Kansas Land Trust
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Kansas Land Trust The Kansas Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that protects and preserves lands of ecological, historical, scenic, agricultural or recreational significance in Kansas. Spring 1997 Volume 8, Number 2 Land Use Message Challenges, Inspires Across the Kaw Valley, Kansans were chal cated on only a portion - typically half - of the par lenged to consider a new paradigm for land-use plan cel. The remaining open space is permanently pro ning. On February 5th and 6th, Randall Arendt, Vice tected under a conservation easement co-signed by a President for Natural Lands Trust in Media, Pennsyl local conservation commission or land trust, and vania, was the guest speaker at seminars at KU's recorded in the registry of deeds." School of Architecture and Urban Design and at Arendt continues, "One of the 'solutions' that KSU's Department of Landscape Architecture. He many conventional zoning ordinances use for presum also spoke with area planners and county commission ably maintaining open space and rural character is ers at a special afternoon session at the Kaw Valley large lot zoning - that is, establishing large, five to Heritage Alliance annual workshop, then followed ten acre minimum lot sizes in rural zoning districts." with his general presentation that evening. He explains: "Although large lot zoning does reduce Arendt is blunt in his critique of most current the number of homes that can be built, it also spreads land-use planning efforts. From the outset, he chal out the homes in such a way that none of the remain lenges audiences with the question: ''Using your cur ing land is useable for fanning, forestry, or even recre rent planning and zoning ordinances and extending ational trails. Houselots become 'too large to mow, that same pattern of growth, what kind of look do you but too small to plow,' and the greater distance be expect to achieve when your area's open space is fully tween homes effectively stifles the emergence of any built? More of the same," he immediately answers-' sense of neighborhood." something he called "a slice and dice" mentality. "The Arendt lists these as the principle advantages problem is not development, but the pattern of devel for conservation development: it does not penalize the opment." rural landowner, does not take development potential So long as our zoning and subdivision regula away from the developer, and is extremely effective in tions require only houselots and streets, that is all we permanently protecting a substantial proportion of ev will get - no open space preservation. He says, ery development tract. Conservation development "Conventional zoning assigns a development designa does not require large public expenditures (to pur tion to every acre of land, generally residential, com chase development rights), and allows farmers and mercial or industrial. The only lands which are nor others to extract their rightful equity without seeing mally not designated for development are wetlands their entire land holding bulldozed for complete cov and floodplains," and this leads "to every square foot erage by houselots. of each development being converted to front yards, Commenting on Arendt's proposals, in the back yards, streets, sidewalks, or driveways. Nothing Summer 92 issue of Land Development, the publica is left over to become open space." tion of the National Association of Homebuilders, The solution? "In order to avoid disturbing Philip Larsen noted: "The key is to view the various the equity held by existing landowners, open space open space requirements as opportunities rather than zoning allows the same overall amount of develop as liabilities. Projects that feature open space are pro ment that is already pennitted. The key difference is jects that sell, while providing environmental ameni that this technique requires new construction to be 10- ties and opportunities for recreation." P.O. Box 1116 Lawrence, KS 66044 913-749-3297 Kansas Land Trust Page 2 Calendar of Area Events land to the City of Olathe, which financed the acquisi tion through Certificates of Participation. Historical Series at Lecompton The city paid $2.2 million for the land. City Beginning March 2nd, a series of programs Manager Michael McCurdy says, ''It's absolutely and exhibits on various aspects of the Kansas Terri money well spent." The Mahaffie Farmstead, one of tory and the Civil War will be held at Lecompton's the publicly accessible Santa Fe Trail stagecoach Constitution Hall State Historical Site. The first pre stops, attracts] 6,000 visitors a year. Three buildings sentation, "Clinton Lake: The Heart of Bleeding on the site are on the National Register of Historic Kansas," given by Martha Parker will begin at 2 p.m. Places: the house, bam and stone icehouse. F or more