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Preserving
Wilderness and Farm Land
Farmland Preservation Tools in Motion
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Butterfly Hollow Farm ____ The Path Leading Us Here ____ How The Farm Got Its Name ____ Restoring the Old Farmhouse ____ Where The Beefalo Roam ____ Saddle Up The Horses ____ Saving Wilderness and Farm Land ____ Farm Journals ____ Sharing The Farm ____ Guest Book ____ Site Map ____ |
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Montgomery
County Montgomery County was the first county in Maryland to respond to intense development pressure. The rural county became a desirable place to live in the 50's because residents could commute to neighboring Washington D.C. The intense growth of the 1950's and 60's permanently changed the county's landscape. It also changed the attitudes of the people mapping the county's future. After witnessing the disappearance of farmland in the southeastern part of the county, county officials decided to protect the remaining farmland in the county's northwestern half. In 1964, the county established a General Plan that pronounced the need for preserving countryside and concentrating growth in and around municipalities. It was the first public document in Montgomery County to recognize that farmland is necessary for the survival of the agricultural industry. In 1973, the county hired a full-time agricultural resources coordinator and revised its zoning ordinance. In 1980, the county approved and began to implement the Plan for the Preservation of Agricultural Land and Open Space. The plan recommended the use of two techniques: Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and APZ. The county amended the zoning ordinance and created an 89,000 acre Agricultural Reserve, which limited development to one dwelling per 25 acres. A county study found that this was the minimum acreage that could support a farm family on a cash-crop, direct-market basis. Landowners in these APZ areas are permitted to sell their development rights to landowners in designated growth areas that want to develop their property at a higher density. Montgomery County also established its own PACE program and since 1980, the county has spent approximately $18 million and permanently protected more than 43,000 acres of farmland, almost half of the county's farmland.
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info@butterflyhollow.com
Butterfly
Hollow
Gordonsville,
TN 38563