Bedford Bulletin, November 13, 2002 Grassroots What Are the Challenges of Growth? Bedford County is growing – since 1970 it has doubled in population. Between 1992 and 1997 Bedford has lost 7 percent of its full-time farms, two percentage points above the national average. The 2000 census shows that Bedford County is poised to become the dominant population center in Central Virginia by mid-decade. With this growth come many challenges. Residents, government officials, business leaders, and others must work together to decide how to manage this inevitable growth. Growth in the county can be managed in a way that balances development with the preservation of the county’s rural character. Achieving this balance requires careful planning, an informed and involved citizenry, and a shared vision of what we want Bedford to be like in the future. Fortunately, Bedford County is in the process of developing a new comprehensive plan that is scheduled for completion in 2004. This plan will be our community’s guide for future growth and development. It will provide a vision for an organized approach to future land use and services. It will outline what needs to be done, and how and when to do it. Good planning, if faithfully carried out, is first and foremost a way to make wise and prudent decisions. It encourages communities to consider the future and set priorities for expenditures. The comprehensive plan is among Bedford County’s most important tasks. Citizen involvement in the planning process is essential, because ultimately it is the citizens who will be paying for future community services. Lynchburg’s new comprehensive plan, for example, was guided by a 24-member citizen committee led by the city’s strategic planner. “Responding to growth without having a plan for it,” said Steve Stevick, President of Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation (BCLP), “can have serious and unintended fiscal ramifications for all of us. For example, when you designate land for new residential development you’ve got to have a plan that makes it clear how you are going to pay for utility, water and sewer lines. You’ve got to provide new roads and schools, new fire and police protection. Our research into growth in other Virginia localities is revealing that development, if not properly balanced, drives up local taxes and strains local government budgets. For example, tax revenues from residents are often not enough to cover the cost of the services they require. Farm and businesses contribute more money to the tax base than they use in services. Before we lose one more acre of farmland and open space to development in Bedford County, we need to know what the cost of these community services is going to be, not just in the short-term, but twenty years from now. We hope getting that kind of information is going to be part of the county’s planning process.” The central issue facing Bedford County today is not the fact that the county is growing, but how is it growing. The comprehensive plan should give us the answer to this question. Tough questions need to be addressed as the plan is being developed. For example, is Bedford County moving toward becoming a vibrant community where work and home are close to each other? Will there still be land that is used for farming, timbering, hunting and other traditional rural pursuits in 10 years, 20 years, 50 years from now? Is Bedford moving toward development where in the future it will not only have lost its rural character forever, but may not even generate enough taxes to pay for required new roads, water lines, schools and other services? Part of the planning process is being aware of the problems that can come with growth. It will help residents and officials plan growth in ways that encourage its many benefits, such as increased opportunities for employment and improved services, and discourage some its common problems, such as escalating taxes and new strains on finite resources, such as water. These and many other questions are before Bedford County today as it develops its new comprehensive plan. One of the most important aspects of the current planning process is getting citizen input into how the county should grow and what our future ought to be. In this column BCLP will follow the progress of the comprehensive plan, explain key issues that all residents should understand in order to participate in the public workshops and meetings that will be held in the first quarter of 2003, and announce public forums where you can learn more.