SMARTER GROWTH Do We Need It In Northwest Ohio?

Urban Sprawl Has Long Term Consequences For Northwest Ohio Diane Myers-Krug, AICP, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, October 12, 1996.

Agriculture is Ohio’s number one in- dustry. It employs one in six Ohioans and contributes over $56 billion each year to the state’s economy. Yet, over the past 25 years, Ohio lost 2.4 million acres of farm- land. That’s an average of eleven acres per hour. As farmland disappears, so do the opportunities for Ohio’s farmers, food processors and distributors, and other re- lated businesses to grow and prosper. Over three-quarters of the total farm- best be addressed with careful planning The Toledo metropolitan area is the land in Wood, Fulton and Lucas Counties and growth management programs. third largest metropolitan contributor to the is considered prime: 90 percent of Wood, We cannot afford to be at the mercy state’s farmland loss. Since 1970, it lost 75 percent of Fulton and 57 percent of of companies and developers whose pri- 13 acres per day, behind the Cincinnati Lucas. So chances are, particularly in mary interest is their net profit margin MSA (18 acres per day) and the Colum- Wood County that any newly developed rather than the good of the community as bus MSA (27 acres per day). Of the 30 land not put to agricultural use is deplet- a whole, or of governments which only major metropolitan counties, Wood ing our supply of prime farmland. How view the short term impacts of develop- County lost the greatest amount (70,000 can we prevent this loss without inhibit- ment. Therefore, we must identify which acres), accounting for over half of the To- ing reasonable growth? land is most suitable for various types of ledo MSA loss. We have a choice other than growth development and require that it take place While these numbers are staggering, anywhere or no growth at all. The answer only in appropriately designated areas. they account for only one third of the farm- is growth management, the development This will not only save valuable farmland land loss in the state. Most of the loss has and implementation of a policy to support (and land for other uses), but it will also occurred in non-metropolitan areas. De- quality growth. Managing growth is not save many taxpayer dollars in infrastruc- velopment is penetrating deeper into rural anti-growth, but rather it supports quality ture costs. areas, farther and farther away from cen- growth. The issue is not whether the com- The City of Toledo’s recent decision tral cities. This sprawl development has munity will grow, but how it will grow. to place a 42” water line through south serious consequences for both the urban Do we want NW Ohio to be at the mercy Toledo to serve Fulton County and make areas from which it is issuing and the rural of a random collision of economic forces, virtually unlimited development possible areas into which it is advancing. Thus cit- or do we want to choose intelligently on prime agricultural land in this immedi- ies and rural areas have a common vested among options? ate area is the perfect example of danger- interest in addressing the issue. One of our most important choices is ous lack of vision and need for growth Northwest Ohio counties are leading the priority we are willing to place on management. One can also speculate from contributors to Ohio’s agricultural promi- maintaining prime farmland. In the past, this decision that the City is positioning nence, as indicated by the following ex- agriculture as a land use has been viewed itself to make large quantities of water ac- amples. Ohio ranks second in the nation as interim, as land waiting to be improved cessible to Wood County as well, which in production of tomatoes for processing, by development. The fact is, agriculture could irreversibly damage the County’s and seven of the eight Ohio counties which is the best use for some land. We can be prominent agriculture status. grow these tomatoes are in NW Ohio. flexible about the siting of structures, roads Fortunately, in other arenas, the im- Ohio ranks fifth in wheat production; seven and other infrastructure, but it is not pos- portance of reaching a balance between of the top ten wheat producing counties sible to relocate prime farmland. agriculture and development is being rec- are in NW Ohio. Our state ranks sixth in Land needs to be valued as a resource, ognized. For instance, in a time of cut- soybean production; five of the top ten not just a commodity; good development back spending, the 1996 Farm Bill makes producers are in NW Ohio. In fact, Wood decisions will reflect this reality. If devel- $35 million in federal funding available to County leads the state in soybeans, and opment is not the best use of some land, supplement state and local farmland pro- ranks second in corn (for grain) produc- then which land is best for development? tection programs. Governor Voinovich tion. All together these crops are worth How much development? What type of over $2.5 billion annually. development? These critical questions can see SPRAWL - page 38

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 37 SPRAWL - from page 37 recently established the Ohio Farmland Addressing the issue of sprawl re- Preservation Task Force to study the causes quires cooperation across the region. and consequences of farmland conversion Given the fact that water is being made and recommend what can be implemented available throughout the metropolitan area, to prevent unnecessary or premature con- it would be prudent to coordinate the cur- version. Local conferences are being held rent comprehensive planning efforts in across Ohio to discuss the different aspects Fulton and Wood Counties and include and impacts of farmland preservation; in Lucas County in the discussions as well. minimill and processing plant are trans- NW Ohio, a Farm/City Fo- We have become increas- forming the rural area around Delta. rum will be held at Lourdes ingly aware that strong re- “It is a classical agricultural commu- College on November 14 to gional economies are the nity, with all the roads built and maintained engage people in a discus- It is the politics most competitive in to support farming, but in five years it may sion of land use and how in- of changing the today’s global market- no longer exist,” said Sandra McKew, a dividual rights and public status quo and place. NW Ohio’s eco- consultant based in Hudson, O. “With needs are balanced in the conventional nomic health depends on a development, there are trade-offs, good process. wisdom about strong urban area—one and bad.” Managing growth is development that is not in competition At a task force meeting yesterday, an essential for the long-term which is the with its suburbs, but with Otterbein College economics professor fiscal, social and environ- challenge in the other regions of the said the “impact of sprawl is much greater mental health and viability front of us. country and the world. In in Ohio than across the U.S.” of NW Ohio. The Toledo order for this to happen, we Using statistics from 1960 to 1990, Allen metropolitan area is no dif- need to manage our growth Prindle said that for every 1 per cent in- ferent from the other com- to contain sprawl so that crease in population in Ohio, urban land munities across the nation which are fac- we can best meet our economic, social and use increased by 4.7 per cent. The rate ing the problems of sprawl development. environmental goals for the future. This nationwide in the same period was 2.3 per The communities which will prosper most demands a give-and-take relationship cent. are those which will take the initiative to among our communities. It requires our A task force subcommittee studying plan and manage growth. For our area, leaders not only to talk regionally, but to urban revitalization and farmland preser- this will require a change in the way policy act regionally as well, and our citizens to vation debated how to approach the issue. makers, developers and citizens approach support them in the endeavor. When Governor Voinovich created development issues. As presented to po- It is the politics of changing the status the task force, he assigned it to develop litical leaders in their trips to Portland and quo and conventional wisdom about de- voluntary methods and incentives to main- Minneapolis/St. Paul, these two commu- velopment which is the challenge in front tain land for farming. nities have demonstrated that progressive of us. Business as usual is easy. Thinking It will be a big mistake if the task force planning, design and growth management and acting differently is not. Let’s hope recommends that the state get involved in regulations are both legal and effective. we are able to meet this challenge for a land-use planning, said Vincent Lombardi, better future. director of housing and community devel- opment programs for the Ohio Department Task Force to seek Toledo’s ideas on saving farmland of Development. by James Drew, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, January 7, 1997. “The role of the state is where it puts its resources and builds its roads,” Mr. COLUMBUS - Toledo and a Cincinnati member task force last summer to exam- Lombardi said. “We don’t control local suburb will be the first stops when a state ine ways to balance the preservation of zoning, but we do control the money.” task force studying how to preserve farm- farmland with development. The panel 4 James Ernst, vice president of the land goes on the road next month. expected to send a report to the governor Ohio Home Builders Association, said the “We want folks to come out and have in June. state could develop a “model plan” to bal- input,” said Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister, a co- The United States loses about one ance development and farmland and rec- chairman. “It’s also an opportunity for us million acres of productive farmland each ommend that local governments use it. to explain what the task force is.” year, according to the American Farmland Some task force members are exam- The task force will meet from 1 p.m. Trust, a nonprofit group based in Wash- ining state policies that contradict each to 4 p.m. Feb. 18 at Toledo’s Central Union ington. other, said Ms. McKew, the consultant Plaza. A meeting will be held the same As in most areas of Ohio, which has based in Hudson, O. “We have the state day in King’s Island. Task force mem- 15.1 million acres of farmland, the con- giving loans to build water-treatment bers will gather Feb. 19 in Akron and Cam- flict between growth and preservation is a plants in the middle of nowhere that cre- bridge. big issue in northwest Ohio. The hottest ates economic development that is not Governor Voinovich formed the 21- spot is Fulton County, where a steel compatible with farming,” she said.

38 Managing Change * BGSU / UT Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur’s Testimony Before Farmland under Threat the Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force Editorial, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Excerpts from February 18, 1997, Toledo. January 9, 1997. Take almost any road heading out of “We have an unparalleled opportunity here in Northwest Ohio – with our rich Toledo and look around. The first thing loam soils and fresh water – to shape a better future in wise land use that will make life you notice is that it takes longer than it once st in our area more attractive, sustainable, and environmentally appealing in the 21 cen- did to escape the confines of the city and tury. suburbs. More roads are sprouting com- “Farmland preservation and the livability of our environment are issues that affect mercial, industrial, and residential devel- every Ohioan, whether they reside on the farm, in the suburbs, or in our urban centers. opment. Ohio is unique in that agriculture is our largest industry, yet our state boasts more urban While the city center has in recent area than any other state in the union. Nowhere is the urban-rural interface more clearly years expanded upward with new build- evident Enormous social, ecological, and economic implications converge here in ings defining the skyline, in the city and our state. suburbs’ outer limits the expansion is hori- “I am heartened by the number of citizens who come to speak to me about how to zontal. prevent urban sprawl, preserve our rural way of life, and create a more beautiful com- Throughout northwest Ohio, develop- munity in which to live. They often lament that Toledo and its suburbs are beginning to ment is eating into one of this region’s most look like every place else in America. They demonstrate a willingness to meet the precious assets - farmland. challenges of a new day including how better to intertwine our urban and rural systems Toledo thinks of itself, rightly, as an of life. We should listen to their plea because both urban and rural communities will industrial city with special ties to the auto- benefit if we make farmland preservation a priority. And we will create a region where mobile industry, but no one should forget people will want to live and work. the crucial role the farmers in this area play “Some of our most valuable and productive farmland is located in urban and de- in the regional and state economy. veloping areas. That makes sense in that human settlement centered on food gathering Agriculture is the state’s No. 1 indus- and production. Northwest Ohio is a classic example of this phenomenon. It is unfor- try, employing one in six Ohioans. But tunate, in my opinion, that our orchards like Hoen’s and McQueen’s are becoming our rich farmland is being eaten away by engulfed in a sea of urban encroachment. In fact, the very quality of life those moving development - often unthinking develop- out to those locations seek will be destroyed in the process unless more enlightened ment by folks who never met a building land planning occurs. they didn’t like. “As our cities sprawl out into rural areas, and urbanization ignores the delicate In an attempt to find a way to balance balance struck by nature in our life-sustaining ecosystem, suburbanization gobbles up farmland preservation with development, prime soil and farmland that can never be restored. Gov. George Voinovich last year formed “Moreover, keeping a task force to look at the issue. this land in agricultural On Feb. 18. that task force will meet production has additional in Toledo. Make no mistake. It will be benefits, ranging from one of the most important gatherings to be watershed and wildlife held here all year. habitat enhancement, to About a million acres of farmland is reducing the tax burden lost in this country every year. In north- on communities from west Ohio, the pressure placed on farm- wasteful urban sprawl. land by development and industry in But how penny-wise and pound foolish to trample our existing resource, and then be Lucas, Wood, Fulton, and Ottawa coun- forced to tax ourselves to somehow try to compensate for what we did wrong in the first ties is obvious. Loss of farmland in those place. counties between 1974 and 1992 ranges “We can start with enlightened local zoning regulations that recognize loam soils from 5 per cent to as much as 25 per cent. are more than residual and more carefully zone and subdivide to mark rural and urban In fact, the impact of urban sprawl in growth boundaries. Just as we classify land for commercial potential, farmland’s fu- Ohio is reported to be greater than the na- ture value must be recognized. We must also develop new mechanisms – in the private tional average. The eating away of farm- and public sectors – to help our citizenry learn about this issue and invent new ap- land cannot continue unchecked. As the proaches to land use planning and tax planning, such as donating conservation ease- largest industry in Ohio, agriculture con- ments, participating in purchase of development rights programs, and donating devel- tributes $56.2 billion annually to the state’s opment rights as a means to reduce estate taxes. We must also enact statewide educa- economy. So the compelling arguments tional programs, some in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to bol- for preserving farmland involve the envi- ster our preservation efforts. ronment, quality of life, and economics. “Ohio and local communities can do much on their own to fund a better future. As Part of the problem can be clearly seen a condition of development anywhere throughout our broad geographic region, devel- in Toledo’s experience. Here, as the city opers can begin to contribute to a fund for farmland preservation that will enhance regional quality of life.” see THREAT - page 41

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 39 Reinvesting In Our Urban Areas Will Preserve Our Agricultural Economy Diane Myers-Krug, AICP (Edited and printed in Columbus Dispatch, “Regulations are needed for Ohio land use,” August 9, 1997.)

The Ohio Farmland Preservation Task However timid, the recommendations At the public meeting of the Task Force issued its report to Governor for improved planning and economic de- Force in Toledo, one developer openly Voinovich at the end of June. Typical of velopment programs do create the op- admitted that major economic incentives Ohio politics, the Governor’s charge to the portunity to discuss a number of difficult exist for developers to build outside of ur- Task Force was to identify only voluntary issues critical to both our cities’ future and ban areas. And until these incentives are programs for farmland preservation. That the continued strength of our agricultural removed, he said, developers will continue is, the Task Force could not consider any- economy. These recommendations present to make tremendous profits developing thing that would legally prevent develop- a “wake up” call to the Governor and Gen- farmland in spite of its obvious adverse ment interests from proceeding unre- eral Assembly to reevaluate development effects upon rural and urban areas. This strained as usual. The Governor’s narrow policies which directly influence the calls for strong action, not modest appeals charge limited the Task Force’s ability to growth/decline of our cities. A balance to farmers’ self-interests. make a significant impact and is reflected between development and preservation The Task Force report notes that over in the nature of their final report – a clear, must be an integral part of our state’s strat- one-third of all land in Ohio’s incorporated concise and thorough definition and ex- egy to preserve farmland, keep our posi- areas already supplied with utilities and amination of the problem followed by tion as an agricultural leader, and help our other infrastructure is vacant, unused or weak recommendations. urban areas. underutilized. The local The Task Force recommendations Task Force research situation is no different. center on the authorization of purchase of shows that agriculture is Lucas County spends al- development rights, transfer of develop- Ohio’s biggest industry. ... the City of Toledo most four times more per ment rights, and lease of development This issue should be of spends about 75% of capita building new roads rights programs, all of which require leg- particular interest to read- its infrastructure and water and sewer lines islation and many public dollars to imple- ers of The Blade, since the funds to maintain than does the City of To- ment. And even then, the most these pro- greatest concentration of roads and water ledo, while the City of To- grams can possibly accomplish is some prime farmland is in and sewer lines that ledo spends about 75% of short-term relief. This is not the answer to northwest and west cen- already exist. its infrastructure funds to Ohio’s farmland loss problem. In states tral Ohio. How our area maintain roads and water where farmland preservation is effective, responds to the recom- and sewer lines that al- a combination of programs is implemented mendations presented by ready exist. The UT Ur- to generate a coordinated approach to bal- the Task Force will have an impact on the ban Affairs Center has documented that the anced development. The development quality of life not only in our section of increase in population and jobs in the un- rights programs recommended by the Task the state, but to Ohio as a whole. incorporated areas of the county has been Force must be supported by other actions. For decades development interests primarily a rearrangement of activity No resolution to the unnecessary conver- have made huge profits by convincing us within Lucas County, not new growth. The sion of farmland will occur strictly on a that it is in our best interests to let them current infrastructure investment pattern in voluntary basis. build unrestrained and we have obliged our area perpetuates this shift of jobs and Fortunately, the Task Force recog- them. The result has been very costly for people from our cities into what was until nized the fact that farmland preservation our urban areas and irreparable for our just recently ‘the country.’ is both a rural issue and an urban issue. It farmland resource. Strong forces created The Task Force wisely calls for “new was obvious to the Task Force that farm- our farmland and urban problems and investments to utilize existing infrastruc- land loss is the symptom of a larger, much equally strong forces are required to cre- ture in urban areas.” The cost of both pro- more complex problem – sprawl. Through ate the necessary solutions. Unfortunately, viding new infrastructure in outlying ar- the course of their public meetings it be- the Task Force did not seize this opportu- eas and maintaining existing infrastructure came clear that farmland loss and the nity to demand the necessary change. We in urban areas causes taxes and develop- health of our cities “are two sides of the must lift the Task Force’s planning and ment costs to rise. Expanding infrastruc- same coin. Strategic planning for the one economic development recommendations ture without adequate new growth in- must incorporate the dynamics of the to the next level and ask our legislators to creases the costs of living and doing busi- other.” In this respect, the Task Force was strengthen these suggestions and imple- ness in the area. Wage and product costs compelled to introduce recommendations ment a real change in development policy. rise and we become less competitive. Do beyond the scope of their charge that also We must come to grips with the long-term, we continue to be misled by the short-term address programs for planning and infra- physical impacts of our growth. The issue individual economic benefits of unplanned structure as well as economic development of what is being built where must be ad- development that increase overall costs of and urban revitalization. Unfortunately, dressed through mutually supportive plan- living and doing business in northwest as presented to the Governor these recom- ning and economic development programs Ohio, or do we address the larger, long- mendations are far too timid to create a for smarter growth if we are to maintain term societal impacts of these haphazard significant impact. our agricultural and urban health. growth patterns? see REINVEST - page 41 40 Managing Change * BGSU / UT REINVEST - from page 40

Ohio’s local governments already Similarly, there needs to be a rational have the power to plan, designate areas for basis in Ohio to support public investment agriculture, and use existing infrastructure actions and a process by which to debate capacity – but they seldom do. It is legal, the difficult and controversial questions but hardly ever politically palatable. To about development before it starts. Major “encourage the managed expansion of growth reforms have been successful, urban and suburban areas, including the sprawl and farmland loss abated, where identification of urban service areas” (that state legislatures have mandated this pro- is, institute a growth management policy), cess. And planning is key. as recommended by the Task Force, will The Task Force should be com- THREAT - from page 39 require a major change in current planning mended for its diligent and thorough work. policy and development priorities. In spite of the Governor’s constrained declines so the suburbs grow. That growth The state must do more than merely charge, they have presented a clear and is ever-outward, gobbling up valuable allow planning as an option available to concise understanding of a complex prob- farmland even while the outward migra- local government if they so desire. The lem in relatively short time. But we should tion empties the city. state must require that local capital invest- not be content to think that voluntary in- That situation might be improved by ment be based on thoughtful, long-term centives will put the problem of farmland a review and rationalization of state poli- development goals defined by its citizens. loss and sprawl behind us. The Task Force cies. It makes no sense to have one state For instance, Oregon requires each munici- has provided an opportunity to begin a panel looking at how to preserve farm- pality to establish an urban growth bound- comprehensive approach to resolve the land, while other state departments and ary (UGB) that identifies and separates problems associated with sprawl. The agencies help to fund the very develop- “urbanizable” land from rural land. The Governor and General Assembly need to ment that threatens that land. state requires that the UGB be defined in a continue the discussion and come to work- If the state is serious about preserv- cooperative process between the city and able solutions for the future of our cities ing farmland - as it should be - it must county or counties that surround it, and and our agricultural economy. State gov- review not only the policies that encour- specifies criteria that must be considered ernment has the power and the responsi- age sprawl but investigate initiatives to in determining the boundary and be ap- bility to meet this challenge. The quality strengthen our cities and so reverse the plied when undeveloped land within the of Ohio’s land, air and water, and of the outward migration that is the root cause UGB is to be converted to urban uses. lives of its citizens, depends on it. of so many of our urban dilemmas.

Why worry about suburban sprawl? by David Beach

L It’s economically and environmentally wasteful to aban- don existing urban areas and build new infrastructure in the country. Our society-and our planet-cannot sustain current rates of growth. L Sprawling development destroys valuable farm land, open space, natural areas and streams. L Sprawl moves homes, work places and shopping farther apart, so we all have to drive more, burn more fossil fuel, create more air pollution, and waste more time in traffic. Children lose freedom when parents have to drive them everywhere. Low-density development makes mass tran- sit impractical. L Decline from loss of population and tax base does not stop in the central cities. It keeps on spreading, L Sprawl exacerbates economic and racial segregation, thus ultimately weakening entire regions. contributing to the dangerous polarization of our society. Suburbanites delude themselves if they think they can es- L If we lose central cities, with their public spaces and cape the social consequences by moving farther out. historic neighborhoods, we begin to lose our sense of place and identity. We lose opportunities to interact L Sprawl unfairly burdens the central city and county with with others. social service costs.

Reprinted with permission from David Beach, editor, “Moving to Cornfields,” EcoCity Cleveland, 1996, p. 17.

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 41 TMACOG Resolution for citizens and employers to remain or which may be necessary; and Adopted by the Board of Trustees locate in existing communities having ur- October 15, 1997. ban facilities; and THAT, due to the prominence and im- WHEREAS, some policies, programs portance of the agricultural industry to the A RESOLUTION OF THE and practices of the State of Ohio have en- economy of Northwestern Ohio, The Gov- TOLEDO METROPOLITAN AREA couraged conversion of farmland to urban ernor and the General Assembly will COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS uses over redevelopment and maintenance strongly consider establishing OFP in the URGING THE GOVERNOR AND of existing built communities; and Northwestern Ohio region; and GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHEREAS, the Governor of the State THAT, within six months, all State of TO ADDRESS THE LAND USE AND of Ohio has taken a first step towards docu- Ohio Departments shall assess how poli- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT menting the aforementioned trends by ap- cies for which they are responsible pro- NEEDS OF RURAL, SUBURBAN pointing a Farmland Preservation Task mote or inhibit the conversion of farmland AND URBAN OHIO Force to study the loss of farmland and to non-agricultural uses; and THAT, within one year, an inventory WHEREAS, the Toledo Metropolitan Area make recommendations on methods for of existing farmland in the State of Ohio, Council of Governments (TMACOG) is a preserving agricultural production; and categorized by relative risk of conversion voluntary association of local governments WHEREAS, the Ohio Farmland Pres- to urban uses, shall be produced by the in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michi- ervation Task Force issued its Findings and Ohio State University Agricultural Exten- gan serving 800,000 people in a 2,240 Recommendations in June, 1997; and sion Office; and square mile area which includes Erie, WHEREAS, the Governor and Gen- THAT, within one year, the Gover- Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood eral Assembly have taken a critical step in nor and the General Assembly, with the Counties, Ohio; and Bedford, Erie, and implementing the Task Force recommen- assistance of the Office of Farmland Pres- Whiteford Townships and the City of Luna dations by establishing an Office of Farm- ervation (OFP), shall examine the policies, Pier in Monroe County, and Riga Town- land Preservation in the Ohio Department programs and expenditures of the State ship in Lenawee County, Michigan; and of Agriculture; Government to assess their impacts on the WHEREAS, the Toledo Metropolitan growth patterns of the state; and Area Council of governments NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, within one year, the Gover- (TMACOG), an association of local gov- BY THE TOLEDO METROPOLITAN nor and the General Assembly, with the ernments organized on May 31, 1968, was AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS: assistance of the OFP, shall undertake a established under Chapter 167 of the Ohio THAT TMACOG joins with jurisdic- review of Ohio’s Planning and Zoning Revised Code and the Michigan Public Act tions and agencies throughout the state in enabling laws to bring them into confor- No. 7 (EX-SESS), has carried out compre- recommending to the Governor of Ohio, mity with the need to better manage Ohio’s hensive metropolitan and regional plan- THAT, within six months, the Gov- land use, improve local governments abil- ning since that date; and ernor, the General Assembly shall address ity to adopt measures to protect farmland WHEREAS, Ohio’s agricultural the crisis in prime farmland conversion by and strengthen older urban communities, economy and farms form the core of reviewing and implementing the recom- and to better balance private property rights Ohio’s economic base and heritage; and mendations of the Governor’s Task Force with community needs; and WHEREAS, during the last forty on Farmland Preservation, including the THAT, the Governor and the General years the state of Ohio has experienced following two key recommendations: Assembly in the years to come continue sprawling patterns of growth that have seen a. The Governor and the General As- to show commitment to the preservation an expansion of urbanized areas far out- sembly shall support the general rec- of productive agricultural land by support- pacing regional population growth; and ommendations of the Governor’s ing legislative actions which will WHEREAS, these land-use changes Farmland Preservation Task Force by strengthen the ability of the agricultural have resulted in significant impacts on issuing a policy statement acknowl- sector to remain a viable industry and sup- farmland, air and water resources, open edging their commitment to protect porting continued funding for the Office space, forests and wetlands, have increased the State’s productive agricultural of Farmland Preservation; and traffic congestion, and have affected the land against unnecessary and irretriev- ability of all local governments to finance able conversion to nonagricultural THAT, BE IT FURTHER RE- public facilities and service improvements; uses; and SOLVED that a copy of this resolution be and b. The Governor and General Assembly transmitted to the Honorable George V. WHEREAS, these out migration pat- shall pass legislation adequately fund- Voinovich, Governor; the Honorable terns have undermined the economic ing the newly established Office of Nancy P. Hollister, Lieutenant Governor strength and attractiveness of Ohio’s older Farmland Preservation (OFP), so that and co-chair of the Farmland Preservation urban areas and are affecting the economic it may accomplish its mission of ad- Task Force, the Honorable Joanne health of entire metropolitan regions; and ministering and coordinating a Farm- Davidson, Speaker of the Ohio House of WHEREAS, the preservation of farm- land Preservation Program for the Representatives; the Honorable Richard land and open spaces depends both on State; Finan, President of the Ohio Senate, and strengthening the economics of farming the Ohio Association of Regional Coun- and on the creation of more opportunities as well as undertaking additional actions cils.

42 Managing Change * BGSU / UT Townships need better planning for zoning, farmland preservation by Jan Larson, Sentinel-Tribune, February 11, 1997.

PERRYSBURG - Running a township no gram being promoted in the state, Sabolsky said. The pro- longer means just repairing roads and trim- gram is decentralizing the effort to preserve farmland, he ming around tombstones. explained. With businesses and residents gradu- “A lot of it is going to be pushed on the county,” ally migrating out of the cities and into Sabolsky said. rural areas, townships throughout Ohio are For those townships with zoning, some changes may facing a whole new range of problems. be necessary. To discuss some of the problems, “You have to update your zoning to make it more ag- more than 300 township trustees and clerks riculture-friendly,” he explained. met last week in Perrysburg Township for Comprehensive land use plans must also be in place. the annual summer convention of the Ohio However, townships in Ohio currently don’t have the au- Township Association. thority to create comprehensive plans, so they will have to One of the issues stressed at the con- rely on their counties, Sabolsky said. vention was the need for planning -- plan- In fact, the state may make comprehensive plans man- ning for zoning, farmland preservation, datory for counties and cities, he added. water and sewer. Presently, of the 19 counties in Northwest Ohio, only Planning may not guarantee perfec- six have comprehensive plans which were created since tion -- but it can sure prevent some prob- 1985. So several counties will have to start from scratch. lems, the trustees believe. Counties such as Wyandot, where no zoning exists, will “It’s a concern for all of our town- have a lot of work cut out for them, according to Sabolsky. ships,” said Lake Township Trustee Lyle “The basics aren’t even there,” he said of some coun- Schulte, who is on the board of directors ties without zoning or comprehensive plans. for the Ohio Township Association. Comprehensive plans can help townships avoid some Even those townships that do plan growth pains, according to Jerold ahead by having zoning in Thomas, district specialist for com- place, can be at risk if neigh- munity development in the North boring townships don’t also “An apartment building District of the OSU Extension Ser- enact zoning. in Bloomdale was re- vice. “There are many town- portedly damaged The plan should address, ships right across the street Tuesday by a combine. “Where you want to go. How you that are still unzoned,” Schulte The farm machine also want to get there. And how to said. “It’s going to pit neigh- destroyed phone and make the fewest mistakes,” Tho- bors against neighbors, and I cable television wires mas said. don’t like that.” near the building, re- A comprehensive plan can Of the 19 counties in ports indicated.” help a township avoid “hop Northwest Ohio, half of the scotch” development, he stressed. townships have no zoning, ac- And if used properly, zoning cording to Dan Sabolsky, as- Sentinel-Tribune, Blot- can give a township the teeth to do sistant director of the Bowling ter, Sheriff’s Office, just that. Green State University Center Friday November 5, “It allows you to control what for Government Research. Of 1994. goes on the property,” Sabolsky the half that do have zoning, said of zoning. “This is the only most of their zoning resolu- power you have to control land tions are 10 years or older. use.” “A lot of things have changed in 10 Planning doesn’t mean years,” Sabolsky said to the township trust- putting an end to devel- ees Friday during a session on farmland opment - just pointing it preservation and zoning. in the right direction. In Wood County, Perrysburg Town- “You need ship is only partially zoned, while Mont- growth. At the gomery and Jackson townships have no same time you zoning at all. need to do it in Even more planning by townships will an orderly be required by those which wish to par- fashion,” ticipate in the farmland preservation pro- Sabolsky said.

