The Albany County Town of Bethlehem has launched an ambitious project to preserve a once-bustling 300-acre dairy farm.
Local elected officials and regional stakeholders joined Bethlehem Town Supervisor David VanLuven Thursday at the intersection of Wemple Rd and Route 9W in Glenmont to formally launch the Historic Heath Farm Project Story Map & Survey and a Community Advisory Committee to guide the project. VanLuven, a Democrat, says the town purchased the land that once was home to Heath's Dairy earlier this year.
“The first thing we need to do is determine the condition of the barn and the silo at the intersection of Wemple and 9w by the Soccerplex," said VanLuven. "And we need to do that, because that will tell us how much it will cost to stabilize them, whether just to keep them as visual parts of the property, or what we would ideally like to do, which is convert them back into some sort of working public space. So that's part one. Part two, that happens at the same time, is working with our community to gather insights about what they would like to see happen here. And we have a storyboard process online where people can share their thoughts and ideas. It has visuals, so it's not just talking about things but actually help people see potential uses of the properties.”
VanLuven says long term he expects the town will partner with farm groups and veterans organizations to make the location "an innovative farmland hub" while keeping many its fields working in partnership with a local farmer.
He added the land is now forever protected from development. After a hard-fought referendum campaign, in November 2022 voters gave the town the green light to spend nearly $3 million dollars to acquire the land.
"During the referendum process, there were some who are claiming ‘these lands can never be protected.’ But if you look across the street, there are more than 100 apartments being built, right across the street. So these lands were threatened by development, and now they are not," VanLuven said.
The once-bustling dairy farm dated back to the 1920s and the land itself had been farmed for nearly 250 years. Heath's Dairy shut down in the late 1980s. Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy Executive Director Mark King says Bethlehem is leading the way in balancing conservation and development through the town's conservation easement program.
“The repercussions of farmland loss are really profound and far reaching," King said. "They affect our economy, food security, and environmental sustainability. Preserving farmland can provide access to fresh, locally grown fruit and produce, something so badly needed in our world today. Furthermore, preserving farmland contributes to the vitality of this community. Agriculture is not just a way of life, it supports local businesses, and maybe more importantly, fosters a strong sense of self sufficiency. By safeguarding this farm property, an invaluable asset is preserved, and one that reinforces the agricultural foundation on which this town is built.”
VanLuven says purchasing the land ensures it will remain open for continued agricultural production for generations. He hopes the site will become a regional hub for agriculture and the environment, as well as an agri-tourism destination. He encourages the public to visit the Historic Heath Farm Initiative online, delve into the StoryMap, and participate in the Community Visioning phase.
