The Town of Clifton Park Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan provides a comprehensive, forward-looking roadmap to sustain and strengthen agriculture as a vital component of the Town’s economy, landscape, heritage, and quality of life. Its central purpose is to protect priority farmlands, enhance the long-term economic viability of farm operations, and ensure that agriculture remains an integral and celebrated part of Clifton Park’s identity. The Plan responds to decades of farmland loss, increasing development pressure, and the evolving needs of a diverse and resilient agricultural community. It offers actionable strategies—grounded in data, public input, and best practices—to help the Town balance growth with stewardship while supporting both traditional and emerging farm enterprises.
The Town Board recognized the need for a deliberate, coordinated strategy to support the remaining agricultural base. With funding from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Town—guided by a dedicated Advisory Committee—conducted a multi-year public planning process involving farmer interviews, surveys, workshops, public open houses, GIS mapping, farmland prioritization, and a farm-friendly audit of local laws. This plan synthesizes extensive input with technical analysis to outline a path forward for protecting farmland and supporting farming as a long-term land use in Clifton Park.
With the town’s Plan as its foundation, and the newly appointed Advisory Committee in place, the Town is ready to act on short-term and longer-term actions and strategies.
New Committee Formed to Help Town Board Implement the Town’s Ag Plan
Formally established by the Clifton Park Town Board by resolutions on May 19 and June 2, 2026, the Town of Clifton Park Agricultural and Farmland Protection Advisory Committee held its kick-off meeting at Clifton Park Town Hall on July 9, 2026, led by 2026 Chairman Kevin Bowman. The Committee plans to meet monthly to conduct its work in assisting the Town Board in its implementation of the Clifton Park Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan that was adopted by the Town Board on May 19, 2026.
What is the Town’s Ag Plan?
The Town of Clifton Park Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan includes the key elements outlined in NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Section 324-a, including an Executive Summary, a vision statement, Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats (SWOT) analysis, a definition of agriculture for Clifton Park, base maps of prime farmland soils, parcels enrolled in Saratoga County Agricultural District #2 and lands receiving agricultural assessments, and subject to Article 25-AA of the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Law, existing farms, water, sewer, and solar arrays utility infrastructure, permanently conserved farmlands (Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements), other conserved lands in the community, and other relevant community resources, and with the public values and advisory committee’s input incorporated, includes a priority farmlands map in the Plan.
The Plan organizes its recommended actions into seven strategic themes, each designed to reinforce the overarching goals of protecting farmland and strengthening agricultural viability. The Plan’s strategies are actionable, measurable, and aligned with state and federal funding programs. Key strategies include protecting farmland in Clifton Park; updating zoning and town code to better reflect the priorities for agriculture and support diversified agricultural crops, products, and markets; facilitate agricultural education and technical assistance; enhance marketing and public awareness of agriculture; build partnerships; improve agricultural infrastructure; and increase funding opportunities to accomplish goals and objectives.
The Plan recognizes that no single tool or approach can preserve agriculture, thus the Plan integrates multiple approaches—land conservation, zoning updates, public education, economic development, and partnership building—to create a long-lasting, adaptable strategy in support of today’s farms and the next generation of farmers.
The publicly created plan includes recommendations for agricultural protection, including an Implementation Matrix (Action Plan) for plan recommendations. It offers an achievable framework that:
▪ Aligns with state and federal agricultural and conservation programs.
▪ Balances development needs with the long-term protection of critical farmland.
▪ Provides clear, prioritized actions and implementation steps.
▪ Strengthens the Town’s ability to secure funding.
▪ Supports economic resilience while protecting the Town’s rural character.
▪ Reduces regulatory barriers and improves farm-friendly land use policies.
▪ Responds directly to community values and the expressed needs of farmers
The Town of Clifton Park is committed to implementing the Plan. The Action Plan identifies the following initial steps to support successful implementation:
- Forming a Town of Clifton Park Agriculture and Farmland Protection Advisory Committee
- Improving the Town’s overall support for agriculture and reducing unintentional barriers to farm operations, such as updating Planning Board referrals per NYS 239-m.
- Developing mechanisms to convey existing resources and assistance available to farmers or those desiring to start farming in Town, such as encouraging and supporting small farms enrolling in the Saratoga County Agricultural District #2 as one of several ways.
- Streamlining permits applicable to farmstands, greenhouses, and seasonal events.