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 43 A rich harvest threatened, Editorial, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, New Urbanism Principles February 23, 1997. excerpted from The Atlantic Monthly Here’s a quickie quiz. How many farms do you think there are in Lucas County? review of “Home from Nowhere”, Twenty-five? Fifty? One hundred? Ours is an urban county, after all. online at www.theatlantic.com. The answer may surprise you. There are 430 farms in Lucas County, averaging 184 acres in size. Altogether, the county has 79,000 acres of farmland. • Basic unit of planning - the neighbor- That sounds like a lot. But look at those same statistics from a different perspec- hood. tive. Since 1945 more that 60,000 acres of farmland in the county have been lost. • The neighborhood is limited in physi- Across the state, farmland is being lost at the rate of more than 13 acres each hour. cal size - well-defined edges and a It was against this background of diminishing farmland and increased urban ex- pansion that the Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force met in Toledo the other day. focused center. The task force is charged with reviewing farmland loss in the state, developing • Secondary units of planning - corri- voluntary programs for farmland preservation, and recommending to the governor dors and districts. Corridors form ways in which the economic viability of Ohio agriculture can be maintained while not boundaries between neighborhoods, impinging upon property rights. connecting and defining them. Dis- Many people in Lucas County are concerned that tricts are made up of streets where our region is losing some of its agricultural character as special activities get preferential treat- subdivisions and other developments sprawl steadily Instead, it might outward from the city. ment. make more sense They are right to be worried, but the answer to ur- • The neighborhood is mixed-use and to find ways to im- ban sprawl may not be to use zoning or other regula- provides housing for people with dif- prove the city and tions to keep new folks out of the country. ferent incomes. school system so Instead, it might make more sense to find ways to they want to re- • Buildings are disciplined on their lots improve the city and school system so they want to re- main in an urban in order to define public space suc- main in an urban setting. setting. cessfully. Obviously, it is important to consider the economic impact of encroachment on agricultural land. • The street pattern is a network to cre- Although farmers are getting better yields from the ate the greatest number of alternative same acreage than in the past and can be expected to achieve even better results in the routes from one part of the neighbor- future, we can ill afford to watch our store of farmland be diminished. Agriculture is hood to another. the state’s No. 1 industry, pumping more than $56 billion into the economy each year. • Civic buildings are placed on prefer- Preserving farmland cannot be done by executive fiat. Rigorous enforcement of ential building sites in order to serve zoning could conflict with property rights — something the task force’s objectives as landmarks and reinforce their sym- explicitly seek to avoid. With 15.1 million acres of farmland, it might seem as though the Buckeye state bolic importance. had nothing to worry about; that there’s farmland to spare. • An architectural code may be used to That’s simply not the case. Our farmland is a precious resource that must be establish some fundamental unities. husbanded carefully and with thought for the area’s future needs. The task force, which is holding hearings around the Use of city land saves farm fields, Letter to state, will issue a report in June. This week it heard from the Editor, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, February 23, 1997. northwest Ohioans of the need for preserving farmland and some possible incentives for that preservation. We doubt Roberta de Boer’s column concerning unrestricted development the message is very different elsewhere. is right on target. The “American Farmland Trust,” a nonprofit group It may not seem like it when folks look at the indus- dedicated to the preservation of farmland, reports two acres of trial centers of Toledo, and Akron, or Cleveland, but Ohio farmable land in the United States are lost to development every is a major agricultural state. minute, or about 1 million acres since 1980. The task force’s job is to help keep it that way. Governor Voinovich has expressed his concern and has ap- pointed a commission to study this problem. It conducted a public meeting at Central Union Plaza on Feb. 18 to share their findings. A partial solution to the problem of farmland loss would be to reclaim the “brownfields” within the city limits. All the resources for industry and residences are in place, i.e. water, sewers, streets, side- walks, electricity, and gas. Let’s reclaim this “turf” and leave the farmland for food pro- duction and green space. BETTY CARSTENSEN Curtice

44 Managing Change * BGSU / UT Development limits can keep area greener, by Ralph Johnson, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, February 12, 1997.

SOMEDAY we are going to experience heavy rains in To- Its location, on Central Avenue, is convenient for pedestri- ledo again. It is at such times that we may ponder the wisdom of ans from Kenwood Gardens, Old Orchard, Ottawa Hills, and the blacktopping or building on every inch of green space that can University area as well as motorists. The library owns another possibly be converted to doctors’ offices, strip malls, fast-food site on the north side of the street. joints, and even government buildings. Rebuilding rather than constructing a new Sanger Library In the upper Mississippi River valley, the floods of 1993 were would make a positive statement about recycling and preserving monumental, the kind that were said to occur only about once a green space. century. However, it is believed that “100-year floods” will oc- The rule should be, when possible “leave it be.” No more cur oftener because of drainage of wetlands and the building of space should be allocated for strip malls, fast-food joints, and homes or commercial properties, usually surrounded by huge gas stations as long as so many empty or half-empty ones exist. blacktopped parking lots. Those folks won’t storm out of town if they don’t get their Perhaps that’s a bit cosmic for such areas as West Toledo, favorite locations. Their decisions about locations and expan- which still has the Miakonda Boy Scout Reservation, Wildwood sion are market-driven. However, as new businesses expand on Metropark, and the river bottoms running through Ottawa Hills Monroe Street, older arteries like Reynolds Road are adversely and Ottawa Park. These areas trap flood waters, which gradually affected. percolate down to the main stem of the river and prevent the silt The major Toledo hospitals and medical-care providers also and pollution run-off from being any worse than it is. And the have a seemingly unlimited appetite for expansion. The defense situation is not very good now. offered for such costly expansion is that more office space is How about forming an Anti-Asphalt League, whose purpose needed. The hospitals feel they must keep up with the relentless would be to oppose the building of new office buildings and lay- westward expansion of urbanization in Lucas County. Is that ing down new parking lots, unless greater efforts are made to re- really true? model, reuse, and recycle older commercial areas where signs of Sprawl of any kind means more demand for roads, sanitary urban blight are obvious? and storm sewers, and other urban infrastructure. On many of the major traffic arteries leading west out of To- As the Toledo metropolitan area expands westward, it poses ledo, Central Avenue, Bancroft Street, and Airport Highway, the a threat to the remaining acreage of the Oak Openings savannah, spread of suburbia seems inexorable. a rare habitat which was the transition zone from the eastern While the state of Ohio puzzles what to do about farmland woodlands to the middle western prairies. It is an environment preservation, woodland and farms are disappearing even though rich in plant species; most of it has given way to ill-planned ur- the population is not growing. banization. This is not an argument against building the urban infrastruc- Toledo’s metropolitan region, unless it should again begin ture, including the highways this region needs if it is to prosper. to grow at the rate of the Sunbelt cities, arguably has reached its But there is no reason to chew up unnecessary acreage to build natural limits. However, the notion that anyone can build any- interstate-style interchanges. New road designs are needed, which where he or she wants, whether it makes good sense, still has can move traffic without building monuments to engineering ego. strong acceptance in this country. In Toledo itself, government ought to set a good example in At any rate, unplanned sprawl is bad and that recycling cit- the efforts to control the spread of urban sprawl and tearing up of ies and rebuilding neighborhoods makes good sense. green acres. No government agency should contribute to the unneces- A small case in point: Many patrons of Sanger Library in sary blacktopping of green space. Build parks and reconstruct west Toledo believe the present structure should be rebuilt and older neighborhoods. Keep Toledo green and its waterways enlarged. It has plenty of parking in a huge blacktopped lot, and cleaner. the fortunes of the shopping center near Central and Cheltenham seem to be improving. Ralph Johnson is senior associate editor of The Blade.

