Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 19, 1994 TAG: 9411020008
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The county's Planning Commission and staff are recommending adoption of the plan, and the Board of Supervisors will hear from the public before voting on it. The measure, while sure to be controversial, is a excellent idea.
After last year's bruising battle over development along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which ended unsatisfactorily, county officials are showing some commendable resolve in taking the lead on the river overlay district. Like the parkway zoning, this issue promises to precipitate a clash between the public interest and the perceived interests of property owners who would be affected by land-use restrictions.
But, also as in the case of the parkway, those interests conflict less the farther one steps away from an immediate case to look at the broader picture - to look at where a chosen course is likely to lead. Conserving precious natural assets is in everyone's long-term interest.
The county may have learned some valuable lessons in the fevered parkway battle. Officials didn't need any reminders about how passionately property rights are revered in Virginia. But an unmistakable message was that, when it comes to planning, sooner is better than later. Agreement on what is fair and reasonable both for property owners and taxpayers will be far easier to reach if the issues are settled before an unsuitable development is planned.
A lot rides on successfully navigating these choppy waters. Officials are struggling to accommodate development in the county without allowing it to ruin the attractions and assets that are drawing growth in the first place. So far, growth has outpaced sensible planning.
A river conservation district, if it is respected, would help the county's planners do what residents expect of their local government - protect what is of common value and guide needed growth so as to enhance quality of life and assure sustainable development.
Success in establishing a river district would boost prospects for protecting other areas likely to be vulnerable to growing pains, slow-growing though they may be. The time is now, before the press of development, to protect major river tributaries, mountain ridges and the parkway - where it is not already too late.
Roanoke County has stepped out front in at least acknowledging the value of such planning in the region. But it cannot be entirely successful on its own. It can control only what happens within its boundaries.
The upper Roanoke River flows through seven localities from its headwaters in Montgomery County to Smith Mountain Lake. Planners envision all of this upper river as comprising the conservation district, and each locality is a critical component.
The district's prospects vary from place to place. Vinton town officials are voicing early enthusiasm, while Montgomery County farmers may view any restrictions with suspicion. Let's hope Roanoke County can plot a course that allays the fears, satisfies the needs and launches the whole plan as smoothly as possible.
by CNB