A “Greenbelt” for the Nation’s Capital by John Parsons

A “Greenbelt” for the Nation’s Capital

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is to be congratulated for their bold yet studied planning decision to protect two-thirds of their county’s rural heritage.  We are fortunate that many of the state and county governments in this region have collectively been responding to the principles of smart growth in their land use decisions over the past 10 years.

The new plan for Loudoun County would protect 300 square miles of open space and eliminate more than 85,000 housing units from prior plans.  Montgomery County has protected one-third of the county in its 96,000-acre Agricultural Reserve.  Prince William County has established a Rural Crescent that restricts residential development to one unit per 10 acres in almost 40% of its privately owned land base.  Fairfax and Anne Arundel Counties have successfully protected surplus federal lands as open space at Lorton and Fort Meade.  In addition, numerous private land trusts throughout the region are working with landowners to add significantly to this open space preservation legacy.  Under the leadership of Governor Parris Glendening, the protection of Maryland’s valuable rural areas is occurring by urging development in “priority funding areas”.  Howard, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s and Charles Counties can augment these efforts by enhancing the same concepts in their rural areas.

Nevertheless, what is missing in this quiet revolution to control sprawl and save our rural heritage is a regional vision and unity of purpose.  In an effort to create this and stimulate other jurisdictions to develop similar programs, I am suggesting a 10-mile wide “Greenbelt” of public and privately owned open space surrounding the Nation’s Capital.  This “Greenbelt” would incorporate the existing county initiatives and urge their expansion.  It would also protect major federal installations, such as Beltsville Agricultural Research Facility, Fort Meade and Quantico Marine Base which should continue as open space even if their current uses are no longer viable in the future.

Implementation of this “Greenbelt” goes beyond the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Council of Governments and the National Capital Planning Commission.  Further, it should not be a federal undertaking.  Rather, it is a conservation partnership among local governments and their communities and landowners that should be implemented at the county level where land use decisions are appropriately made.  If local elected officials and their constituents knew that they were participating in this larger “Greenbelt” concept, those who might urge the reversal of these land use decisions in the future would meet with stronger resistance.

By capturing this opportunity to save our valuable regional asset, we will not only protect it for future generations and continue productive agriculture and forest management, we will stall sprawl, redirect growth to those areas ripe for redevelopment and provide clear guidance to transportation and land use planners.  As a result the entire region will benefit from a more predictable, efficient growth pattern that will sustain economic viability and attract new businesses by producing a better quality of life for the citizens of this region.  This “Greenbelt” is critical to the enhancement of our rich legacy of comprehensive planning for the Nation’s Capital and can be a model for the nation.

John G. Parsons, FASLA