Presentations from PWCA's September 30 2019 Forum: A Community Conversation on Rural Area Incentives with Countywide Benefits: PDR, TDR, and Conservation Easements.

Click here to watch the forum online. Click on the titles below to view the presentations.

Speaker Shelley S. Mastran, is a Professor in Practice of Urban Planning at Virginia Tech in Northern Virginia, where she teaches Land Use Planning, Natural Resources Planning, Planning for Parks, and practical studios. She is a co-author of Saving America’s Countryside and the Better Models for Development series with Ed McMahon. The presentation explains Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs: their purposes, operations, advantages, and disadvantages. It highlights areas where TDRs have been successful and discusses their use and potential in Virginia.

Speaker Julie Bolthouse is the Fauquier County Land Use Representative of the Piedmont Environmental Council. Julie grew up in Northern Virginia and attended Virginia Tech for her undergrad and graduate work. She holds a B.S. in Fisheries Science with a minor in Watershed Management, a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and a Masters degree in Natural Resources. Twenty-two Virginia localities have PDR programs. Hear about how these programs work and benefit local farms, many of which reinvest funds received into their agricultural operations or agri-business.

Speaker Alan Rowsome is the Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, where he manages a dynamic staff dedicated to saving nearby nature in the fast-growing Washington, DC suburbs. Before joining NVCT, Alan was the Senior Director of Government Relations for Lands at The Wilderness Society and National Chair of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition. Conservation easements permanently protect open spaces and rural lands. They can encompass the full range of keeping land in private ownership, creating public recreation opportunities, preserving wildlife habitat, and/or enabling stewardship of working farms