The "Horsepower May Soon Mean More Than Having A Car" Story

Scenes from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an editorial in our local paper titled "Buggies in Suburbia".  Seems that over the years the farmland in Lancaster County has decreased and the Amish Community is becoming larger.  In return, many of the Amish are leaving the farm behind and taking up different non-agricultural professions that don't require a large amount of acreage.  They are moving into suburban neighborhoods with English (non-Amish) neighbors.  These properties may have an acre or two of land or even just a 1/2 ace of land.  But, when they move they bring along with them their means of transportation, their buggy and......horse!  Their new neighbors may have a one or two car garage, but The Amish have no need for a car garage.  

Small stables like this are being found in suburban neighborhoods.

They need a stable for a small horse or perhaps two horses.  And, this has created a problem for their new neighbors.  Some neighbors have complained about the stink and flies that come with quartering horses on their neighbor's property.  But, if the English have the right to have a garage for their car as a means of transportation, why can't The Amish, or Plain sect, have a place for a stable which is what is needed to keep a horse.  As of now there are laws in place that say home owners, be they English or Amish,  must have their stable at least 100 feet from their property line and create no odor offensive to their neighbors.  Get real!  And, 2 grazing acres are needed for the first horse and 1.5 acres for each after that.  Actually, one acre of land, exclusive of buildings and impervious surfaces, must be provided for the first two animal units which are housed or pastured on the lot.  There might be some options from township to township, but what I have written is a general rule for all townships.  There is a zoning enforcement officer that does check on infractions if they are reported.  Many people may believe different things about Amish families, but one that they may not know is that Amish families in Lancaster County now accept state-or-the-art indoor plumbing that is found in most suburban houses.  

Amish need a horse to pull their buggy for transportation.

But, they are not about to give up on their means of transpor- tation.  And, we English should not expect them to.  But, if I had a new neighbor who was Amish and they brought with them a horse or two and put up a shed close to the property line, I would be upset.  If they follow all guidelines, no one should complain.  But, how can you eliminate the smell of farm animals?  YOU CAN"T.  Allowing Amish to move into suburban neighborhoods and building a shed for the horses that will bring with them the odors is legal, but certainly wouldn't make them liked in the neighborhood.  Can you imagine what this can do to property values?  Recently I wrote a story about local supermarket owners wanting to build a 76-acre village with mixed use development in the north-east end of Lancaster County.  They want to build 554 housing units, restaurants, stores and a 120-room hotel.  Much of the land in question borders farm land occupied by Amish at present.  And, The Amish rely on their horse and buggy to transport them around the narrow county roads.  Well, the project has been approved and the Amish say they may consider moving if the roads become too congested after the development is completed.  Hey, this is Lancaster County, "The Garden Spot of America"!  We don't want to lose our farmers and especially our Amish neighbors.  Keeping them on the farm with profitable jobs will only happen if the lawsuits, that have been filed to reverse the decision of the new construction, can reverse the decision of those that voted to destroy the farmland.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.