.

Klemens maintained that addressing farms and farm operations — including agritourism — in the zoning review is a top priority: “We have a lot of work to do… if we’re going to protect farms and the farm way of life – not just have them be a backdrop to development, but actually to have real farms.”

Other commissioners similarly expressed their desire to see the town’s farms flourish, but agreed with Klemens that any amendments to zoning regulations must be done carefully and according to process. Klemens said that it may take a year to 18 months to establish new zoning regulations surrounding agritourism.

Attorney Casagrande said he was disappointed that the proposal wasn’t well received, but said that the conversation was productive and expressed his desire to continue collaborating with the commission as it moves towards altering the regulations. “There’s a lot of good stuff that came out of tonight that I think we can work on, and we can work on it quickly and effectively,” he said.

Latest News

Cornwall board approves purchase of two new fire trucks following CVFD recommendation
CVFD reaches fundraising goal for new fire trucks
Provided

CORNWALL — At the recommendation of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, on Jan. 20 the Board of Selectmen voted to move forward with the purchase of two new trucks.

Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was chosen as the manufacturer. Of the three bids received, Greenwood was the lowest bidder on the desired mini pumper and a rescue pumper.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robin Lee Roy

FALLS VILLAGE — Robin Lee Roy, 62, of Zephyrhills, Florida, passed away Jan. 14, 2026.

She was a longtime CNA, serving others with compassion for more than 20 years before retiring from Heartland in Florida.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie A. Vreeland

SALISBURY — Marjorie A. Vreeland, 98, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizons, on Jan. 10, 2026.She was surrounded by her two loving children, Richard and Nancy.She was born in Bronxville, New York,on Aug. 9, 1927, to Alice (Meyer) and Joseph Casey, both of whom were deceased by the time she was 14. She attended public schools in the area and graduated from Eastchester High School in Tuckahoe and, in 1946 she graduated from The Wood School of Business in New York City.

At 19 years old, she married Everett W. Vreeland of White Plains, New York and for a few years they lived in Ithaca, New York, where Everett was studying to become a veterinarian at Cornell. After a short stint in Coos Bay, Oregon (Mike couldn’t stand the cloudy, rainy weather!) they moved back east to Middletown, Connecticut for three years where Dr. Vreeland worked for Dr. Pieper’s veterinary practice.In Aug. of 1955, Dr. and Mrs. Vreeland moved to North Kent, Connecticut with their children and started Dr. Vreeland’s Veterinary practice. In Sept. of 1968 Marjorie, or “Mike” as she wished to be called, took a “part-time job” at the South Kent School.She retired from South Kent 23 years later on Sept. 1, 1991.Aside from office help and bookkeeping she was secretary to the Headmaster and also taught Public Speaking and Typing.In other times she worked as an assistant to the Town Clerk in Kent, an office worker and receptionist at Ewald Instruments Corp. and as a volunteer at the Kent Library.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rafael A. Porro

SALISBURY -— Rafael A. Porro, 88, of 4 Undermountain Road, passed away Jan. 6, 2026, at Sharon Hospital. Rafael was born on April 19, 1937 in Camaguey, Cuba the son of Jose Rafael Porro and Clemencia Molina de Porro. He graduated from the Englewood School for Boys in Englewood, New Jersey and attended Columbia University School of General Studies. Rafael retired as a law library clerk from the law firm of Curtis, Mallet Prevost in 2002 and came to live in Salisbury to be nearer to his sister, Chany Wells.

Rafael is survived by his sister, Chany Wells, his nephew Conrad Wells (Gillian), and by numerous cousins in North Carolina, Florida, Wyoming, Arizona, Cuba and Canada. He was the eldest of the cousins and acknowledged family historian. He will be greatly missed.

Keep ReadingShow less