Closing a Deal on Open Space
Package Preserves 2,200 Acres of Farmland in Montgomery

By Manuel Perez-Rivas

Tuesday, January 30, 2001

Montgomery County officials yesterday announced a $6.7 million package of deals that will prohibit development on 2,200 acres of farmland, the largest chunk of land protected with taxpayer money at one time since the county established its agricultural preservation program 12 years ago.

The deals will give the county easements on nine properties throughout the rural areas of northern Montgomery, from the Potomac River watershed in the west to the Patuxent River watershed in the east. The parcels range from 130 acres to 535 acres. The easements will prohibit development on the sites and allow their owners to continue growing crops or raising livestock.

"This is an investment that will affect the character and quality of life of our community for decades to come," said County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D), who announced the agreements while standing before a majestic backdrop of snow-dappled fields on the Williams family farm in Poolesville, one of the nine properties.

Most of the easements are being purchased with $4.5 million from Maryland's Rural Legacy program, a four-year-old state effort that provides money to local jurisdictions to protect large contiguous tracts in rural areas from development. The county would kick in a supplemental appropriation of $2.2 million, which is expected to be approved by the County Council today.

Maryland and Montgomery County have significantly stepped up their efforts to preserve open space under the Glendening administration's "smart growth" campaign.

One of Montgomery's conservation centerpieces is its agricultural reserve, whose 93,000 acres make it one of the largest such reserves in any county in the nation. The program protects nearly one-third of the county's land, and more than 50,000 acres are protected through agreements with landowners similar to the ones announced yesterday and other programs.

"This is an issue that's clearly catching fire, not just here, but all across the country," said County Council member Philip Andrews (D-Rockville), who was among a handful of county officials, including Planning Board Chairman William H. Hussmann, who joined Duncan at the Williams farm."

Andrews noted that the properties included in yesterday's announcement are equal in size to one-third of the area of the city of Rockville. "The great thing about it is that we know it works. We know this land will stay open and will be around for future generations," he said.

Duncan said the county intends to continue its aggressive efforts to conserve farmland. It is in negotiations for an additional 1,000 acres and just last week applied for $5 million from the Rural Legacy program targeted at 951 more acres.

"We've identified and are pursuing the preservation of more land than we have money for right now," Duncan said.

Members of the Williams family, including Mary Shaw Williams, 83, who has lived on the farm since 1941, said they were pleased with their deal. The white farmhouse on the property was built in 1876 by her late husband's grandfather, whose family had owned the land since the 1700s. During the Civil War, the fields were home to an encampment of Union soldiers.

"I'm very, very pleased," the family's matriarch said, standing between her two sons, Rodger and Clifton.

"The reason we did this was that the program became available, and we thought it would be a good way to preserve the farm and keep it in the family," said Rodger Williams, who plans to continue growing wheat and soybeans on the 217-acre farm.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company