Lynchburg, Virginia
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Survey: Protect open space
Residents want money spent on saving farmland
By: Victor Reklaltis
The News and Advance
BEDFORD – County residents want their local government to do more to protect farmland and other open space.
That’s according to a survey presented Monday to the Board of Supervisors and three other Bedford County boards at a day-long planning meeting.
County Administrator Bill Rolfe told the boards he was surprised that the protection of open space was a top priority for the 496 residents who completed the survey.
On average, the residents said fast-growing Bedford County should devote 10 cents of every dollar it spends toward that kind of work.
Only education and emergency services were deemed more important in the survey, getting 23 and 14 cents of every dollar. The protection of open space was ranked ahead of economic development, utilities and transportation.
Currently, the county spends no money on the protection of open space. It spends 36 cents of every dollar on education and 12 cents of every dollar on emergency services.
The survey was distributed through the county’s Web site and at about 20 public meetings held early this year. It’s intended to help Bedford officials as they work on updating the county’s comprehensive plan. A new draft of the plan is expected to be ready for public hearings by the end of next year.
On Monday, Rolfe asked the boards, What kind of tools do we put in our land-use planning toolbox to encourage open space? Officials discussed strategies such as limiting the installation of utilities to target areas, encouraging cluster developments and promoting conservation easements. A conservation easement is an agreement in which a land owner voluntarily give sup development rights in exchange for tax credits.
In a telephone interview, Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation president Steve Stevick said purchasing development rights from farmers would be another good strategy. “They really can’t afford not to do it,” Stevick said. He noted that compared to other land uses, farming places little demand on schools, law enforcement and other county services.
In the last year the land preservation group asked about 900 people on its mailing list to fill out the survey. But Stevick said the survey’s results aren’t skewed, because there is simply widespread support for preserving farmland. “Every corner we turned, people wanted to have open space as a priority,” he said.
Philip Thompson, Bedford County’s planning director, supported that view. He said the recent survey’s results are similar to the results of one conducted two years ago. Between 1980 and 2003, the county’s population grew from 34,927 to an estimated 61,200 according to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
At Monday’s meeting, the county’s economic development and public service authorities also made presentations. Officials said at least one company is already interested in moving into the county’s industrial park in New London once it’s ready. And they went over a 10- to 15-year plan to run waterlines from Smith Mountain Lake to Bedford city, as well as from Bedford to Forest.
The Planning Commission and the boards for the economic development and public service authorities were the three groups that met with the supervisors Monday. The four boards last met together more than three years ago. After the planning meeting, the Board of Supervisors discussed finding a replacement for Rolfe in closed session. The county administrator announced earlier this month that he was stepping down Jan. 5 to become Orange County’s top staffer. Rolfe said the board likely will vote on advertising the opening at its Dec. 6 meeting. Last week, it appointed Kathleen Guzi, Rolfe’s deputy, to act as interim county administrator once he’s gone.
Contact Victor Reklaltis at vreklaltis@nerwsadvance.com or (434) 385-5556
