Kerr: A missed opportunity to save open space

It’s is a resource whose value is difficult to quantify. Some people would argue it’s not important and not worth paying for. Others would tell you it’s invaluable. This resource, which in some communities to our north, such as Fairfax and Arlington, has become difficult to find, is open space. In other words, a tract of land that isn’t built up or at the very least not intensively developed.

Land preservation, the idea of hanging on to some of this open space, is something a lot of people talk about. However, the problem is that many properties that would be suitable candidates for land preservation already have specific development rights. This means that when the owner sells the property the next step, depending on the zoning, may well be towards use for single family housing, townhouses, or a strip mall.

Conserving open space is a problem for local governments like Stafford. There is considerable development pressure, only so much open land, and bit by bit, it’s being eaten up by more and more scattered types of developments.

That’s what the Purchased Development Rights program is designed to help prevent. It’s still a modest undertaking, but the idea is simple. The county accepts applications from property owners to buy their rights to future development. The county, using a formula, values the rights and determines if the property is deemed suitable for inclusion in the program. The program is voluntary. There is no down-zoning or infringement on individual property rights. The property, even if it’s sold, maintains the newly negotiated development rights. According to Tom Coen, chairman of the Purchased Development Rights Committee, the objective is “…to preserve open and farm land, respect the owner’s rights and not cost the county a lot of money.”

The Commonwealth authorized this program in 2005 and Stafford set up a pilot program in 2007. Stafford kicked in $300,000 and the state matched this with another $300,000. The deadline for the first set of applications was April of this year. The county received six responses for a total of 630 acres. That’s roughly one square mile. The value of these applications hasn’t been priced out yet and the county still has significant work to do in processing the applications, but it shows there is a lot of interest.

In addition, there has been a proposal, which models the approach taken by other counties in Virginia, to expand the program. Voters would be asked to approve the funding of the program, through bonds, at roughly $2 million every other year for 10 years for a total of $10 million.

However, the idea, put before the board of supervisors earlier this month, didn’t get very far. There is already a parks bond issue on the ballot for next fall, and apparently the board wasn’t in favor of adding another bond measure. The only supervisor of those present who voted for it was Paul Milde from the Aquia District. The vote, sadly, represented something of a lost opportunity. Once open space is gone, it’s gone. Perhaps next year the story may be different.

David S. Kerr is an Aquia resident and a former member of the Stafford County School Board. Contact him at info@stafford countysun.com.