Donna Rogers with Loudoun West has been working this issue for years. Donna was responsible for the trail system that is down on evergreen mills. She’s has been out there years on this issue.
She also puts her money where her mouth is. The entire farm of theirs is in conservation.
Back to a topic closer to the original…Loudoun County and the Equine Industry…can they co-exist?
In the REDC meeting, we discussed what it would take to change some of the things. They are zoning changes in Loudoun and realistically, it will take 4-5 YEARS to get the sort of changes we are discussing put through.
In Loudoun County, you can see the results of an extremely reactionary population. The zoning pendulum has no middle ground, it swings from one extreme to another because too many people refuse to see the BIG picture. They see THEIR way of life and think everyone should have that way of life. Suburban moms don’t understand why some rich landowner should get paid to sell the development rights, and all those rich landowners are just trying to keep the riffraf (Oh yes, that would be the suburban moms) OUT.
I love open space, farms and riding. I also recognize that I am in a minority. Not many people ride. It is going to take a lot more constructive discussion and willingness to open your eyes and compromise at times to find a plan that can work.
While it may be too little too late, the REDC is going to focus on the needs of the Equine Industry in Loudoun County. We are planning on producing a white paper that explains the benefits to the economy, proposes ways to integrate housing growth with horse farms and riding trails, and hopefully come up with a plan that will allow the horse portion of the rural economy to peacefully co-exist with the suburban encroachment.
I need to find a representative from various businesses and organizations that would be willing to speak to us, and let us know what they feel is important, problems, what they need for their club or business to survive.
Foxhunts are definitely one of the groups that I’d love to find a representative to speak with.
.
Mel - I’m the one who posted it on FOL and it got not only a great response - there was a thoughtful discussion on conservation that resulted in one poster contacting PEC about a conservation easement.
For that hunt - I don’t know the details but I suspect that had you been a member of the hunt, and they knew you - you would not have been “deleted”.
Individual members of hunts speak out on their own - which is why I suggested you post this info here. Some Masters might feel that becoming involved in political matters is inappropriate for their hunt (the reasons are legion but I won’t go into them here).
gride - Virginia has the “Dillon Rule” which basically permits local gov’t to have little to no control over growth in their county.
So while there are many ag preservation programs, including adding your farm to the Agricultural and Forestal Districts, Purchase of Development Rights, and others - the danger is that even if the county has a well thought out Comprehensive Plan developed by its citizens - all a developer has to do is sue if they don’t get what they want. And many Boards - afraid of being sued - just roll over. Proffers are given to pay for the road improvements and sewer - which is a bribe - just called a “proffer”.
If folks have farms that they anticipate will have to be parceled out to fund retirement - there is always the Purchase of Development Rights program. It’s a tremendous program of great benefit to landowners and the public.
Sounds like you are new to the area and not fully aware of what Fauquier has been trying to prevent for the past 30 years. We just don’t want to be “Fairfaxed”. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I remember Reston was supposed to be this wonderful, walkable community with high quality of life, lots of greenspace, really family oriented…Manassas Park is another one, let’s see - Clifton, parts of Fairfax County were supposed to be developed that way…
The “workforce housing” I mentioned was in a recent issue of the Fauquier Times-Democrat and was a quote by a developer on a controversial project in Bealeton. If it’s BS then fine - but I didn’t make it up. Try reading up on issues that face rural residents before posting.
I’m thrilled for you that you are a landscape architect. I was a conservation and legal professional working to protect the environment. So what. Big deal.
I don’t care if the housing industry shuts down. It’ll start back up again. It’s cyclical. Did you care when the tech industry crashed? Do you care that your lovely landscape architecture is replacing old forests that could have been built around, introduces non native species that gov’t spends millions to eradicate, or creates a totally artificial environment that will never be a functioning ecosystem? How about those stormwater retention ponds that everyone’s so fond of-----ooops - there are so many of them that it’s helped facilitate a change in the migration patterns of Canada Geese on the Atlantic flyway- now we have to shoot them because they’re crapping all over someones lawn - which Chemlawn is happy to overfertilize and pollute groundwater…
There is always a different perspective, isn’t there. And before you go postal - I am good friends with the employees of a local planning firm.
As far as village centers go - have you ever seen a village? A real one? That has evolved over time and has its own unique character? I doubt it. What you call village centers I call strip malls filled with tanning salons, quick eat pizzas, and small time franchises.
Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining. If rural areas resist becoming urbanized, it’s with good reason. We’ve seen what’s happened to other counties.
If you truly love foxhunting and farms, then why do you support their extermination? You can’t have it both ways, dear.
Thanks for bumping this up, Mel.
