In the 18th century, the town of Hudson was a refining center for the thriving whale oil trade. As a navigable port along the great river, the town was a prime location for processing the valuable oil then transporting it out to the growth regions in western New York State and the expanding frontiers beyond. In the 19th century, painters such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church drawn to the Hudson River Valley for its spectacular vistas and haunting light. Today this medium-size Columbia County town 2-hours up the Hudson River from New York City is a seasonal Mecca for leaf viewers and pumpkin hunters and as well as a country house enclave for the New York art crowd.
A conversion takes place when the land is actually converted from potential agricultural use to a built structure. Land that is sold, is no longer actively farmed and lies idle is not a converted until something is built on the property. A penalty is assesses based on the amount of land that is converted and for the amount of the exemption that was received on the converted portion during the past 5 years. The penalty is assessed to the owner making the conversion, who may not be the farmer that sold the land but the new owner who changed the land use. The issue of who pays the penalty is sometimes negotiated when the property is being sold. The topic is complicated so it pays to speak with your assessor if you have concerns about the penalties associated with the conversion. Most often the penalty is not a deterrent to whatever change is being proposed.