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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 18, 1992                   TAG: 9203180129
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ELIZABETH OBENSHAIN
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

KEEPING CHARACTER HELPS COMMUNITIES, PRESERVATIONIST SAYS

A community can choose how it will look by using design controls to regulate development, according to Elizabeth Brabec, a nationally known expert on preservation and land use who spoke Monday night in Blacksburg.

A community first must decide on what makes it unique and what it wants to preserve, such as buildings, rural views, residential streets and farms.

Then it can plan to protect those features, using economically viable design and zoning controls that still allow developers to build and landowners to maintain the value of their property, she said.

Standard zoning - often viewed as a protector - actually can be an enemy to conservation, requiring farms to be carved into large house lots rather than preserving open space with a more clustered development style, Brabec said.

She cited Boulder, Colo., as a city where the investment of tax money in broad greenways, landscaping and open space had resulted in a greater retail sales, a higher tax base and an ability to lure industries with its quality of living.

"While development is inevitable, it doesn't have to overrun your community," said Brabec. "By making choices you will make your community more economically viable in the future."

Local architect Bob Rogers said Blacksburg must decide what will define the town as a university community as business gravitates toward Christiansburg. He mentioned the town's stunning views as an aspect too often taken for granted.

David Reemsnyder, a developer, endorsed conservation, but also warned that stringent growth controls can have a negative impact, forcing up housing prices and thereby slowing development, employment and income in a community.

Reemsndyer and others called on local government to let builders know up front about design controls to avoid the expense and friction caused by uncertainty over development restrictions.

Residents have the power to determine how their town or city looks. Using design controls and zoning to preserve a community's natural beauty and character makes economic sense, too, giving the community a competitive edge in attracting new industry.