MEETING TO SHOW HOW OPEN SPACE PLANNING WORKS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 22, 1992                   TAG: 9202220017
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium
MEETING TO SHOW HOW OPEN SPACE PLANNING WORKS
Ask Van Anderson his thoughts on open space planning and his response will tumble out in words that fall over each other.
Traditional development is almost like throwing a pack of cards out an airplane window, said the landscaping and architecture graduate student at Virginia Tech.
"It's a puzzle where none of the pieces fit together. There's no rhyme or reason," Anderson said. "How are we going to keep Montgomery County" from developing like that?
Is it worth saving significant areas of the county? he asked. Anderson's questions come fast and furious once he's on a roll. But he's leaving the answers to the citizens of the county.
Anderson is auditing a community involvement class at Tech that is promoting Thursday's kickoff meeting on open space planning sponsored by the Montgomery County Planning Commission. The meeting is a call to county residents to provide input and participate in the project. It will be held at the Christiansburg headquarters library on Sheltman Street.
Anderson wants to see people come together as a community to figure out how they want their county to look in the future, he said. "That's why it's so important for community involvement."
He admits open space planning, which blends growth with preserving the environment, has become a personal passion, and he's even writing his thesis on the topic, he said.
"What if we could have one big vision for the whole community?" Anderson asked. "What a concept? But I'm naive enough to think it can happen."
The class of about 40 students has been busy since January learning how to organize public meetings from adjunct professor Mike Appleby.
"This takes time and effort but there's no better way to learn," Appleby said to eight students gathered to finalize the plans.
Appleby always looks for community projects for his students to get involved in, he said. He wants to "create a community of learners in the class . . . it's a way of serving the public."
There were still a few points to clear up: was there enough money for refreshments, who was going to help stuff envelopes, was the slide show ready, should there be evaluation forms?
Thursday's meeting is the first time the students will present their work to the public.
The worst that could happen, Anderson said, is that no one will like the project. But if nothing else, he wants to heighten awareness. He accepts that because of the recession "the regular guy is worried about feeding his family . . . it's not the answer for them."
However, a survey of county citizens by the students last year found 59 percent of those surveyed would be willing to pay higher taxes to preserve open space. According to the survey, some areas people think are worth protecting include Brush Mountain, Ellett Valley, Northfork watershed and the Shawsville and Elliston areas. Informational letters were sent out to about 300 people across the county, including civic groups and government officials. Also, Anderson helped put together a slide show featuring county planner Joe Powers, planning commission member Ray Alcorn and residents of the county favoring open space planning.
"Tons of pictures" were taken of the county and a script was written. It's been tiring but interesting, said Anderson, who has been involved in the open space project since it began last spring.
It all started when advisory groups for the 1990 comprehensive plan recommended that the county develop a way to preserve open land, explained Randi Lemmon of the New River Valley Planning District Commission.
Lemmon decided to use students at Tech and set out to teach a course on open space planning. "It quickly came to us this would be a monumental endeavor," he said.
So, they applied for a grant and were awarded $35,000 last July by the Virginia Environmental Endowment to complete a study of Montgomery County's open spaces. The plan was to be written in a handbook and be available to officials across the state, he said.
The idea was the "development of a plan that's had public involvement from the beginning," Lemmon said. The kickoff meeting should stimulate interest and encourage residents to attend follow-up workshops.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB