Lynchburg, Virginia
December 10, 2004
Editorial
Bedford must save open spaces now
Bedford County residents want to preserve what’s best about the place they live – open space.
Open space includes unspoiled vistas and farmland. Maintaining it means saving grassy fields and forests from development.
A survey of 469 residents showed that open space ranked among the top three priorities, behind only education and emergency services. It ranked above economic development, utilities and transportation.
County Administrator Bill Rolfe told local boards that the ranking surprised him. That’s a shame. Such a value should be a no-brainer. Bedford County’s charm clearly lies in its beautiful views and unspoiled, rolling hills.
This is also not the first time residents have expressed such views. A survey conducted two years ago had similar results. County officials must not have been paying attention.
The county has not made open space preservation a priority. Bedford County currently spends nothing on land protection. It’s time county officials listened to their constituents.
The respondents to the survey said the county should devote 10 cents of every tax dollar toward land preservation. That compares with the 36 cents per dollar it spends on education and 12 cents on emergency services.
To help preserve open space, the county could invest more in parks, particularly in creating permanent open spaces that protect views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
It should also implement a purchase of development rights program to protect the most critical vistas.
Preserving land doesn’t necessarily mean spending money. The county can control growth through careful planning. It can install utilities like sewer lines to encourage cluster developments and limit sprawl. The county could also take an active role in promoting conservation easements, in which landowners agree to give up development rights in exchange for tax credits.
Bedford Citizens for Land Preservation President Steve Stevick noted that, compared with other land uses, farming places few demands on schools, law enforcement and other county services.
In other words, it costs taxpayers far less to leave land open.
While Bedford County still boasts nearly 200,000 acres of farmland, 8,000 acres gave way to development between 1997 and 2002. Put another way, 165 farms disappeared in just five years.
