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History, lifestyles, and vistas are threatened
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CHARLOTTESVILLE: Program could prevent a view of more 'McMansions' from Monticello.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY: Julie Simpson, organizer of Women Farmers of Virginia, feeds a flock of organic turkeys.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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MANASSAS: Stonewall Jackson's statue and the Civil War battlefields are surrounded by sprawl.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Date published: 1/27/2008
'journey through hallowed ground' is the very essence of preservation--and free enterprise
RICHMOND--Imagine the dilemma you face if you live in Orange, Berryville, The Plains, or any of the dozens of hamlets and small towns in Virginia's northern piedmont. You reside in one of the most beautiful places in the United States: one of the few spots that can compete with, say, the Cotswolds in England or Tuscany in Italy for the beauty of its natural and manmade landscapes. You love your way of life, but it's threatened by sprawl emanating from the Washington metropolitan area. In today's society, you have one of two choices.
The easiest way--the way chosen by most communities threatened by growth--is to pass zoning ordinances, enact restrictive comprehensive plans, and file lawsuits against any developer who slips through the net. In sum, you trample property rights into the red clay.
Or you can try what people in the northern piedmont have done. You create an organization like the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, dedicated to preserving the integrity of its communities while honoring the tenets of private property and free enterprise.
JTHG involves a swath of territory running along U.S. 15 from Monticello to the Gettysburg battlefield, and is a grass-roots movement that encompasses local governments, Main Street communities, vineyard owners, equestrians, organic farmers, shopkeepers, restaurateurs, B&B propri-etors, and caretakers of historical sites as famous as James Madison's Montpelier and as obscure as the Goose Creek Bridge on a Civil War-era turnpike.
Led by Cate Magennis Wyatt, secretary of commerce during the Wilder administration, JTHG has set an audacious goal: to stimulate economic activity that is consistent with the region's existing way of life. If property values rise sufficiently, Wyatt reasons, farmers and landowners won't feel pressured to sell out to real-estate developers.
JTHG has three parts: heritage tourism, sustainable agriculture, and small, historic downtowns. Heritage tourism forms the basis of a region steeped in history: Civil War battlefields, presidential homes, historic buildings and homes, and African-American heritage. Working farms and estates support postcard-perfect farmlands as well as attractions ranging from vineyard tours to steeple chases.
small tradeoff
There is one other aspect to the grand plan: Wyatt wants to set up an investment trust to acquire land and manage or develop it in a socially responsible manner. The idea would be to raise tens of millions of dollars from investors looking for a profit but willing to accept less-than-market returns on projects that would protect the region's special character. The partnership board has set more immediate priorities: winning National Scenic Highway status for U.S. 15 and persuading Congress to designate the region as a National Heritage Area.
James Bacon publishes the Bacon's Rebellion Web site (baconsrebellion.com) and blog that cover transportation, land-use, and other public-policy issues in Virginia.
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Date published: 1/27/2008
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