Farms are being impacted in our urban areas by encroaching commercial and housing development. City limits are being expanded and farm property annexed to the cities. Doe that mean we are to succumb to the destruction of these historic agricultural landscapes? How do we preserve these in the midst of urban development?

A farmstead is a historic landscape that contains irrigation ditches, structures, gardens, roads, fields, ponds, fences, buildings and farm equipment. Historic agricultural landscapes can be preserved intact in rural areas and the original use of the farm buildings can continue. However in urban areas preservation is a challenge. The ideal solution is to preserve the farm property intact as an open space/natural area within the urban growth area. However, this is not always possible and compromise is the only alternative to preserving some semblance of our agricultural heritage within our cities.

Therefore we must seek creative solutions to the preservation and adaptive reuse of these historic farmsteads. This requires surveying the needs of the adjacent community to the farmstead and determining viable and needed uses for the landscape and buildings. With the increasing desire for open space, a creative planning process will include preserving the most important features of the agricultural landscape as an open space within a retail/office or housing development. The buildings can be used for recreation centers, libraries, bed and breakfasts/lodging, garden houses, etc. However, participants in an adaptive reuse project must then consider the best ways to preserve the historical and architectural integrity of the landscape and buildings so that the public can appreciate the history of the farmstead. The following are possible guidelines for preserving the buildings and remnants of our agricultural history.

Design Guidelines

1. Determine the original site plan of the farmstead by researching historic documents and photographs. There is a historic site plan for each farmstead that was based on the functions of the farmstead and how the buildings were used to fulfill these functions. To accurately portray this history, the buildings should remain in their original locations. If buildings are spread out over the whole landscape, it is possible to move smaller outbuildings near the main buildings in the complex. The main buildings, however, should remain in their original locations.

2. Create a buffer zone to provide a visual screen between the historic complex and new development. This buffer should be at least 1000 ft. around the building complex site. This allows the farmstead to still have a feeling of openness and avoids immediate visual intrusion of modern buildings into the landscape.

3. Preserve the view corridors from the farm site--these can include views of mountains, rivers, and other natural landmarks that have been a part of the farmstead's history. The natural setting and historically oriented view from these properties is recognized as important to the interpretation of historic properties. Construction within that line of view, or view corridor, forever cuts the property off from any remnant of the historic environment.

4. Preserve some portion of historic fencing, ditches/irrigation features, equipment, vegetation, and landscape features of the farm so that they can continue to tell the story of the evolution of the farmstead.

5. Require compatible architectural design of buildings adjacent to the farmstead; the designs should reflect historic architectural features, style, and materials of the farm buildings. This will visually integrate the farmstead into the commercial/housing development.

6. Limit the scale and density of adjacent new buildings; new buildings should not be taller than the height of the tallest building on the farm site. High-density developments around the farmstead can completely overwhelm the historic farmstead.

7. Mitigate the physical impact of construction equipment activity on the stability of the farm building complex. Before construction is allowed on adjacent land, meet with the people who will be operating the equipment to stake out boundaries of no impact.

8. Do not build new buildings within the historic farmstead complex. Preserve the historic integrity of the site.

9. Restoration and rehabilitation of the farmstead buildings should follow the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.