I’m afraid that I have to take issue with JSwan, whom I respect and admire based on what I know of her from this board. Hunting and politics must mix, if for no other reason than to save hunting. Land use decisions get made at the local and state levels, although the state is largely in play here, thanks to the Dillon Rule. If we want to preserve open space, we have to be active on this issue in the General Assembly and at the ballot box by supporting candidates who are as dismayed as we at the continual paving of the countryside and will propose and support legislation to give localities the teeth they need to stand up to defend local zoning and planning against suburban sprawl.
OK, I’ll shut up now. 
Thank you again, JSwan for pointing out the economic contributions the equine industry affords our communities.
So, let me get the logic straight…We should just keep building houses until we run out of room because that is the only industry we have ???We should all become construction workers then and use up all our wood resources, land and water.
Flame suit on and armed !
J - The organizations you mentioned are already on the ball for getting people out to speak. The PEC is advertising the Zoning Board and BOS meeting dates on their website. 
But anyone you can find who feels strongly about this – please encourage them to come. Even if they don’t live in Loudoun County, their voice as a tourist who comes as a result of the rural area and spends their money there, is every bit as important as the voice of the landholders. Trust me!! I’ve seen outsiders come to speak on behalf of the rural area, and the board DOES LISTEN!! Their focus is: infrastructure, taxes, income, and services.
LG - I just e-mailed the PEC to inquire about putting my land in a Conservation Easement. I’m currently enrolled in the Upperville Ag District (which I chose because it had the longest yearly committment), but would like to see my property protected for all time. There are a great many large properties in my area already in scenic easement. Hopefully, I’ll get a favorable answer to put mine in as well. Maybe I can encourage my new foxhunting neighbor to do the same with his. 
When I first moved to Loudoun, I got onto an email list about hunt trail rides. Since I was still building that summer, I did not have time to ride and could not attend, even though most of the rides were within hacking distance of my farm.
When I first ran into the discovery about the new zoning performance standards that had been put into place regarding horse farms, I sent ONE email out to that list about the impacts of the performance standards on farms…I was removed from the list and never received another email to invite me to hunt trail rides again.
Didn’t leave me with a warm fuzzy about the hunt, I was not spamming, I was not soliciting help, I was sending out information that had potential impact on most horse farms. I was not told that I had violated the hunt etiquette or that I would be removed from their list. I just ceased getting the emails.
I sometimes wonder if some of the heavy hitter foxhunters aren’t just developers in waiting (like a few I met in Fairfax Hunt in the early 90’s) or landowners waiting to “get rich” and move on to another locale when the prices get high enough for them.
I wonder this because I’ve met a few individuals and been to their “new” farms, at the edge of development…with the beautiful house and a thousand acres, a few cattle to keep low taxes, NOT in conservation easement, just waiting for the prices to go up. Then, they run and cry “property rights” if the county attempts to restrict them producing that last cash crop…the house lot.
I will say this is endemic in many horse owners. A poster here on COTH was wondering about running her own farm, and using the farm as part of her retirement fund, sell it off the most profitable way possible. As long as the farm and open space is only seen as a commodity to enrich your retirement portfolio, there will be massive losses of farmland.
There are a few foxhunters out there though, one of which, is an inspiration to me, she works tirelessly with the REDC, goes to every BOS meeting I’ve attended (and probably all of them), speaks eloquently about rural life and maintaining it, and if there were more of her, we wouldn’t have a problem. We also have one horse breeder on the REDC.
While PEC is an excellent group, unfortunately, they are not enough and the eastern side of the BOS seems to almost discount anything from PEC as soon as they learn the source. This is why we need individuals to speak out.
I also recognize that most of the suburban dwellers do not look at a horse farm as a farm. I even have friends who argue that my farm isn’t really a farm since they are just horses. I’d need to grow crops, or raise feed animals for them to recognize it as a farm. They also don’t seem to value open space, unless it is a parkland behind THEIR house.
But, I was forwarded an email from a friend on FOL that was essentially my post from COTH. So someone has at least sent it out to FOL. Yay!!!
You can just move away, but IMO, housing needs, and how they will be met, keeping people in close proximity to their livelihood is an issue that is not going to go away, and this is where some rules and controls are both necessary, and will make people who own in the “preservation” areas mad.
It is complex, and highly emotional for most people, at least at the point they are ready to sell.
Mel
Here’s some info that Mel and others might find of interest - this information is from the Virginia Horse Industry 2001 survey (the most recent) If Ag numbers are included the figures will be much higher - the survey was a sampling of horse owners.
Top 5 Counties with highest number of horses
Loudoun
Fauquier
Albemarle
Augusta
Bedford
Equine Expenditures
60,878,000 Equipment purchases
57,404,000 Paid labor
55,185,000 Feed and Bedding
50,391,000 Equine purchases
35,679,000 Capital Improvements
Total - $505,786,000
95% of respondents travel to equine events. 42% stayed overnight in the area. 78% of those out of state residents stayed one or more nights in Virginia at paid accomodations.
