Saving the Land : A Fragile Balance
How Preservation Programs Protect the Agricultural Reserve by melane kinney hoffmann
Visionary . Unparalleled . Unique . A national treasure . An astounding accomplishment . All these words , and more , have been used to describe the mere existence of Montgomery County ’ s Agricultural Reserve . At about 93,000 acres , or one-third of the County ’ s land mass , the land has been strategically and thoughtfully protected since the early 1980s . As our neighboring jurisdictions of Prince George ’ s , Howard , and Frederick Counties in Maryland , and Loudoun , Fairfax , and Prince William Counties in Virginia continually lose more and more farmland and greenspace to development and congestion , we marvel at how the Ag Reserve zoning has held fast — amid frequent attempts to circumvent or undermine it .
According to American Farmland Trust , across the country 1.5 million acres of farmland per year are lost forever . Cities around the country succumb to suburban sprawl , and the heat-producing concrete deserts of highways , mini-malls and parking lots it creates . In Montgomery County we are grateful that a few forwardthinking people fought hard to prevent the nonstop drumbeat of explosive building on the horizon . Now , advocates nationwide are drawing attention to the fact that once farmland is removed from agriculture , it can never be regained . Our growing population requires more food , yet we are paving over the land that produces it at breakneck speed .
How has our Ag Reserve resisted the trend ? Can it continue to work , or is there a threat of a slippery slope toward development ? Experts may have different opinions on how to boost the current preservation programs , or what new programs could be created , but one thing is sure : without dedicated County resources and a renewed commitment , farmland and open space are at risk .
When the Ag Reserve ( AR ) was established to preserve farming , zoning was created to limit construction of a new home in the AR to a maximum of one development right ( the right to build one home ) per 25 acres . Previously a landowner could sell a buildable lot of 2.5 or 5 acres . This new 25-acre zoning produced a trade-off ; farmers in the AR saw the potential sale value of their land greatly reduced , so in return the County promised alternative ways to compensate
plenty I summer growing 2024 35 PHOTO : WIB MIDDLETON