Buildings beside the Pumpkinvine

 Monday, December 9, 2024

I was able to go on a bike ride today because it was 50 degrees. I was able to see the new chicken house on the Miller property. What a change from what we negotiated with him five years ago when he said that he needed the land near his home for his horses. 

Should I be angry with him for putting up a chicken house where he said he needed land for his horses? I don’t know if he knew he would start a chicken operation five years ago, so perhaps the question is mute. I also think the land is his, so he can do what he wants. I wonder if he rezoned the land or if rezoning is required when a farmer starts a large chicken operation. 

The other thing I thought about while on my ride was that this construction is just the latest we’ve seen along the Pumpkinvine. Jayco built a huge building just east of the trail south of Middlebury and Winnebago built a new plant north of the trail east of Middlebury. The creamery restaurant started beside the trail in Middlebury, although that wasn’t new construction. I think ahead 25 years, and I can imagine that there will be many homes and factories along the trail, and I’m thankful that we saved the corridor now. That was our goal from the beginning, and as the years go by, the greenspace will become even more valuable