Rockingham County, Virginia (not including the City of Harrisonburg) is comprised of (approximately) 46,600 parcels of real estate.  Some of these lots or tracts are very small, in towns such as Grottoes, Dayton or Elkton.  Others are quite expansive and are in the far flung corners of the County.  Below is a visual representation of the distribution of lot sizes of those 46,600 properties --- you might need to click on this link to view the full size document for easier reading.


Here's the summary:

• 20,108 parcels less than a half acre
  
• 6,889 parcels of 0.5 - 1 acre
  
• 9,801 parcels of 1 - 5 acres
  
• 5,513 parcels of 5 - 20 acres
  
• 2,355 parcels of 20 - 50 acres
  
• 1,933 parcels of 50+ acres

There is quite a bit more to break down from this data set, but here are a few interesting surface level observations:

• Almost half (43%) of the parcels in Rockingham County are less than a half acre
  
• 79% of the parcels in Rockingham County are less than 5 acres
  
• There are a lot (1,933) of large tracts of land (50+ acres) left in Rockingham County

And the most interesting facts I've gleaned from this data thus far revolve around the largest parcels in Rockingham County:

• The largest parcel in Rockingham County is owned by the (and is the) U.S. National Forest, with a size of 140,001 acres.
• The second largest tract is 37,980 acres, and owned by the U.S.Department of the Interior --- I'm guessing this is also National Park land...
  
• These two largest parcels combined encompass one-third (33%) of the total acreage of Rockingham County.
• The combined value of these two parcels (though I doubt they pay property taxes!?) is roughly $186 million!
  

Get up close and personal (thanks to unanticipated loud construction equipment) with Harrisonburg mayor Kai Degner, and hear about the upcoming Mayor's Sustainability Summit to be held in downtown Harrisonburg.



As Kai mentioned, the agenda for the Summit will be formed around the interests and desires of those in attendance, but may likely include topics such as:

• renewable energy
• local foods
• preparing for a post peak-oil world
• green space
• bike share programs
• energy conservation initiatives
• climate change

Kai's theory is that the first step towards making any of these large scale community changes is to create dialogue in our local community.  It is bound to be a fun and thought-provoking day.  Mark it on your calendar....

Mayor's Sustainability Summit
Saturday, May 30, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Starting and ending in Court Square Theater
View more details by clicking here.

From Wikipedia: "Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, mixed-use development with a range of housing choices.

Smart growth values long-range, regional considerations of sustainability over a short-term focus. Its goals are to achieve a unique sense of  community and place; expand the range of transportation, employment,  and housing choices; equitably distribute the costs and benefits of  development; preserve and enhance natural and cultural resources; and  promote public health."

To summarize, Smart Growth is building in the right place:

• where infrastructure already exists
• with an emphasis on mixed-use development
• with a variety of transportation choices
  

Additional Smart Growth resources:

• Coalition for Smarter Growth
• 23 Guiding Values for the Revitalization of Downtown Harrisonburg
• Urban Exchange - smart growth in downtown Harrisonburg
  

Well, perhaps we don't have to narrow it down with such extreme labels, but there has been some interesting debate over the subject over at hburgnews.com, all of which began with the issue of funding disappearing for the expansion of Port Republic Road.

Here are some of my thoughts, though I would love to hear other perspectives on the subject:

WHY GROWTH OCCURS:
Desirable area -> people want to live here -> they need a place to live -> many want to buy -> more homes are needed -> land is rezoned -> lots are developed -> houses are built.

While growth stems from a positive situation (an area being desirable), it is also true that:

• growth has some negative consequences
• growth does not have a net positive impact on all involved

But what is the alternative? To halt growth?
To do so, a locality would need to either:

• stop rezoning land, and/or
• stop issuing building permits

Taking either of these steps would (in my opinion) have some rather negative consequences:

• housing costs increase (since supply is limited), making it harder for existing residents to afford housing in their own community
• economy stays stagnant, or shrinks, as a result of higher housing prices and a locality's desire to limit growth --- employers won't move here (or stay here) if their employees (or potential employees) can't find housing they can afford --- thus, existing residents would then have fewer job opportunities without moving out of the area

Thus, I would submit that:

• Harrisonburg and Rockingham County will not continue to be desirable places to live UNLESS growth occurs.
• Said growth needs to be well-planned to preserve the character and history of this area.

I have heard some people talk about development as if in the next few years, or decades, all of Rockingham County will be developed --- with the farm land destroyed, and our history no longer preserved.

Below I'll try to put that thought in the context of actual land use, but for the record --- I don't think many at today's Smart Growth Symposium thought that the above statement is true.  (Lest anyone conclude that I am referring to any of the attendees).



The data above is extracted from the Rockingham County Comprehensive Plan, particularly page 18 of the section on Strategies, Policies and Actions.

Here's the full list of how Rockingham County land is being used:

• Agriculture - 248,000 acres (46%)
• Forest - 50,000 acres (9%)
• Commercial - 4,000 acres (0.7%)
• Industrial - 1,400 acres (0.3%)
• Single Family Residential - 44,000 acres (8.2%)
• Multi-family or Duplex - 175 acres (<0.1%)
• Mobile Home Park - 1,100 acres (0.2%)
• Federal Government - 178,000 acres (33%)
• State Government - 500 acres (0.1%)
• Local Government - 1,700 acres (0.3%)
• Regional Government - 130 acres (<0.1%)
• Charitable/Religious/Education - 2,300 acres (0.4%)
• Other - 7,000 acres (1.8%)

As you can see --- much of Rockingham County will likely never be developed (33% is owned by the government) --- and we still have an extraordinary amount of undeveloped land.

Wow!  Today's Smart Growth Symposium, orchestrated by the Shenandoah Valley Builders Association was a fantastic primer on growth issues and how to plan for them in the central Shenandoah Valley. 

Stewart Schwartz, the Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, provided a great overview of smart growth principles and policies that provided a helpful framework for thinking about and planning for the future of our area. 

One key point that he made, that stuck with me, was a need to focus on developing in the right place. 

Those present included conservationists, builders, farmers, real estate agents, bankers, local planning staff, elected officials, engaged citizens, and more.  There seemed to be a great desire for and capacity to consider working together for the best future for our valley, despite the varying perspectives each of us bring to the table.

The Shenandoah Valley Builders Association will hold a Smart Growth Symposium on Friday, February 22, with registration at 9:30 AM and finishing around 3:30 PM.  This event will be an opportunity for members of the community to come together to learn about issues related to growth from a variety of perspectives, and to participate in a public conversation on the future of the Shenandoah Valley.

The schedule of speakers and topics is as follows:

10:00 AM  -  Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth
Addressing the topic, "The Smart Growth Option"

11:45 AM  -  Lunch served

12:30 PM  -  Question & Answer session for panel of guests:

• Stewart Schwartz, Coalition for Smarter Growth
• Matt Robertson, Stratford Companies
• Scott Rogers, Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors
• Kim Sandum, Community Alliance for Preservation
• Todd Rhea, Clark & Bradshaw
• Sara Hollberg, Valley Conservation Council

2:00 PM  -  Todd Rhea, Clark & Bradshaw
Addressing the topic "What is a Comprehensive Plan?"

This should be an informative day with a variety of opinions and perspectives.  The cost is $10 per person and includes lunch, and the deadline to RSVP is by Wednesday, February 20.  Reservations and payment can be made online.