Dandy residents opposed to having commercial agricultural operations in their neighborhood will hear the York County Board of Supervisors’ position on the matter Tuesday.
The board agreed in September to sponsor an amendment that, if passed, would change the zoning in Dandy to a designation meant for subdivisions after Dandy citizens presented them with a petition containing more than 140 signatures.
Petitioners argued they wanted to “preserve our unique way of life in Dandy,” citing concerns about property values.
York Point was the first community to be rezoned to the new residential designation after filing a similar petition in the spring.
The Dandy proposal comes in the footsteps of recently approved performance standards that prohibit commercial agriculture and underwater farming on agriculturally zoned properties that do not have at least 2 acres.
The supervisors voted to create the regulations after a law passed by the General Assembly in March prevents localities from imposing special-use permits for people interested in having commercial agricultural operations starting Jan. 1.
Six Dandy citizens spoke in favor of the zoning change during the Planning Commission’s review of the amendment, saying they did not want large agricultural operations in what they considered a residential neighborhood.
“We want Dandy to stay just like it is, but we don’t want large commercial interests to be able to buy in or move into Dandy,” Donald Piercy said.
Planning Commissioners voted in October to recommend the supervisors reject the proposal, saying the performance standards, which include 2-acre farming requirements, setbacks from neighboring property lines and buildings and limitations on equipment storage, would be enough to prevent most of the properties in Dandy from having commercial farming operations.
Before their vote, staff from the Planning Division presented the commissioners with an alternate proposal that would rezone 249 waterfront properties along Dandy Loop Road and properties near the Winterfield subdivision while leaving 48 properties in its current rural residential designation.
Tim McCulloch, the lone vote in support of the rezoning, said Dandy farmers and watermen were protected under the grandfather clause.
“The number of new watermen who have entered the field is negligible,” he said.
If the supervisors vote to rezone Dandy, home gardens, beekeeping, backyard chicken keeping, accessory apartments and home occupations would still be permitted. Commercial farming and underwater farming would not be allowed.
The board will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in York Hall. Citizens will have a chance to speak during the proposal’s public hearing.
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