Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 7, 1993 TAG: 9308070055
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
For several months, county planners and citizen volunteers have studied ways to preserve Montgomery County's rural character and, at the same time, allow for land development.
At its Aug. 18 meeting, the county Planning Commission will discuss incorporating recommendations on the preservation of open space into the county's comprehensive plan.
The recommendations, drawn by a citizens' advisory committee, could change radically the way land is developed in the county.
For instance, traditional subdivisions with their large lots for single homes could give way to "cluster" developments in which houses would be grouped together on smaller lots but surrounded by common open space. Such development not only would be cheaper to serve with roads and utilities but would maintain the rural feel and beauty of the land.
Recommendations also such cover issues as farm and forest land conservation, protection of water resources, historic preservation and recreational sites.
A similar open-space planning process has been under way in Blacksburg, which is developing its own recommendations to be presented to Town Council next month.
Christiansburg was not involved in the joint planning because of a misunderstanding over whether it had been invited to participate, said Town Manager John Lemley. But Christiansburg has considered open-space issues as it has revised its comprehensive plan and through its Parks and Recreation Department, he said.
Some of the proposals drawn up by the county committee already have drawn fire, but they have been modified in response to citizens' concerns, county planner Duane Hyde said. Much of the criticism was the result of confusion about what open-space planning means, he said.
One of the biggest hassles during the plan's development concerned the issue of landowner rights, County Supervisor Joe Gorman of Blacksburg said. That's not surprising in a county whose residents have a history of jealously guarding their rights to use their land as they see fit.
But those writing the recommendations took landowner rights into consideration and made the landowner the key player, Gorman said. He was on open-space committees for both the county and Blacksburg.
The idea behind the plan is to show landowners the value of their open-space resources so they can work around them if their land is developed. "[The recommendations] give more options to landowners rather than telling them what to do," Hyde said.
The recommendations encourage landowners to keep land undeveloped, but also provide options so that, when development does occur, the land 's rural character can be maintained. The recommendations recognize the county's natural beauty as an asset, both for those already in the county and in attracting business and industry. The goal is to maintain a balance between conservation and development.
Open-space planning goes back 1 1/2 years, when county planners asked citizens in a round of workshops what they valued most about the county's open spaces. Of the open areas identified on maps, those lying along stream banks or in historic areas rated highest.
About 40 of the citizens who attended the workshops agreed to serve on planning committees.
One of those volunteers was Kenneth Cooper, a former City University of New York biology professor, who bought land in the Ellett Valley in the 1970s and retired to it in 1990. When he and his wife saw what commercial development had done to the rural area between Christiansburg and Blacksburg in the years following their purchase, they considered selling and retiring elsewhere, Cooper said.
Natives as well as newcomers like the county's rural atmosphere, and that's what those who worked on the recommendations are trying to preserve, Cooper said. Landowners need to learn that they are stewards, he said.
How the public receives the recommendations will help determine how they are viewed by the Board of Supervisors, which must decide whether to incorporate them into the county's comprehensive plan.
Henry Jablonksi of Christiansburg, Gorman's colleague on the board, said when it comes to land-use issues, board members tend to hold divergent views.
It's important to have land for future recreational and industrial development, Jablonski said. It's harder to see the reasoning behind preserving open land just for the sake of having open land, he said.
Jablonski said he is eager to hear what the public has to say; he predicted those comments will have a strong impact on the board's decision.
The timetable calls for a public hearing at the supervisors' Sept. 27 meeting. Copies of the county's plan can be obtained at the Planning Department on the fourth floor of the county courthouse. Call 382-5750.
by CNB