ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 19, 1996 TAG: 9603190070
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
THE STUBBORN reluctance of Montgomery County supervisors to adjust their land-use planning tools to changing needs remains a roadblock not just to sound growth-management in the county, but also to board cooperation with the county's largest town, Blacksburg.
A proposal for dense residential development on Price Mountain, land in the county that sits on Blacksburg's southern boundary, is the latest illustration of problems created by the county's retrograde, go-it-alone philosophy.
It's bad enough that the developer wanted a rezoning before showing his plans. More to the point: To permit development on the north side of the mountain, the county needs assurance that the builder would be able to tap onto the town's sewer line. Regarding the prospect of a mountainside going from natural landscape to half-acre (or smaller) lots, stripped of half to three-fourths of its trees, Blacksburg is reasonably not sure that it wants to accommodate. It is especially unsure when planners consider the impact new residents will likely have on town services, though they will not be paying town taxes.
Worry that uncontrolled development could squander not only natural assets but, eventually, taxpayers' dollars gives local governments a clear interest in better planning. Blacksburg has tried, with tighter development standards, to tame growth and enhance its quality within town limits. As town fathers contemplate the mall sprawl that has consumed the Montgomery County landscape along U.S. 460 between Christiansburg and Blacksburg, it's not surprising they would want to exert some influence on the growth around Blacksburg's borders.
The planning commissions of both Blacksburg and Montgomery County recognize the interdependence between town and county, and are trying to move toward closer cooperation by meeting and sharing views about where each locality is headed. Better understanding should lead to better decision-making - perhaps, eventually, even to a common vision of their interdependent future. It's a commendable goal, anyway, and should be encouraged as one step toward developing a regional approach to land-use issues that show little respect for political boundaries.
But the monkeywrench in this effort is the Board of Supervisors. A majority has rejected progressive planning tools in the past. In fact, the county operates with a 27-year-old zoning ordinance featuring a loophole big enough to drive a backhoe through - as well as a bulldozer, cement mixer and any other heavy equipment needed to strip and grade land and build tract housing. The minimum lot size in the county for land zoned agricultural is a mere half acre.
The answer to which isn't to increase lot sizes, simply covering more land with more expensive homes. The point is to update the county's land-use planning to encourage better-managed growth - development that makes room for community-building mixed uses, that combines greater residential density with more open space, and that protects viewsheds and other natural assets.
If they did that, supervisors could count on better cooperation with Blacksburg, as well as a better future for the county.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB