Loudoun County farms are leaving. There’s a fight over how to save them.
Loudoun County farms are leaving. There's a fight over how to save ... The Washington Post
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In almost every direction outside the Planck farm are signs of the change that has swept through their Northern Virginia community, with new palatial homes surrounded by acres of lawn replacing rich farm soil.
In almost every direction outside the Planck farm are signs of the change that has swept through their Northern Virginia community, with new palatial homes surrounded by acres of lawn replacing rich farm soil.
Across the road in one such development, green plastic septic system caps in the grass mark where a drain field for the homes’ sewage systems exists instead of the corn and soybeans that were farmed there before.
Across the road in one such development, green plastic septic system caps in the grass mark where a drain field for the homes’ sewage systems exists instead of the corn and soybeans that were farmed there before.
A short drive away, more homes with backyard pools and hot tubs sit off quiet streets bearing the names of the farms they have replaced: Wright Farm Drive or Highland Farm Place.
A short drive away, more homes with backyard pools and hot tubs sit off quiet streets bearing the names of the farms they have replaced: Wright Farm Drive or Highland Farm Place.
“That was a beautiful 100 acres that was farmed forever,” Susan Planck, 82, said, about the development she sees every morning from her kitchen window, quick to add that she doesn’t blame her new neighbors for wanting to live there. “We smile at all those people and give them free vegetables.”
“That was a beautiful 100 acres that was farmed forever,” Susan Planck, 82, said, about the development she sees every morning from her kitchen window, quick to add that she doesn’t blame her new neighbors for wanting to live there. “We smile at all those people and give them free vegetables.”
The growth, accounting for the loss of at least 1,120 acres of what is considered prime agricultural soil in Loudoun County during the past two decades, is at the heart of a tense debate over how to preserve what’s left of the steadily disappearing countryside and, in the process, save the rural economy that once defined the county of nearly 428,000 residents.
The growth, accounting for the loss of at least 1,120 acres of what is considered prime agricultural soil in Loudoun County during the past two decades, is at the heart of a tense debate over how to preserve what’s left of the steadily disappearing countryside and, in the process, save the rural economy that once defined the county of nearly 428,000 residents.
A proposal before the Loudoun planning commission would regulate the design of cluster development neighborhoods — where homes on large properties are grouped together to allow for open space — by requiring builders to set aside as much as 70 percent of the property’s prime agricultural soil for farming or other agricultural uses.
A proposal before the Loudoun planning commission would regulate the design of cluster development neighborhoods — where homes on large properties are grouped together to allow for open space — by requiring builders to set aside as much as 70 percent of the property’s prime agricultural soil for farming or other agricultural uses.
In a county now known more for its wineries and data centers, the proposal could help build a community of small farms whose products land on the menus of D.C.-area restaurants, agricultural groups say.
In a county now known more for its wineries and data centers, the proposal could help build a community of small farms whose products land on the menus of D.C.-area restaurants, agricultural groups say.
But large property owners contend that the amendment would undermine an existing county land conservation program by lessening the financial incentive to participate in that program, leading to an unintended consequence of more subdivisions and less open space.
But large property owners contend that the amendment would undermine an existing county land conservation program by lessening the financial incentive to participate in that program, leading to an unintended consequence of more subdivisions and less open space.
The issue has pitted rural enthusiasts against each other, creeping into the race for county supervisor in the largely rural Catoctin district. Supervisor Caleb Kerschner (R) shares the concerns over how the land conservation program could be affected, while his opponent John Ellis, an independent who co-founded the Save Rural Loudoun advocacy group, argues that those worries are unwarranted.
The issue has pitted rural enthusiasts against each other, creeping into the race for county supervisor in the largely rural Catoctin district. Supervisor Caleb Kerschner (R) shares the concerns over how the land conservation program could be affected, while his opponent John Ellis, an independent who co-founded the Save Rural Loudoun advocacy group, argues that those worries are unwarranted.
With about 65,000 acres in western Loudoun still eligible to be turned into cluster developments, “it’s more important than ever that we get this right and set aside good usable soils while we still have them,” said Tia Earman, president of the Loudoun County Farm Bureau agricultural advocacy group. “We are standing on the edge of urban and rural.”
With about 65,000 acres in western Loudoun still eligible to be turned into cluster developments, “it’s more important than ever that we get this right and set aside good usable soils while we still have them,” said Tia Earman, president of the Loudoun County Farm Bureau agricultural advocacy group. “We are standing on the edge of urban and rural.”
Development intensified
Loudoun County turned to cluster subdivisions as the primary model for new neighborhoods in its rural areas in 2003, a compromise reached after local property owners hoping to profit from the region’s explosive growth fought the county’s earlier efforts to reduce the allowable density in those areas.
That development intensified after 2006, when Loudoun became subject to a state law passed that year that allows cluster developments to be built “by right,” or without special board approval, in rural areas of faster-growing localities.
The county already requires developers of those neighborhoods to preserve 70 percent of the land as open space.
But a recommendation that the neighborhoods be built on the least-desirable soils for farming has been largely ignored by developers, county officials say.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article:
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 15: Life on Land
Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Based on the Article’s Content:
- SDG 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- SDG 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible, green, and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons, and persons with disabilities.
- SDG 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article:
- Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
- Indicator 11.7.1: Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age, and persons with disabilities.
- Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible, green, and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons, and persons with disabilities. | Indicator 11.7.1: Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age, and persons with disabilities. |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world. | Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area. |
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Source: washingtonpost.com
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