Statewide Conservation Database Map click on map for larger view

Are growth and the wise stewardship of land mutually exclusive activities? A growing number of studies, from groups ranging from the National Association of Realtors to the Trust for Public Land , show the public values both and believes both are attainable.

As responsibilities for land use choices continue to focus at the local level, citizens nationwide are discovering that public involvement is the key to open space protection. However, it's one thing to believe and quite another to achieve.

Although Comprehensive Plan goals include a focus on making sure a minimum of 39% of the county's total land area will be maintained as open space over time, the plan largely relies on state and federally owned parks and the Rural Crescent 's large lot development to protect important natural and cultural resources.

Land conservation opportunities in Prince William are limited by the lack of policies that support open space preservation. Although Virginia localities are traditionally responsible for land use choices, open space goals are noticeably absent from Prince William policies. In fact, even defining open space is a problem: currently open space is a loosely defined catchall category that includes the Canon's Stadium, power line easements and public schools facilities.

Maintaining 39% of county lands as open space is a worthy goal, but it's hard to see how we're going to get there from here.

Prince William's long-range open space plans rely on state and federally owned parkland. Even though the county is relying on state and federally protected lands, Prince William is reluctant to protect the quality of our existing open space. Open space opportunities through the rezoning process are passed by and local decisions threaten to impact all of Prince William's state and federally protected lands:

• 1999 – Waived buffer and building height requirements for Belmont development adjacent to the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Townhouses can now be viewed throughout the Refuge.

• 1999 – Waived buffer requirements between Heritage Hunt and Conway Robinson State Forest , effectively placing the buffer inside the state forest and reducing the total forest acreage. Houses are now located as close as 15 feet from the edge of Conway Robinson State Forest.

• 2001 – Approved the Southbridge development, which will destroy Leesylvania State Park 's viewshed and devastate Powell's Creek, the Park's primary education area and the county's primary public access point to tidal wetland areas.

• 2002 – Approved construction of a water tank within the legislative boundaries of Prince William Forest Park, intruding into parkland and diminishing the park's scenic appearance.

• 2003 – Supports construction of new major roads through natural resources, including proposals to facilitate truck access to Dulles Airport through construction of a highway through Manassas National Battlefield Park.

In east Prince William, “large-lot” zoning (one home for every three or more acres) along the Occoquan shoreline stands in stark contrast to the 5,000 acres of protected parkland on the Fairfax side.

Recreational users of the Occoquan know that access is easy from Fairfax , but it's a different story in Prince William. Access from Prince William is limited to the 70-acre Lake Ridge Park, which also houses a par-three golf course and the county's crew facility. Given Prince William's 2000 approvals to rezone the last large parcels along the Occoquan for large-lot development, opportunities to gain additional public access points to this valuable natural resource are largely lost.

This same scenario is repeated along Prince William's nearly 30 miles of Potomac River shoreline. Here, public access to the Potomac River is limited to the 470-acre Leesylvania State Park. A series of high-density rezonings between Neabsco and Quantico Creeks create additional barriers for efforts to increase public access to the Potomac River .

Studies verify that long-term land values are reduced over time when open space is created by large-lot zoning. On the other hand, open space created through the purchase of development rights or conservancy zoning increases property values. In Maryland, land use restrictions intended to protect the Chesapeake Bay have resulted in increases of 14 to 27% to housing prices within 1000 feet of the protected waterways, and a 4 to 11% increase for houses up to three miles away. A Colorado study found a 32% increase in value for properties adjacent to trails and stream corridors.

The market for conservation development is growing. The Trust for Public Land reports that 16% of Denver residents said they would pay more to live near a greenbelt or park in 1980, compared to 48% in 1990. And National Association of Realtors studies continue to show that primary interests of homebuyers include price, square footage and nearby open space. Nearby open space increases the value of homes, plus many homebuyers are willing to accept smaller lots as long as they are located near preserved open space.

Prince William's current land use rules are geared toward the systematic conversion of virtually all land that is dry and flood-free into developed properties. Over the long run, the communities that evolve from this approach will be less attractive places to live and experience declines in property values.

Practical alternatives exist and localities throughout Virginia are actively exploring opportunities. After 50 years of rapid development in Prince William, our population continues to grow and land is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity. The window is closing for Prince William. Will we have the foresight to secure open space before development pressures escalate costs to levels where open space preservation is virtually impossible?