Look for... Farmland News - Archbold, Ohio - March 19 through April 16, 1996. Series of articles by Dean Buckenmeyer on “esca- lating development pressures and their effect on agriculture, Beyond Sprawl: New Patterns of Growth to Fit the New Cali- the rural economy and rural lifestyles.” fornia - commissioned by a diverse collection of organiza- tions, including Bank of America - reaches the consensus The Columbus Dispatch - Columbus, Ohio - September 8- that unchecked sprawl has moved from an “engine of growth 12, 1996. “The Price of Progress series explores the effects to a force that now threatens to inhibit growth and degrade of development trends on people, their communities, the the quality of our life.” The report can be read in its entirety economy and the land.” at www.bankamerica.com or by contacting Bank of America, Ennvironmental Policies and Programs #5800, PO Box 37000, The Kansas City Star award-winning series Divided We San Francisco, CA 94137, (415) 622-8154. Sprawl printed from December 17-22, 1995 examining the character and cost of sprawl.

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 45 Farms on the Edge Public invited to be part of county comprehensive by Ralph Grossi. plan, by Jan Larson, Sentinel-Tribune, August 12, 1997. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, more than 2 million Wood Countians will soon get a chance put the reign on development in some acres of productive farmland are being per- areas, but push it along in others. manently converted to nonagricultural uses A series of five public meetings are being planned to get citizen input on the new each year, much of it the result of sprawl- Wood County Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The present county plan was designed ing, poorly planned growth patterns on the in 1970, and has not been updated since then. urban edge. “All of the sudden, we realized our plan was 27 years old,” Wood County Com- The ultimate cost of this displacement missioner James Carter said. could be significant. Urban-edge farmland And things have changed since 1970. The population has jumped from 89,000 to now generates 56 percent of gross U.S. ag- nearly 120,000. Industries are sprouting up an edges of communities, and homes now ricultural sales. Measured on a dollar per dot the rural landscape. acre basis, farmland in urban-influenced And the old plan has not kept up with the progress. counties is more than two and a half times “We find ourselves reacting to situations. This will put us in a proactive stance,” as productive as other U.S. farmland. Wood County Planning Commission Director David Miesmer said of the new plan. Urban sprawl is wasteful, expensive Growth is inevitable in Wood County, especially along Interstate 75 and wherever and unnecessary. If it is allowed to go un- water and sewer lines are installed, Carter explained. checked, the nation will lose some of its But a comprehensive plan is intended to control that growth. best and most productive agricultural ca- “We all know Wood County will grow and we need it to grow in an organized pacity. We will increasingly come to rely fashion,” Carter said. on foreign countries for fruits, vegetables And with Wood County being so diverse - with urban and rural areas, industrial and other commodities, which will weaken and agricultural - it won’t be easy to come up with a comprehensive plan. the one industry where we still have a clear “Where do we want to encourage growth,” Carter said. “How can we preserve advantage. Agriculture will be forced onto some of this farmland and still have growth?” marginal land that requires more fertiliz- The study isn’t intended to stop growth, Carter explained. ers, pesticides and irrigation and is more “You have to provide a place for all this to occur. Houses alone don’t pay the expensive to farm. And scenic countryside taxes,” he said. “I think there’s a common ground we can come to.” and precious wildlife habitat will be lost. The comprehensive plan would not take any authority away from local municipal All levels of government must work and township officials -- it would merely suggest what use may be best for certain together to prevent, the onslaught of ur- areas, whether it is agricultural, residential, industrial or commercial.” ban sprawl. States should adopt policies “We’re giving them a focus, or a path to achieve a goal,” Miesmer said. to protect strategic farmland and strengthen For more than a year now, a comprehensive plan advisory board has been meeting their right-to-farm laws. Local govern- to gather information on the infrastructure, transportation, wetlands, economics and ments must provide zones for the agriculture in the county. long-term protection of strategic agricul- “We have been educating ourselves,” Carter said. “Now we want to take this ture and develop growth management pro- educational process out to the public and get their input on what they want to be when grams that avoid sprawl and minimize farm they grow up.” annexations. State and local governments The advisory committee is hoping that several elected officials, such as township without farmland protection programs and municipal zoning and planning officials, show up for the public meetings. should establish them and direct develop- But they also want the general public to participate. ment to areas where it can be more effi- “We have to have a pulse on what they feel,” Miesmer said. “We want as ciently served by existing infrastructure. broad-based participation as possible.” -Excerpted from a column by Ralph Grossi, Carter agreed. president of the American Farmland Trust. “We don’t want this to be a Wood County Commissioners’ comprehensive plan “ Reprinted with permission from David Carter said, emphasizing that the plan is intended to represent the needs of all the county. Beach, editor, “Moving to Cornfields,” “It has to be the people’s plan.” EcoCity Cleveland, 1996, p. 23. The five public meetings planned will be in different regions of the county, in Members of the advisory board are Carter, of Grand order to make it easy for people to attend. [Meeting times & sites omitted.] Rapids; Wood County Engineer Tony Allion, Citizens may attend any meetings they wish, they are not limited to the meeting in Bloomdale; Wood County Economic Development their region. Commission Executive Director Tom Blaha, Bowl- ing Green; John Cheney, North Baltimore; Dan After the five public meetings, another meeting will be held for elected officials Frobose, county agricultural agent, Pemberville; throughout the county. Then later, five more public meetings will be held so the advi- Richard Gordley, of First Federal Bank, Bowling sory board can outline what information was gained from all the input. Green; Andrew Kalmar, director of the Wood County According to Miesmer, the advisory committee is made up of 14 individuals with Park District, Bowling Green; Karl Hirzel, Walbridge; Martha Kudner, Perrysburg; Dick a wide range of expertise. Newlove, of Newlove Realty, Bowling Green; Phil “We tried to represent agricultural interests, industrialists, and developer inter- Rudolph Sr., of Rudolph-Libbe Inc., Walbridge; Phil ests,” he said. Schaffer, Cygnet; Tom Sorosiak, Grand Rapids; and Tom Weidner, Perrysburg. ï “It’s a diverse committee,” Carter agreed. 46 Managing Change * BGSU / UT Wood County updating its comprehensive plan Is your town prepared for by Jan Larson, Sentinel-Tribune, November 7, 1997. growth? by NE regional office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Growth in Wood County is in- Some of the suggestions made Tues- & Philip B. Herr and Associates. evitable. But controlled growth day included: ♦ takes some planning. For that rea- Standardization of land use deci- Here are some important questions to ask about son, public meetings have been held sion making. your community’s ability to manage growth and ♦ in five different regions of the county Sharing the wealth (tax base) so retain its character. The questions come from a to get input on how Wood County annexations wouldn’t be so det- “Project PREPARE Report Card” created by the land should be used. rimental to townships. Revenue Northeast Regional Office of the National Trust “We’re asking folks in the sharing and cost sharing are for Historic Preservation and Philip B. Herr & County what they want to be when needed. “That’s already working Associates. they grow up - instead of telling in Bowling Green, with Plain and them what they should be,” Wood Center townships,” Bowling þ Do controls in village centers allow real com- County Commissioner Jim Carter Green Mayor Wes Hoffman said. pactness, through permitting lots and setbacks as said during the recent final public ♦ Strategic planning for habitat pro- small, densities as high, and roads as compact, land use meeting. tection. If a plan is in place, de- winding and steep as those already existing in The new plan is intended to take velopers will have a hard time well-liked areas? the place of an outdated comprehen- saying, “We care about the envi- þ Do the combination of public parking provi- sive plan from 1970 - to be a road ronment --- here are our three sions and zoning parking requirements allow com- map for the future. pine trees,” Ludd said. pact business development by waiving onsite park- But planning isn’t easy when it ♦ More teeth for standardized zon- ing in village centers, perhaps using impact fees? involves 19 townships, 21 villages, ing throughout the county. “Ev- þ Do subdivision regulations avoid mandating five cities and one county. And in- ery region of county has a slightly uniform development in all contexts by having cluded in the plan are communities different interest,” Ludd said, but standards which vary for different locations, such that are urban, suburban, rural and zoning officials need to be edu- as village, farmlands, and woodlands? very rural, according David cated about consistent zoning. þ Does the town lead the way through centrally Miesmer, director of the Wood ♦ Standardized subdivision regula- locating such public development as town offices, County Planning Commission. tions. housing for the elderly, post offices, and recre- “We truly are a diverse commu- ♦ Consideration of the impact de- ational facilities, and removing from central areas nity,” he said. velopment has on the environ- inappropriate public uses, such as public works But despite its differences, the ment and aesthetic value. yards? county must learn to work together ♦ Smaller lot sizes to preserve farm- þ In outlying areas, does the town strictly limit if growth is to be controlled, accord- land acreage. State law requires the extent of business zoning along highways and ing to Dr. Steve Ludd, a political sci- five-acre lots in rural areas, and impose strict egress and buffering controls to pre- ence professor from Bowling Green that is not needed when a water- serve rural views? State University, who led the discus- line exists, according to þ Do town regulations effectively encourage or sion. Middleton Township Trustee require affordable housing support as part of new “We must be in the same boat, Fred Getz. “While the intention town developments, resulting in such housing in and paddle it along the river,” or the was good to preserve farmland, more than a single development? county will sink, Ludd said. what it’s done is promote scat- þ Is there architectural design control, whether “Can we start thinking about tered growth,” Ludd said. within historic districts or otherwise? Wood County as Wood Countians, ♦ Infrastructure should be placed þ Are there scenic roads controls, strict billboard rather than for southern Wood where development is wanted, controls, and on-premise sign controls which go County, or northern Wood County,” and should not be extended where beyond numerical rules (e.g., size limitations) to he asked. farmland is wanted to be saved. deal with design quality? Those in attendance at the last þ Has the town adopted cluster zoning or simi- meeting were asked to list policy If the comprehensive plan works lar controls and made it possible for the town to statements that should be included as intended, the county may be able decide when and where clustering must be used? in a comprehensive plan for the to be more selective about economic þ Has the town more than once appropriated county. Some of the items listed at development. funds for property or property rights acquisition previous meetings included: “You can pick and choose to kind to protect natural or cultural resources? of development you want,” Ludd said. þ Has the community created mechanisms (such ♦ Preservation of prime farmland. “We’re not arguing against as community development corporations) to do ♦ Maintenance of open space, growth,” but simply want to shape it, selective economic development? natural resources and the qual- he explained. ity of life. The first draft of the comprehen- Reprinted with permission from David Beach, ♦ The need to direct growth to ex- sive plan is expected to be done by editor, “Moving to Cornfields,” EcoCity Cleveland, isting infrastructure. Dec. 31. 1996, p. 29.

