
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 13, 1994                   TAG: 9411140034
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ROBIN SCULLY BOUCHER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HERE'S WHY WE SHOULD ALL BECOME NIMBYS

During much of my childhood I lived in or on the fringe of a city. I remember concrete and steel buildings, days where we couldn't play outside because the air pollution index was too high, token trees, dead fish on dirty beaches and noise from all sides. There were good parts of the city, too, where planners had shown foresight.

Then when I was 10 we moved to a rural community in coastal Virginia. Suddenly the world became softer and more accepting of our childhood curiosities. We crabbed from shores that still had marsh grass, rowed our boats into pristine estuaries and saw ducks, herons and egrets.

As I grew up in this rural community, which used to brag it had one stoplight, the country roads became conduits of commerce and economic growth. "This is good," we all agreed, "because now when we are in high school we'll have places to work."

Then we went away to college. When we came back, another forest was gone and a new strip mall was built. "When we finish college we will have jobs to come back to," we said.

I finished college, but couldn't live in the small town. Jobs were limited to the myriad stores and fast-food chains that had sprung up along the country road. Many people moved into this rural community because of the "cheap land" and "plentiful jobs." They could have their cake and eat it, too - a rural community where the cost of living was low and the quality of life was high.

People who owned land along the road sold it to developers. "This was good," we all said, "because now Grandma and Grandpa can retire and not worry about money anymore."

The developers cut down more forest and drained more swamps to build new single-use buildings, even though there were vacant buildings all around. Soon the rural community looked like the cities where I had spent my childhood. The estuaries where we used to row our boats were replaced with condos.

Raw sewage floated by. The water was sick, rusty and lifeless.

When I talk to Grandma about what she sees today, she is frustrated. Having been born in this rural community in 1906, she's seen her share of changes. "Not all of them have been bad," she comments. But she is confused that, despite all the talk about the environment, she pulls more garbage out of the creek than ever before.

I visit home only to be further discouraged by this community's lack of vision in maintaining its natural resources while it continues growing. Paving over forestland is permanent. Blue herons cannot fish in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

In my home of 11 years in Montgomery County, I am surprised at the speed at which thoughtless growth has occurred. People are only now beginning to realize the impact of the past five years of "growth." Many want to have some say on how growth occurs, but are unsure of what to do.

Educating citizens about local issues is the only way we can create a community vision that speaks the language of its residents. One way is by insisting that local governments creatively seek methods of communicating with constituents from many walks of life.

It is not only the responsibility of the government but of the informed people who live here, too. If we have a vision, then we need to act upon it. It takes sincere effort from many.

If this place is ruined, we can always pack up and move to a new, pristine place as many of us have done before. But when do we begin accepting responsibility for our own backyards? Who should make decisions about what happens here? Do they live in Roanoke; Richmond; Washington, D.C., or in a corporate headquarters?

The '90s have presented the New River Valley with a variety of land-use issues. Understanding them is time-consuming and difficult for busy people. Decisions have already been made by "paid people in power" who scare others into believing that arguments against their projects will cost needed economic growth (read: jobs). Economic development is an overused and lazy argument for allowing continued destruction of our natural resources. Our community must empower itself and demand that growth decisions be made with a vision that includes and extends beyond economic growth.

Our region is now growing with proposals that include the "smart" road, Interstate 73, the 765kv power line, the flooding of Bluestone Lake, the Disney theme park, New River Valley Mall, Super Wal-Mart and Alternative 3A (between Blacksburg and Christiansburg). If we relinquish our quality of life to any of these developments, we are sending a clear message that we don't care and are setting precedents for future land-use issues. If, however, we make ourselves heard, then these beautiful and historic mountains can continue bringing joy and a livelihood to future generations.

Robin Scully Boucher is an artist, educator and member of the Informed Citizens' Action Network.

by CNB