Feb 3, 2017 2 min read

BELLE VERNON – Rostraver Township commissioners are preparing to allow farmers to make extra money from their land.

The board is expected to adopt revisions in two weeks to the township’s zoning ordinance that would allow for agritourism businesses on farms under certain conditions, township records show.

“This is a farming community,” said township planner Tamira M. Spedaliere.

She said the commissioners have been modernizing local ordinances and wanted to create opportunities for farmers to increase their profits by creating commercial businesses similar to Trax Farms, which operates a popular market along Route 88 in Union Township.

The commissioners also amended the ordinance last year to allow for backyard chickens in qualifying residential neighborhoods, Spedaliere said.

The amendments would require a farmer to have at least five acres of property to submit an agritourism plan through an architect or engineer.

The types of limited commercial activities cited in the document include orchards, wineries, greenhouses, hunting preserves, companion animals or livestock shows and other purposes such as education, recreation and special events. It also cites other uses including cider mills, tasting rooms, wagon and sleigh rides and overnight accommodations that would be permitted under limited commercial activities.

The commissioners are expected to vote on the amendment at 5 p.m. Feb. 15 in the township building at 201 Municipal Drive, Belle Vernon.