PA lawmakers hear how State College Area Connector project would shut down family farms
A Centre County farmer told lawmakers Monday he and several of his peers would have no choice but to shut down their family farms if the state follows through with its existing plans for one of the largest highway projects in the county’s history.
Jesse Darlington, a 12th generation farmer whose family owns a 250-acre farm in rural Potter Township, was one of three people to testify Monday during an offsite Senate State Government Committee hearing in Bellefonte.
Any of the three proposed routes for the State College Area Connector project would require the state Transportation Department to use eminent domain — the compensated taking of private land for public use — on Darlington’s property.
Two of the three would almost certainly put his farm out of business, while the option with the least impact on Darlington would see the state take his home and a barn.
“We want to give our kids the opportunity to do what we did. My wife and I purchased property as it became available beside us in order to grow our operation because if we don’t do our part our next generation won’t be able to afford to farm,” Darlington testified. “Farms need to grow. They can’t shrink.”
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau called on the state to explore potential changes to farm and crop pricing when eminent domain is used. Prime farmland is scarce and increasingly costly in Centre County, board of directors member Andy Bater testified.
One farm in Centre County sold in the last two years for more than $40,000 per acre, while several others sold for more than $15,000 per acre. Pennsylvania ranked eighth nationally last year in crop evaluation at more than $8,620 per acre.
“Land is the paramount resource for a farmer,” Bater testified. “It is essential for planting, growing and harvesting crops, pasturing animals and recycling byproducts.”
The hearing in some ways foreshadowed a potentially painful part of the construction process as PennDOT looks to increase safety and divert about half of total traffic and three-fourths of truck traffic from the existing U.S. Route 322.
The agency finalized last year a report that recommended three options be studied further. Estimated costs range from $432 million to $517 million. PennDOT expects to host a public meeting no later than the summer.
No properties have yet been identified for acquisition, according to PennDot’s website. Acquisition is expected to begin in the latter half of 2027 and continue through most of 2029.
In the interim, many farmers who plan years in advance, business owners, homeowners and others are left in limbo. That includes an Air Force veteran, a man who lived in his home since 1977 and what is marketed as the oldest standing home in Centre County.
One farmer who spoke with the Centre Daily Times in 2022 said the project is “upsetting as hell.”
State Sen. Cris Dush, R-Brookville, floated the possibility of constructing the new highway far south of the existing one, through the more than 7,000 acres already owned by the state.
“In my opinion, it’s easier to run a bulldozer across a flat farm field than it is to run a bulldozer across hilltops,” Bater testified in response to a question from Dush about the possibility.
Dush introduced a bill last year that he said would compensate property owners for the loss of goodwill, not just the assessed value of their land. It was referred to a committee in September.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028 and take about five years to complete.
“The confiscation of farmland or other properties that stand as pillars of our community, that feed our families, pay taxes and hire workers represents a serious problem,” Dush said. “It isn’t just the crops and acreage that are infringed on, but the livelihoods and the goodwill of their owners whose lives are disrupted in the name of progress.
“It’s particularly bad when homes, businesses and lands have been passed down through generations or have built up intangible but precious value like reputation and community goodwill. The idea that the government can arbitrarily determine the value of private property without factoring in things like this is an insult to our notions of justice.”
