Ackerly Pond Lane site plan amended from chicken farm to organic row crops
The prospective Southold egg farmer blinked in a months-long game of chicken over his controversial proposal.
Grant Callahan, the New York University undergrad who floated the idea, has scrapped plans for a 6,000-bird operation on Ackerly Pond Lane and now wants to grow organic fruits and vegetables instead.
A firm representing 2340 Ackerly Pond LLC notified the Southold Planning Board last Friday that the applicant was withdrawing the chicken-farm proposal and amending the site plan.
“After much thought and careful consideration, the Applicant has elected not to pursue the originally proposed chicken farming operation at the Property,” the letter reads.
The letter filed into the public record states that the change in site usage should address concerns neighbors have raised and asks that the amended proposal be placed on the Sept. 14 Planning Board work-session agenda.
Town Attorney Ben Johnson said the board would likely use that work session to announce the date and time of the next public hearing on the amended application.
Mr. Johnson confirmed to The Suffolk Times that Mr. Callahan, who lives in Nassau County, is the owner of 2340 Ackerly Pond LLC.
Mr. Callahan did not say whether months of opposition from nearby residents influenced his decision to change course.
“I’m incredibly excited to be building an organic farm here on the North Fork,” he said. “Southold has an extraordinary agricultural history, and as a young farmer, I’m proud to have the opportunity to contribute to its next generation. I believe people should know where their food comes from, how it was grown and the practices that went into growing it. That’s the kind of farm I am building, one that people can know and trust, and that will be part of this community for many years to come.”
“I’m very grateful to my neighbors, the Southold community, and the Town of Southold for all the time, encouragement, and guidance I’ve received along the way,” Mr. Callahan continued.
The revised proposal marks a sharp turn for a project that has generated controversy since January.
The original plan called for 6,000 chickens on the property, prompting objections from nearby Jasmine Lane residents who raised concerns about disease, foul odors, noise, rodents, flies and other potential health risks.
The dispute intensified over the summer. On June 29, the town issued a stop-work order after Mr. Callahan began building a hoop-style chicken shelter before receiving approval to begin construction.
Since January, what started as an idea ended up dividing the neighborhood, ultimately upsetting local homeowners on the adjacent property of Jasmine Lane.
The original plan called for 6,000 chickens, which neighbors said could cause the spread of diseases, foul odor, noise and potential health risks.
John Reichert, whose Jasmine Lane property backs part of the proposed farm, has been among the project’s loudest critics, attending town board meetings over the past eight-plus months.
“I got a right to live, I got a right breathe clean air,” Mr. Reichert said at the Sept. 9 work session. “I got a right to sit in my backyard and not be invaded by rats, mice and flies.”
Mr. Reichert’s daughter, Leslie Herrlin, who posted video showing land clearing and construction at the site weeks before the town issued the stop-work order, said at a previous town meeting that the fight has never been about opposing farming.
“This is bigger than chickens,” she said. “We’re not against chickens. The public is not anti-farm. Why aren’t procedures being followed? Because they should be.”
At a recent meeting, local homeowner Barbara Pantino also raised concerns about the size of the proposed operation.
“Can you imagine what 6,000 chickens could sound like on 16 acres?” Ms. Pantino said.