How was the Ag Plan created?
The Town of Clifton Park Town Board successfully utilized a NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets’ $25,000 Municipal Planning Grant to retain Community Planning and Environmental Associates (CP&EA) as professional planning consultants with extensive experience with farmland protection planning issues, to support the Town Board, Town staff, and its Clifton Park Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan Project Advisory Committee in conducting a robust public participation process to create the Clifton Park Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan (March 2026), the “Plan”, adopted by the Town Board on May 19, 2026. The Saratoga County Planning Board reviewed the Plan and approved the farm Plan for potential inclusion into the Town of Clifton Park Comprehensive Plan. Prior to adoption, the Town Board conducted a public hearing on the Plan on April 21, 2026. The Town Board adopted a resolution to adopt the Plan as policy on agriculture and farming, and incorporated the farm Plan into the Town of Clifton Park Comprehensive Plan on May 19, 2026. The Saratoga County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board’s approved the town’s Plan on June 16, 2026, and the town’s Plan was submitted to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on July 9, 2026 for state Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets approval.
Extensive Public Engagement to Create the Ag Plan (2024-2026)
Leading up to the plan’s adoption, the public engagement involved the community, long-time farmers, next generation farmers/new farmers, farmland owners, large landowners, agricultural support businesses, partners such as Saratoga P.L.A.N. from Summer 2024 through to early 2026. The advisory committee and planning team engaged with the public at Town of Clifton Park’s Annual Farm Fest activities, Shenendehowa Central School District’s widely attended Science Fair Night, an online public survey, created and hosted an interactive website, held a large public meeting with the general public, conducted direct one-on-one interviews with about a dozen farmers; conducted a focused farmers/farmland owners survey online and mailed to farmers/farmland owners, held a farmers/farmland owners stakeholder meeting, and a dozen advisory committee meetings, gathering a wealth of input and direction guiding the creation of the public Plan.
A History of Conservation Efforts
In 1996, the Town adopted a Right-To-Farm Law and initiated a term conservation easement program as a tool to encourage landowners to keep farming, for terms of 15- to 25-years. In 2003, the Town adopted an Open Space Plan that included a component on agriculture and farmland and set a goal to protect 300 to 500 acres. The Town Clifton Park has worked with willing landowners and protected four farms to date and now holds the deeds of four permanent conservation easements on about 258 acres, as of December 2023, secured through the purchase of development rights. With the purchase/sale of development rights to the town, farmland owners retain their private farms and remain on local tax rolls, with non-agricultural development rights extinguished.
Why Prepare This Plan Now?
Development pressure is continuing in the Town of Clifton Park and Saratoga County from residential and commercial development, including for solar photovoltaic arrays and utility infrastructure on open lands throughout Town. Amidst this development pressure, property owners continue to seek options and opportunities for their farmlands, including the potential for new farming activities and uses. The community of Clifton Park has successfully protected four (4) farms in town through purchase the development rights, with assistance from the Saratoga County Open Space Grant Program, and its first NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Farmland Protection Implementation Grant (FPIG) for purchase of development rights. The Town had been awarded previous FPIG funding for two farms for a 5-year lease of development rights “pilot” type of program, with one farm opting out of the grant; and the other farm starting the lease program, but then converting their land to a solar utility operation, and repaying all grant funds.
The Town previously took a deep look at farmland issues and protection as part of its 2001-2002 planning process for its Open Space Plan that was adopted by the Town Board in 2003. The community took another look at the Western Clifton Park area of town in 2004-2005 through its Western Clifton Park Land Conservation Plan and GEIS which the Town Board adopted in 2006. The Town proceeded to adopt new zoning districts in Western Clifton Park, including Conservation Residential Zoning District with detailed procedures for conserving lands even through development processes. The new code in 2006 also included Open Space Incentive Zoning which offered options and relief for landowners in this area.
More than 20 years later, after revising the entire zoning code for Western Clifton Park, protecting four (4) farms totaling nearly 300 acres, securing more than 2,000 acres of public parks and preserves throughout Town, and implementing Town Center Area Form-Based Code Zoning in the eastern part of town, the farm planning process offered an opportunity to evaluate the town’s resources and public values to define the public vision, goals and actions to guide the next 10 to 20 years of farmland protection and agricultural support implementation.
Working Documents:
