Today Senator Kennedy testified before Chairman Adam Hinds and Chairman Mark Cusack and the Joint Committee on Revenue in support of two bills he filed, S.1893, An Act to promote urban agriculture and horticulture, and S.1896, An Act providing a local option to allow more solar energy generation on farmlands.
Across the Commonwealth, urban agriculture and horticulture have helped transform neighborhoods and have proven to be credible forces in their revitalization. In the last decade, urban agriculture has emerged as an indispensable component in the civic fabric of Lowell. As a result of the steady resolve and ingenuity of Mill City Grows, a non-profit organization in the city, Lowell now has three urban farms and seven community gardens, as well as school gardens at every middle school in the city. Despite the demonstrated value of urban agriculture initiatives, the potential of this proven source of revitalization often remains unfulfilled in our Commonwealth’s Gateway Cities due in large part to the cost of acquiring land. S.1893 would serve to address this barrier by providing a new tool to municipalities in the form of an optional tax exemption of up to 100 percent on parcels of less than two acres that are intended for agricultural or horticultural use.
Likewise, S.1896 would allow our agricultural communities to further encourage the use of solar panels on farm properties by providing a local option for agricultural properties to remain classified under Chapter 61A even if they are used for solar energy generation. This would be a local option for each community. Under the current law, development, or installation of solar facilities on classified land will constitute a change in use and trigger a municipality’s right of first refusal and a penalty tax assessment. This would allow each community to opt out of this and continue to classify the land as agricultural land even after the installation of solar panels. Our farmland and agricultural properties in the Commonwealth can play a leading role in combatting climate change and generating green energy. This simple legislation would allow for more farmers to consider this use of their property without being penalized by losing their agricultural property status.