The industry also generatetd direct wages and salaries of 55.8 millions which created an impact of 87.2 million.
Of 800$million, 303.5 million was generated by purchases for the support and maintenance of equines.
274$ million by attendees at equine events, and 31 million by pari-mutel operations.
Equine Inventory and Value by District - we’re at the top
Northern - 60,500 horses for a total value of $795,090,000.
Equine Operations by District - again we’re at the top.
Northern - 8,800.
The value of all equines in Virginia in 2001 was 1.46 billion or $8,599 per equine.
Sales place equine as Virginia 7th largest agricultural commodity based on cash receipts.
MORE THAN 60% OF THE TOTAL SALES VALUE OCCURRED IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF THE STATE.
please note that these figures do not include other agricultural operations, including those that indirectly contribute to the equine industry. So the dollar figures for all ag operations are actually much much higher.
There is a very sinple answer to sprawl - regentrification of blighted urban areas. Atlantic Station in Atlanta is a great example. An old steel plant was turned into a mixed use, upscale development. No trees had to be bulldozed, and no pastures ruined. Developers can develop and keep their “livelyhood.” The tax base increases. Eyesores are made useful. People have desirable housing. Simple.
Fast growing pine is a renewable resource that doesn’t support much wildlife. Old growth forrest is a very long term resource and cannot be replaced fast enough for wildlife and fragile plant systems.
Zoning isn’t exactly the answer because many developers have a lot more money than county commissions and they hire big time lawyers to sue to overturn current zoning. Believe me, counties loose money on “rooftops” after they get through providing roads, schools, fire trucks, police, water and sewer, etc. They would much rather have industry, which is indeed vanishing.
Name calling just weakens your argument, Loca. You are assuming that we are a bunch of fanatacist tree-huggers, when in fact you don’t know who we are at all. It seems that many of us have a very good idea of this turn in development trends and decline to accept it.
Originally posted by J Swan:
You shouldn’t have. It’s a free country and you are entitled to say anything you want. Never censor yourself.
I just want you to know that I apologize for anything you took personally. I am just sensitive to this, because it’s how I make my living. Like you, I don’t want to see all the land eaten up. I want to do what is responsible. I can’t be responible myself for the land greedy developers… really I am just like the construction worker, that works to provide services, planning, and design to the industry.
In the end the people that have the most power to stop this is the landowner. If they sell to the developers, they are contributing to it. Of course the zoning helps to slow it, but if the land developers don’t have the land to develop then they can’t build. That’s why putting the land into conservation easements, protected by law is a great way to preserve the open space. I have noticed a lot of land around the Plains, Middleburg, and similar beautiful areas are really starting to do this.
I know about the school that was proposed on Mt Sterling. It actually wouldn’t have destroyed the whole farm, just part of it would have been used. The site is now on the old Lundsford Property off of Rouges Rd, even if it even gets approved. That site has wetland issues that are causing a big stir.
The building is going up too fast, I feel it to. I hate what has happened in Gainesville and Haymarket. I don’t want that in my neighborhood either. There has to be a middle ground someplace where people can work and make a living without destroying everything.
I certainly don’t have all the answers.
Oh, you still find a lot of “farming” on 10-20 acres – just not a lot of plowed fields and rotational crops. Mostly grass pastures for horses, sheep or a few cows. More “fixed” agriculture that are less problem for the hunt, too, who worry about trampling on fragile alfalfa/wheat/corn, etc. Smaller farms encourage lots of fox, too, with woods and more numerous hedgerows being kept intact instead of being cut and plowed under for farmland. Hunts can encourage people to put in causeways, coops, etc.
The battle of sprawl developers vs. open land conservationists is NOT over, so please… if you can, come raise your voice to help promote the saving of part of our cultural heritage and pristine Civil War battlegrounds of western Loudoun. There are thousands and thousands of acres in western Loudoun still open and preserved – and keeping it open needs your voice so the BOS knows they are on the right path towards keeping western Loudoun a rural economy.
.
.
J Swan – YOU GO GIRL(or guy?) ! ROCK ON !
I don’t like to mix hunting with politics - but in case anyone is interested in land use and transportation issues in the Commonwealth, this site is a good read.
Having a cynical moment, this seems like too little too late…
Despite all the old bumper stickers, Loudoun County has been “Fairfaxed.” Meets I hunted the last season at Loudoun West before moving to Utah long since subdivided…
I notice the same syndrome here in Utah, though foxhunting is not affected as there are no packs. Areas designated as parks/conservation/ greenbelt, ‘redesignated’ and developed just as fast as possible…local governments just cannot resist the almighty dollar, quality of living be darned.
Thanks. You’re quite right.
We’ll stay on our guard.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