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 47 Competition for land rooted in population by Julie Carle, Sentinel-Tribune, November 6, 1997.

The push for farmland preservation is the result of competition for the land, says Ralph Grossi, president of American Farm- land Trust. Grossi, one of the featured speakers at the Black Swamp Conservancy’s con- sewer permits wouldn’t be allowed in ag security areas or benefits of the CAUV could ference “Options for the Preservation of be redirected to these specified areas, Libby explained. the Family Farm,” told a group of over 70 As current policy now stands “there are lots of incentives to send landowners the people, “The renewed concern of property signal to sell the land,” said Grossi. Such actions as authorizing the creation of a ramp rights and competing for the land is rooted for an interstate only ups the value of the land, he explained. He urges “backing those in the issue of population.” (incentives) out of the system.” The population explosion — expected He admitted issues of land use are “highly charged,” but said such organizations as to be 500 million in the U.S. and 10 bil- the Black Swamp Conservancy can provide non-partisan roles to help at “brokering land lion in the world sometime in the 21st cen- deals, brokering relationships and partnerships.” tury -- is not just about the growth in num- One of the important tools, but not the only tool to foster farmland preservation, is bers, he explained. The real problem is the conservation easement. the “distribution of the popu- Jerry Cosgrove, director of the American Farmland Trust New lation... where we put people York field office, explained that a conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a public body. The easement and how we put them there. There is an urgency restricts future uses of the land and allows only uses that are compat- “We’re developing inef- to confront the issue ible with agricultural use of the land. The document, which is a re- ficient land use patterns,” he in Ohio...because the corded document, impacts the use of the land for all subsequent own- said, comparing the metro- state is the seventh ers, he explained. There is not an ownership right, but instead a re- politan areas of Paris and most threatened by sponsibility to make sure the land is not used for anything but agri- Denver. Both cities have the loss of farmland... culture. Those organizations which can hold conservation easements same population, he said, but Ohio needs to estab- include departments of natural resources, park districts, township park in Paris the population lives lish a statewide districts, conservancies, soil and water conservation districts, coun- in a 240-square mile area, policy. while in Denver the same ties, townships, municipalities and charitable organizations. number of people are Libby said the key to conservation easements and farmland sprawled over an area of 2,400 square preservation is collaboration. miles. “I encourage collaboration on annexation, planning, zoning so there is real under- There is an urgency to confront the standing,” he said. He also believes in concentrated development. issue in Ohio, Grossi said because the state For Ohio, the next step is legislation, Libby said. Though omnibus legislation and is the seventh most threatened by loss of separate legislation have been discussed, Libby supports separate bills “to live or die on farmland, based an at report entitled their own credits. “Farming on the Edge. “ “I’m skeptical to do it all in one bill,” he said. According to Dr. Larry Libby, a pro- There also is a great need for education in Ohio, Libby said. fessor of rural-urban policy at Ohio State There needs to be an awareness that both the individual and the public benefit from University, Ohio needs to establish a state- farmland preservation, Grossi said. wide policy. “We need it articulated in “You have to generate community support for the value of farmland,” he said, indi- this state that agriculture is important to cating it is a process that includes informing policy makers, community leaders and the the economy and to the state’s activities,” general public. he said. The Black Swamp Conservancy, He also urged the determination of ag- with the financial support of The ricultural security areas, specified areas of Andersons Foundation and the To- the state where “agriculture has a prior- ledo Community Foundation, hosted ity.” Those areas would be prime land the conference. According to con- rather than marginal farmland and would servancy president Sara Jane be areas with a positive impact on agricul- Kasperzak, the organization hopes to ture. They would not be zoned or regu- hold two conferences a year on land lated, but instead be a policy structure that preservation topics. See page 8 in the would provide “disincentives” to discour- Directory section for more information age development. Possibly water and on the Black Swamp Conservancy.

