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Overview
 Faculty
from West Virginia
University (WVU) and Shepherd
College held an open meeting on “Growth,
Development, and Land Use in the Eastern
Panhandle” at Shepherd College on Saturday,
January 27. Jointly planned with the Potomac
Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development
(RC&D) Council, the meeting used a structured
approach to identify issues and potential
solutions related to growth, development, and land
use that are considered important by local
citizens. Approximately 175 people attended.
Following
a brief welcome by Ed Snyder, a professor of
environmental studies at Shepherd, West Virginia
House of Delegates member John Doyle (D-55),
introduced West Virginia Senator John Unger (D-16)
who gave an introduction to the program and
provided background information on relevant
legislative activities. Jerry Fletcher, a
professor of natural resource economics in the WVU
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Consumer
Sciences, and Patrick Drohan, assistant professor
of environmental studies at Shepherd, gave an
overview of current land use related activities at
their respective institutions.
To
set the stage for further discussion, Randy
Rosenberger, assistant professor at WVU, presented
information on the options and opportunities that
accompany growth.
Craig Yohn, Jefferson County agent for WVU
Extension, provided background information on land
use change and growth factors affecting Berkeley
and Jefferson counties.
After
the formal presentations, conference participants
were divided into five groups and charged with
identifying the most critical issues facing the
Eastern Panhandle region and suggesting solutions
to those issues. The groups each identified from
20 to 40 issues and five to 24 solutions, ranking
each in terms of importance. The top five issues
and solutions from each group were posted. Then,
each participant was asked to identify the single
most important issue and potential solution from
his or her perspective before leaving the meeting.
The
issues identified fell into four broad categories.
Lack of land-use planning and enforcement of
current regulations received the most votes. In
particular, people felt the need for growth
controls on new development, planning for green
space or open space, bike paths, sidewalks, and
other quality-of-life factors. Identifying and
managing the full economic costs of development
such as increased cost of schools, utilities, and
other services was considered a priority. The
second ranking category concerned farmland
preservation and the overall economic viability of
agriculture in the region. The third category
involved environmental concerns such as
preservation of wildlife habitat, natural
resources, including water, and environmental
quality. The final category identified the need
for greater autonomy in local policy-making,
including the ability to develop and implement
growth management policies such as impact fees.
The
solutions identified by the participants were
diverse. The top solutions, as determined by
tallying the exit votes, ranged from setting
policies to gathering information. The following
solution categories were identified: stronger
local leadership that is responsive to the needs
of the region and that supports greater autonomy
in local policy making; increased attention to
strengthening and diversifying the economic base
of the region; mechanisms for retaining
agricultural land and agricultural enterprises in
the local economy; development of land management
tools; conserving open space, green space, and
local planning initiatives that address cluster
and high density development; and zoning
classifications, population density controls, and
master plans. Participants also believed that more
information would help resolve some of the issues
in the region by enabling better-targeted
solutions to specific issues.
The
following files are provided as to convey the
results of the conference and to provide further
information for future discussions.
Documents
summarizing the conference
Further
information
Land
Trusts
Other
Land-use related websites
WWW
Books
For more
information please contact either:
Dr.
Patrick Drohan (Shepherd College)
Dr.
Randy Rosenberger (WVU)
Craig Yohn, Jefferson County, WVU
Extension Agent
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