ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060023
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD B. BURROW
THE BLUE Ridge Parkway is one of the most treasured and most visited national parks in the United States. The nation's first and longest rural parkway set the national standard for parkway engineering and design, and was intended for leisurely motoring through the culturally rich Appalachian Blue Ridge country.
"The scenic," as it was called by many of those who helped to build it, was conceived as a park with no boundaries. The parkway was designed with a total recreational program in mind, incorporating visitor centers, hiking trails, campgrounds, milepost markers, interpretive programs, scenic overlooks, visitor services and lodges into a series of "parks" interspersed strategically along the route.
Its outstanding scenery and recreational and educational opportunities are enjoyed by a wide spectrum of visitors who appreciate hiking, picnicking, camping, bicycling and wildlife observation along its 470 miles.
Recently the parkway celebrated the arrival of the 600 millionth traveler to drive the scenic motor road. The parkway annually funnels thousands of tourists and millions of dollars into the 29 counties contiguous to its periphery. In a study prepared for the Federal Highway Administration in 1990, the economic impact of the parkway to the adjacent communities was estimated to be $1.3 billion in visitor spending, providing $98 million in tax revenues and supporting more than 26,500 jobs.
Despite its status and value as a national treasure, the Blue Ridge Parkway is in danger of being compromised by the growth it has helped to create. The National Park Service owns only a narrow strip of land on either side of the roadway, as little as 200 feet in some places. The first 60 years of the parkway's existence provided the impetus for initiating, designing and building the parkway. The next 60 years may be the most difficult - maintaining, conserving and preserving the linear park we all have grown to cherish, with 1,200 miles of perimeter and more than 4,000 adjacent property owners.
Changing land uses adjacent to the parkway are the most significant threat to the scenic, cultural and natural integrity of the parkway corridor. Homes and businesses are being built on prominent sites visible from long stretches of the parkway, and are often of a scale or style that is incompatible with the existing character of the region. Ecologically rich land is being developed with little regard for natural systems or scenic vistas.
If these trends continue, not only will we lose the natural and scenic splendor that makes the parkway one of our most visited national parks, we will gradually lose a large component of the economic base of the region.
This issue describes the root of the conflict that often emerges between development and conservation interests. No growth is not a reasonable or practical alternative, just as growth that is destructive to the scenic and economic importance of the parkway is not a prudent alternative. There must be a middle ground if the Blue Ridge Parkway is to survive into the 21st Century.
Partnerships must be cultivated to preserve the future of the parkway. Not only partnerships with large grass-roots-support organizations, but "land stewardship" partnerships with individual private landowners and developers. For this specific land stewardship purpose, the Coalition for the Blue Ridge Parkway was created.
The coalition brings together in a cooperative environment private landowners to work with land-use professionals, local planning organizations and government officials, as well as Blue Ridge Parkway managers and landscape specialists. The coalition works to revise the traditional planning and development process to establish a cohesive relationship between all parties working toward one goal: commercial and residential development that mitigates the visual and environmental impact along the parkway.
The work of the Coalition for the Blue Ridge Parkway over the past two years with property owners and developers in the Roanoke Valley has served as a model of enlightened private response to serious environmental and development problems. The cooperative efforts have received national attention and awards. The work has resulted in win-win situations for the landowners/developers and the conservationists.
Most important, the protection of the viewshed from the Blue Ridge Parkway adjacent to these properties has been ensured.
My hat is off to Len Boone and Steve Musselwhite, landowners and developers, for their willingness to try a new partnership; to Jim Olin, coalition co-chairman, for leading fearlessly down a potentially turbulent road; to Gary Everhardt and Gary Johnson of the Blue Ridge Parkway for listening and innovation; to Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge and Janet Scheid, a county planner, for their willingness to try creative design and land uses; and to Carlton Abbott, parkway friend and architect, for his facilitation and expert knowledge.
Richard B. Burrow is executive director of Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway Inc.
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