1537 Ridge Rd, Shoemakersville, PA 19555

Agricultural Preservation District

The purposes of the Agricultural Preservation District are: To protect and promote the continuation of agriculture in areas with primary agricultural lands. Those areas are: Preserved Farmland, Farmland in Agricultural Security Areas, Farmland enrolled in Act 319 of 1974 as amended Clean and Green, and Land Capability Classes I, II, III and IV.; To prevent the irreversible conversion of primary agricultural land to uses that result in its loss as an environmental and essential food and fiber resource within the Township of Maidencreek.; To strengthen and preserve strong agricultural activity as a viable component of the Maidencreek Township economy.; To promote agricultural land use and activities and other uses and activities which act in direct support of agriculture.; To protect and stabilize the essential characteristics of these areas, to minimize conflicting land uses detrimental to agriculture enterprises, and to limit development which requires highways and other public facilities.; To maintain, protect and stabilize agriculture as an ongoing economic activity by permitting only those land uses and activities which are either agricultural in nature or act in direct support thereof.; To maintain the land resource base, that is, agricultural parcels or farms in sizes which will permit efficient, profitable agricultural operations.; To keep separate agricultural land use and activities from incompatible residential, commercial and industrial development, and public facilities.; To protect land for agricultural purposes now and for future generations. To preserve prime agricultural soils and farmland to the maximum extent allowed by law.; To recognize that farming and agriculture activities are the highest, best, and a fully developed land use.; To further the goals of the Fleetwood - Maidencreek - Richmond Joint Comprehensive Plan of preserving agricultural and farmlands and promoting them as a part of the local economy.; To support the goals and land use plan of the Berks County Comprehensive Plan which determined that Maidencreek Township is an area which needs to be preserved for agricultural uses.