What does it mean that land is zoned for agriculture or conservation?
Agriculture/conservation is one zoning category or classification. Land zoned this way is often referred to as open space or green space. It is the land in a community that is set aside for either no development or very low-density development. Development is not prohibited on agricultural/conservation land. This is important to understand. A landowner may construct homes on such land. In Derry Township, one home may be built for every 5 acres of agricultural/conservation land. So, keeping such land zoned for agriculture/conservation does not force the landowner to keep the space as a forest or field. It would, however, prohibit the construction of a dense housing development. This is proper because such a development would fundamentally change the character of the land, whereas a sparse development (one home per 5 acres) would maintain the open character of the land.
