Open space should be open to the paying public

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on May 14, 2009

The Kennett Township Land Trust did the right thing with regard to the Stateline Woods Preserve. As reported, the land trust began three years ago to prevent a 21-home development from being built on the 82-acre property off Merrybell Lane.

Land trusts, townships, conservation groups and other parties often look for ways to prevent developments or preserve nature. Their motives may differ. Some are looking to keep water clean or to provide a habitat for wildlife. Others want the opportunity to walk in the green while others don’t want property owners to make changes to “their” view.

The latter want to look at trees, not other homes. They have the attitude: “I’ve got mine, here. You go somewhere else.”

And not all of the groups take into consideration those who are footing the bill.

Often all that’s bought are easements or development rights. The landowner keeps his or her property, but gets paid not to develop the land – or a portion of it – in exchange for money.

That’s good for the landowner who wants to keep a farm, yet also wants the cash value of selling it. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.

And that would be fine as long as whoever buys those development rights is using private funds. The inequity comes in when public money – money from taxes – is used to secure the easement or rights.

In this case, there would be no problem as long as the public – the taxpayers – have access to the property they are paying to preserve. But it is wrong to use tax dollars to buy these things allowing a landowner to continue to use the land as private property while preventing the public from being able to use that land, too. The public is forced to pay for something it’s not allowed to use, and that’s simply wrong.

Equally wrong is for a landowner to say he’ll sell his property to a McMansion builder unless someone pays him not to, while still allowing him to keep the property his own private domain. That’s not too far from a form of extortion.

With tax money involved in the purchase of the Halstead property, the Kennett Township Land Trust was right to keep the site open and available to the public. Other land trusts should follow that lead.