Saratoga PLAN, a nonprofit conservation
organization, will purchase the 166-acre Pitney
Farm on West Avenue in Saratoga Springs
and convert it into a “community farm.”
The organization said the land is one of the
last remaining active farms within city limits.
“The site lends itself to all kinds of agricultural
pursuits and community activities,” said
Maria Trabka, executive director of Saratoga
PLAN.
“The fields, woods and creeks offer
plenty of space for an agricultural training
program for beginning farmers, incubator
‘farmettes’ for apprentice-level farmers,
community gardens, plots for pick-your-own,
an arboretum and nursery of native and nut
trees, and hiking trails.”
She said PLAN is developing the concept
of a “community farm,” a place where people
are welcome to participate in a variety of
ways. The farm is near Saratoga Springs High
School, the YMCA, Saratoga Spa State Park
and the planned Greenbelt Trail.
“This project will really be a place for
people and keep the ‘country in the city’ for
this town which desires to remain a ‘city in
the country,'” she said.
Kathy Pitney, spokesperson for the family
selling the land, said “if this effort is successful,
it will ensure that the farm that has
been in our family since the late 1800s will
continue to be a vital agricultural resource
for the city of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga
County. This initiative is fully in keeping with
our forbearers’ commitment to responsible
stewardship and community service.”
Conservation of the Pitney Farm has been a
priority of the land trust organization and the
city over two decades. The site was identified
as an open-space asset in both the original
1994 open-space plan for the city and the
updated plan adopted in 2002.
PLAN officials said the family has been
steadfast in their resolve that the land would
never be developed and would always be
available for agricultural purposes. Saratoga
PLAN has agreed to ensure that the family’s
wishes for the farm to remain a farm will be
upheld.
The farm has been in the family for over
150 years. Over time, the land has been used
as a truck farm growing vegetables for the
former Pitney Hotel on Grand Avenue, the
Pitney’s Meadow Dairy Farm, and a horse
boarding operation. The farm field was even
used as the first airplane landing strip in the
city at one time. It is currently being leased
to a local egg operation for growing feed corn.
Saratoga Institute, another nonprofit
organization that nurtures new nonprofits during the start-up phase, is partnering
with Saratoga PLAN and the farmers and
will serve as the umbrella organization for
developing the plans for phasing in the uses
and programming for the community farm.
“We are delighted to assist in devising a
viable, sustainable plan for creating a community
farm. We anticipate that many individuals,
organizations, institutions, and local
farm businesses will want to partner on this
exciting project. Over the next year, we will be
gathering input through a facilitated process
to bring out ideas and construct a feasible
plan of action,” said Barbara Glaser, founder
and board member of the Saratoga Institute.
Officials said it will take a broad coalition
of partners and donors to help finance the
purchase of the land, as well as to develop
viable complementary programs for use of the
land. In order to create a reliable foundation
for investing in the different components of
this project, protecting the land with a conservation
easement is an essential requirement
from the outset.
The 166-acre tract of land is separated
into three main sections, a 12-acre portion
on West Avenue where the house and barns
are located, a 119-acre tract on West Avenue
south of the former rail line where the county
water and sewer lines run underground, and
a 35-acre wooded tract west of the railroad
tracks. Parts of the property fall under different
zoning regulations. Rowland Hollow
Creek borders the property and becomes
Geyser Creek before continuing on its way
to Saratoga Spa State Park.
Officials said the land was recently appraised
at a fair market value of $2.4 million
for its highest and best use. The Pitney family
offered to donate approximately 25 percent of
the value and sell the land to Saratoga PLAN
for roughly 75 percent of its value.
A substantial Stewardship Fund will
also need to be raised to care for the land
in perpetuity. Estimates for the additional
expenses are still being calculated and PLAN
will embark on a capital campaign to raise the
monies needed for the project. The purchase
is expected to close in the fall.
“This is a big undertaking, but one that
many people are ready to rally around to bring
to fruition,” said John Munter, chairman of
the board of directors for Saratoga PLAN. “We
feel confident that the community will come
together and get involved, contributing in the
many ways they can, to make this farmland
acquisition a reality and a permanent asset
for the enjoyment of everyone today and in
the future.”