Renew America Success Stories

Rural Historic Village Protection Program

Description

The Rural Historic Village Protection Program helps citizens conserve the unique rural and natural character of Maryland's historic villages and small towns. The program focuses on protecting farmland, forests, natural resources and open spaces that surround the villages from development and incompatible use.

The program, a project of the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET), originated in 1988 in response to an alarming increase in suburban sprawl that threatened several of Maryland's rural historic villages. The rate of conversion of rural land in Maryland has been increasing: Maryland lost about 10,000 acres of farmland to other uses each year in the 1970's, an average of 22,000 acres a year during the 1980's and has been on track to lose about 40,000 acres a year during the 1990's.

As a result, land in many rural areas of Maryland is no longer affordable by farmers for crop production because of the demand for non-agricultural uses permitted by local zoning. The conversion of farmland to development is even more rapid than Maryland's growth in population: land is being converted in Maryland at a rate that is about three times the rate of the state's population increase.

To begin its work, MET met with village residents and local officials to determine whether there was any interest in developing a program to preserve rural historic land. MET knew that in order to interest landowners, they would need to demonstrate the economic benefits of preservation.

By working with local and state agencies, a variety of options were developed to encourage local landowners to voluntarily preserve their farmland and natural open space by enrolling their land in one of several state or local easement programs. Such programs include conservation easements, agricultural preservation easements and local land trusts.

By donating the development rights to their land, property owners typically receive tax deductions for the appraised value of their land, a reduction of estate taxes and 15 years of property tax credits on the unimproved portion of the easement property.

The program avoids contentious, time-consuming battles that often accompany efforts to change the planning and zoning rules by striking deals directly with the property owners in much the same way private developers do.

Program Highlights/Case Studies

Governing Principles

In developing preservation plans for threatened rural communities, the Rural Historic Village Protection Program adheres to the following ten principles:

• Each village community is unique and preservation plans must be appropriate to be accepted.
• Rural village protection programs cannot work without strong local leaders.
• Land preservation through easements cannot be clearly separated from land use regulation.
• Local zoning will have a major impact on the success of any preservation initiative.
• Any efforts to preserve open space around historic villages should start early.
• Avoid losing sight of the forest in trying to protect the trees.
• Historic villages should be exempt from concentrated development policies.
• Property owners must be approached with sensitivity.
• Participation in the village protection program should be perceived as an honor.
• A successful village protection program must integrate economic and quality-of-life concerns with physical and aesthetic factors.
• The key is to offer each landowner a menu of voluntary land conservation techniques, each of which provides demonstrated economic benefit.

Case Study: Sharpsburg and the Antietam National Battlefield Area

Antietam is the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War. On September 17, 1862 the battle that raged here claimed 23,000 casualties on both sides. For many years, the land surrounding the battlefield has remained undeveloped. The farms have belonged to the same families since before the Civil War and these families have maintained a strong preservation ethic. Recently, however, Sharpsburg, an incorporated town of about 900, has come under threat from residential subdivision and commercial development west of the town.

In helping local residents reevaluate such development, MET has:

• Concentrated on obtaining local official and citizen support during the first year, and providing information at public meetings about state easement programs. In conducting these meetings, numerous individuals and groups indicated broad support for land preservation.
• Created the Washington County Land Quality Foundation, a new local land trust focusing on the Sharpsburg area.
• Encouraged the federal government to assist in preservation activities linked to the Antietam National Battlefield.

A colonial-period village of about 400 people, Queenstown was the first county seat of Queen Anne's County. Queenstown is bordered on the west and north by Queenstown Creek, on the east by farmland and on the south by Route 301.

A developer applied to construct an eighteen-hole golf course, hotel, marina and related commercial space just west of town. A property owner north of town offered to donate an easement on his property and obtain easement pledges from four neighbors to preserve more than 1,600 acres of land to serve as a buffer to residential development. In exchange, he asked that MET help find an alternative to the proposed golf course and marina. MET helped by:

• Developing a study of harbor management alternatives.
• Proposing amendments to the town's comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance.
• Providing planning services to enable town officials to assess the costs and benefits of the hotel, marina and golf course proposal.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Rural Historic Village Protection Program works in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, various county planning departments, interested citizens, local officials and civic organizations.

Budget: In review.

Community Served: The residents of local historic villages and farmers immediately surrounding the villages.

Measures of Success:

Nineteen rural communities are currently participating in the project.

More than 3,000 acres of prime farmland and historic viewsheds have been protected through voluntary conservation easements and other mechanisms.

A report on the program, Rural Historic Village Protection in Maryland has been disseminated widely by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Council of Statewide Preservation Organizations.

The program director has been invited to speak about the program at workshops and national conferences in California, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and throughout Maryland.

 Published: May 1997

Success stories designed by Mark W. Nowak

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