Open Space Challenges in Prince William County
Drive through Prince William County for just a day, and you can see that we are losing our open space. Forests and fields are becoming subdivisions and shopping centers, creeks are becoming drainage ditches, and the scenery outside your car window can change dramatically between the time you drive to work and when you return.
The demographic experts predict another 80,000 people will move to the county in the next 10 years, in addition to the 70,000 that have arrived since the 2000 Census. That immigration is the driving force behind the transformation of the landscape, and the reason property values skyrocketed in the first five years of the 21st Century.
Should some open space be preserved, even as we add more residents to the county? How much open space is enough? What qualifies as "open space" - every piece of ground that does not have a structure on it? (If so, then roads and parking lots would qualify...)
What is Prince William Doing to Protect Open Space?
Prince William County has now proposed substantial changes to the current Parks and Open Space Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. The proposed plan states that "forty percent (40%) of the land in Prince William County is protected by some form of park or open space." This assessment includes signifant amounts of privately-owned land that is temporarily protected. The county's own assessment shows that only approximately ten percent (10%) of the land in Prince William County is publicly protected by some form of park or open space.
In neighboring Fairfax County, Fairfax County's Park Authority presently has 23,667 acres of parkland that they own outright. This doesn't count any properties that they have easements on, such as historic resource or trail easements , nor does it count any properties that they lease or manage (such as athletic fields on school properties).
In addition, Fairfax County's goal is to acquire up to 1,600 more acres to bring the parkland ownership up to 10% of the County land. This does not include any of the Regional Park Authority's property, state parkland or federally owned property (such as Fort Belvoir).
Fairfax County voters approved a Park Bond this fall that includes $5 million for trails, $10 million for land acquisition, and $10 million for athletic fields. Fairfax also passed a Park Bond Referendum in 1998, which included $20M for land acquisition and $3.9M for trails and stream crossings. Fairfax County also had a major bond in 2004 and intends to have another one in 2008.
Prince William County's policy has been to put forward a bond for parks every six years. The county's last Park Bond was in 1998, when voters approved $8 million for parks, which was used to complete projects focused on active recreation facilities. Since 1998, the Prince William County Park Authority has acquired only 392 additional acres of parkland to support active recreation and open space needs.
Although according to the six year parks bond schedule established by the county, there should have been a 2004 parks bond but the Board of Supervisors elected to wait until the 2006 election cycle. The 2006 park bond referendum now slated for the November election totals $27 million. Despite the fact that Prince William citizens have prioritized natural open space, passive recreation and trails, this bond proposal includes only $750,000 that would be dedicated to these purposes.
Should Citizens Be Concerned?
The loss of open space in Virginia urban and suburban areas is a growing quality of life concern, as well as a conservation issue. With a population of more than 7 million people recorded in the 2000 census, up 14.4% from the 1990 census, Virginia faces an increasing challenge in conserving and managing its open spaces while accommodating the need for residential and commercial development.
Currently, rural land is being developed at a rate of about 70,000 acres per year. This is 2.5 times that of the population growth (Virginia Outdoors Plan, 2002).
Northern Virginia and areas along Interstate 95 lead the state in population increase. As expected, conversion of land, from forests and agriculture-to residences and commercial developments, is greatest in these areas.
In 2001, the Trust for Public Land found that:
- 96% of voters believe that Virginians owe it to future generations to "protect the land, water, and wildlife for their use to enjoy"
- 89% of Virginians rate "preserving and protecting open space is important"
- 82% believe that Virginia's natural areas will be lost unless we act now Prince William County residents have identified a need for additional passive recreation and open space preservation, especially through a planned and connected system.
In Prince William County, the Park Authority's 2002 Needs Assessment found that residents have a desire for more high quality passive open space parks, in addition to active parks (Prince William County Parks and Open Space Project, 2005).
And, according to Prince William County's annual Citizen Satisfaction Surveys, citizen satisfaction with the County's efforts to preserve open space decreased 13 percentage points between 2003 and 2005, and questions about open space were dropped from the 2006 survey. (Prince William County Citizen Satisfaction Surveys).
What is Open Space?
A Comprehensive Land Use Plan should identify the elements contained in the Standards for Classification of Real Estate as devoted to open space use under the Virginia Land Use Assessment Law. The regulation identifies five "open space" categories:
- Park and Recreation Use Lands - public or privately owned parks (non-profit)
- Conservation and Other Natural Resources - lands protected for preservation
- Floodways - lands subject to periodic flooding
- Historic or Scenic Areas - protected areas, landmarks, and structures
- Character Landscapes - valued in shaping the character of a region
Planning Models
Although the requirement for a local comprehensive plan identifies the necessity for planning for a variety of natural resources, it does not describe the elements needed to identify, protect, or manage these resources. Such planning detail should be accommodated in a specific open space and recreation plan.
As a part of a local comprehensive plan, the open space plan is critical to the identification, development, and management of community resources. It is also important to the overall quality of life for all residents.
Planning models provide guidance for the development of comprehensive land use, open space, and recreation planning. Agencies at the regional and local level are encouraged to develop plans and recreation areas with citizen's guidance in a manner consistent with the objectives of local comprehensive plans (Virginia Outdoors Plan, 2002).
Conclusion
Greenways, parks, and trails close to home are essential for the physical, social, and psychological well-being of all citizens (Virginia Outdoors Plan, 2002).
By actively integrating a network of connecting greenways, corridors, and trails into the Prince William County Comprehensive Parks and Open Space Plan, the value of natural systems to the design and function of sustainable communities will be realized.
This goal may be accomplished if a well-thought-out linear recreation and open space planning model is developed. There are many statewide and regional models that embody these guiding principles.
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has identified the following publications to assist local planning authorities. Parks and Open Space Development Models:
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Better Models for Development for Virginia, Edward McMahon
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E-Way Planning Model, Phillip H. Lewis
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Green Infrastructure, Dr. Mark Benedict
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Virginia Greenways and Trails Toolbox
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