Loren Litteer's presentation, ''Baldwin City: information about the dedication ceremony, call 9] 3- Up the Trail to Freedom," will be held on April 13; 782-6972. the exhibit is being prepared by the Santa Fe Trail Historical Society. On May 4, Fern Long will pre Meet KLT's Administrative Assistant sent ''Historic Eudora Area: Land of Chief Paschal Fish." The exhibit is being prepared by the Eudora Denise Kester Area Historical Society. The final program, ''Lawrence: Free State Fortress," will be presented Denise Kester brings a wealth of experience by Steve Jansen on June 8 with the exhibit prepared and expertise to her part-time position as by Watkins Community Museum. All programs are Administrative Assistant for KL T and the Kaw Valley free and open to the public. Heritage Alliance. She has adapted quickly to the position and excels at taking both comprehensive and KVHA on Sunflower Journeys on March 26 highly intelligible minutes for the KL T Board and On Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m., one of KVHA Steering Committee meetings. Her most the segments of the KTWU series, Sunflower Jour valued talents, however, are in accounting which will neys, will feature the story of the Kaw Valley Her be evidenced by KL T' s first annual report which we itage Alliance. KLT Director, Joyce Wolf; KS Rural expect to produce in the near future. Center Director, Dan Nagengast; and Kansas State If you were one of the more than one hundred Historical Society's Sites Division Director, Ron participants in the KVHA workshop, then you met Parks were interviewed and appear on the eight Denise at the registration table where she quietly, but minute segment. efficiently, made certain that everyone received their packets of information, name tags, dinner tickets etc. Historic Viewshed Preserved In addition to her accounting skills acquired at The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the City KU, Denise has quite a green thumb. She keeps busy of Olathe recently announced the addition of 54 acres growing flowers, vegetables and fruit trees on her of scenic open space to the Mahaffie Farmstead and acre lot in North Lawrence. And ''the girls," as she Stagecoach Stop Historic Site. The dedication will affectionately calls her four chickens, roam freely take place on Friday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m. at the about her back yard, keeping Denise and friends Mahaffie Farmstead site. The dedication will kick off supplied with wonderfully tasty brown eggs (I forgot a two-week exhibition of the Santa Fe Trail and re how good a really fresh egg can taste!). Denise's lated demonstrations focusing on Olathe's frontier other pets include an aging, blind cat and a small heritage. The public is invited to attend. flock of Muscovy ducks. With TPL's help, the city of Olathe was able Prior to joining KL T, Denise worked in to permanently protect three parcels of rural land Topeka. We were especially gratified during her scape, preserving the historic vista from the farm site. interview that she said that she wanted to work for an Using their land-saving expertise, TPL obtained a organization ''that she could feel good about purchase option on the property, and exercised that helping." And we're delighted that she's chosen option in September] 996. TPL then conveyed the KLT! Kansas Land Trust Page 3 Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance News of Projects, Programs and Events Kansas River Corridor Agriculture Subcommittee Report Recreation Study Underway by Bob Russell, Jr. Following the directive of the 1996 Kansas Legislature, five Recruiting representatives from the entire spectrum state agencies are studying recreational use of the Kansas of farming groups was a high priority during 1996. River. A participant/user survey has been formulated; in Groups regularly represented at our subcommittee terested citizens can obtain a copy to fill out from the meetings include the KS Rural Center, KS Farm Bu Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing by calling reau, KS Dept. of Agriculture, the State Conserva 913-296-3564. tion Commission, KS Com Growers Association, KS Three public meetings were held during February Farmers Union, and KSU Extension Agronomy. in Manhattan, Perry/Lecompton, and Kansas City. During We have also begun discussions of establish the period March through August survey data will continue ing a program that would compliment the Governor's to be collected and analyzed. October is the tentative time Water Quality Initiative in the KSlLower Republican scheduled for preparation of a draft report of the study with Basin. We feel this issue takes on added significance presentation of the final report to the legislature in January since farmland, despite its reputation as a source of 1998. pollution, when properly managed, also offers