ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 11, 1997 TAG: 9702110115
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BARBARA MCEWAN
ROANOKE and surrounding counties are now being forced to confront a problem faced by communities elsewhere as well: urban sprawl. Our population has increased dramatically and largely unregulated growth has resulted.
It is bad enough when views of the mountains and valleys that make this area so outstanding are obstructed by houses, malls and factories. It is another matter entirely when farmland is destroyed directly or indirectly because of these additions.
Farmland is the source of the food we need in order to survive. As long as Virginia does not significantly help herself, we cannot expect the other 49 states to save their farms so we may eat.
Oregon has resolved the problem. While ideally the Oregon plan should be done on the state level, there is no reason why it cannot be done by counties.
In 1973, long enough ago to make the results count, the Oregon legislature adopted a policy to address the situation. Each of Oregon's 241 cities was surrounded by an "urban growth boundary" or "UGB". The UGB is a line drawn on planning and zoning maps to show where a city expects to grow.
The area between the UGB and the city limits is "urbanizable land" - undeveloped land that will accommodate the city's future expansion. The UGB is achieved through a joint effort. Important participants are the city itself, the adjoining county or counties, special districts that provide important services such as fire protection and water, and citizens themselves.
Lines can be changed, but only after special consideration. Almost all the changes requested have been minor, and have been approved.
Eventually, the UGB will be developed. Urban services like sewers and streets will be installed. The area probably will be annexed to the city. And urban development - new subdivisions, apartments, office buildings, and stores - will spring up.
Land outside the UGB will remain rural. Urban services like sewers won't be extended there, and the zoning prohibits urban development and the creation of small new lots. Most of the land outside the UBG will continue to be used for farming, forestry or low-density residential development.
Oregon's form of land-use planning has helped its economy in the 25 years since it was enacted. Newsweek reported in 1985: "Oregon has become the hottest high-tech growth area in the nation. It has done so on its own terms, boasting the nation's toughest land-use and environmental laws. ..."
Growth and development of small businesses has not been discouraged. The Portland Oregonian in 1990 reported "Oregon is the No. 1 small business state in the nation with more small businesses per capita than any other state.
Investor-owned corporations are not taking over the state's agriculture. Only 5 percent of Oregon farms are owned by such corporations. A 1989 survey of business owners found "land use regulations" to be last on a list of the 14 "greatest problems afflicting small businesses." Only 5 per cent of respondents mentioned any problems with land-use regulations.
As for population growth, the Oregonian reported in 1990 that the state was growing at a rate nearly twice the national average.
The conclusion is that Oregon's long experience has shown urban-growth boundaries to be highly effective. They have helped hold down the costs of public services and facilities, saved a great deal of farmland from urban sprawl, led to better coordination of city and county land-use planning and brought greater certainty for those who own, use or invest in land at the city's edge.
Barbara McEwan of Forest is author of the forthcoming "Agricultural Crisis in America."
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