48 Managing Change * BGSU / UT Americans: Give me the countryside Death (of cities) and taxes by Pamela Reeves, Sentinel-Tribune, August 21, 1997. by Thomas Bier During this century, Americans would never consider moving to the Government promotes outmigration and suburban have moved off the farms and into city still like to come into town. sprawl in many ways--most obviously through the con- urban areas in huge numbers. In light Nearly half of suburbanites - 46 per- struction of new roads, sewers and other infrastructure of that, here’s an interesting statis- cent - say they are in the city every that makes development possible on the edge of metro- tic: week as are 29 percent of those liv- politan areas. A less obvious promoter of sprawl is the ing in small towns and rural areas. federal tax code. A recent study by the Ohio Housing Only 9 percent of Americans- And interestingly, 55 percent of all Research Network, a collaborative effort of research- fewer than one in 10-would choose Americans have actually lived in big ers at seven urban universities, documents how a capi- to live in a major city today. cities at some point in their adult tal gain provision prompts homesellers to move out from 22 percent -almost one in four- lives. central city. The study, “The IRS Homeseller Capital would choose to live in a rural area. But the survey found that many Gain Provision: Contributor to Urban Decline, “ comes Big cities, fairly or not, are seen people today are not living where to the following conclusion. by majorities as crime-ridden - half they want to. of all those surveyed mentioned Section 1034 of the IRS Code specifies that homesellers Here’s where we actually live: crime as the leading problem of liv- can defer tax liability on capital gain realized during 26 percent in a medium to small ing in the city and just as many see w ownership by purchasing another home priced at least urban centers beset by a grab bag of city equal to the one sold. social problems, according to a re- w 21 percent in a suburb near a This report contains the results of a study of move- cent survey by pollsters Peter Hart large city ment of homesellers in Ohio’s seven major urban areas and Robert Teeter for Fannie Mae. w 21 percent in large city in which the cities of Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Co- Those most likely to hold such w 20 percent in a small town not lumbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown are located. The objective was to determine if the capital gain pro- views were renters with dependent near a city vision is related to less movement in toward the city children (55 percent), married rent- w 11 percent in a rural area ers (49 percent), African Americans center than otherwise might be expected. Results are: 1 percent not sure (48 percent), lower income families w n The capital gain provision had the effect of re- ducing the options for sellers to move inward by 38 and those who live in rural areas or Here’s where we would like to percent. would like to (47 percent.) live: n 80.5 percent of all sellers (city and suburban) com- The second most negative set of w 24 percent in a suburb near a big factors associated with cities is traf- plied with the capital gain provision--that is, they city fic, congestion and crowds. These bought a home of greater or equal value. 24 percent in a small town not conditions turned off 41 percent and w n Of the 80.5 percent who complied, 15.8 percent another 9 percent cited the high cost near a city moved inward toward the city center to purchase their of living. w 22 percent in a rural area next home (84.2 percent moved farther out). But most Americans still appre- w 20 percent in a medium to small n Of the 19.5 percent who did not comply, 36.1 per- ciate the assets that make cities great city cent moved inward toward the center--2.3 times - 78 percent can volunteer something w 9 percent in a large city greater than those who did comply. By requiring homesellers to purchase a home priced positive about big cities off the top w 1 percent not sure of their heads. Mentioned most of- at least equal to the one sold in order to shelter their ten is culture and night life (35 per- This disconnect makes you won- capital gain, Section 1034 obstructs movement to lower cent) followed by convenience (29 der how many of those living in cit- priced homes (and rental units), and it penalizes people percent) and good shopping (18 per- ies and suburbs would really be who are forced to make such a move. In urban areas cent). happy in a rural area. It may turn [such as Greater Cleveland] where the geographic pat- Also positive for cities is the fact out that the country, just like the city tern of home values is one of increasing value with dis- that the young love them. Among center, is a good place to visit but you tance from the center, the provision encourages move- those 18 to 24, cities are seen largely wouldn’t want to live there. ment out and away from the center, and discourages as centers of progress (53 percent) Consider these statistics: among movement toward it, which exacerbates urban decline. rather than places of social problems adults 45 and older, 27 percent grew Section 1034 should be changed to remove the tax (25 percent). up in a rural area but only half that penalty against sellers who move down in price. Among those of all ages who many - 13 percent - live in a rural For more information about the study on homeseller live in cities, the primary reason area today. And among younger capital gain, contact Thomas Bier, Housing Policy Re- given is “I work here.” (48 percent). adults, only 10 percent live in the search Program, College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland But city dwellers also like being close country now even though 17 percent State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, (216/ to everything (15 percent) and the ex- grew up there. citement, style and high energy of 687-2211). city life. Pamela Reeves writes this column weekly for Scripps Howard News Reprinted with permission from David Beach, editor, Those who live in suburbs and “Moving to Cornfields,” EcoCity Cleveland, 1996, p. 17. Service. Managing Change * BGSU / UT 49 The geography of no- Being pro-development, by David Beach where, James Howard Kunstler Although it may sound strange, I am pro-development. And I believe that all environ- mentalists should be. The following remarks are excerpted from In the past 100 years and especially after World War II, we’ve built sprawling a speech, “A Crisis in Landscape and cities, massive industries and a consumer economy that are ravaging the environment. Townscape, “ by James Howard Kunstler, Now the only solution is to build our way out of the mess. We must keep on develop- critic of urban sprawl and author of the ing, but in ways that heal the planet. acclaimed book The Geography of No- This will mean withdrawing from sprawling land uses and building compact urban where. Kunstler spoke at Cleveland State villages. Getting out of cars and building alternative forms of transportation. Switch- University in June 1994. EcoCity Cleve- ing from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Creating closed-loop production land co-sponsored his visit. systems that mimic biological systems and create no wastes. Restoring the ecological I believe that the ugliness we see is integrity of lakes and streams. Developing sustainable economies that don’t depend on the mere surface expression of a whole constant growth. range of deeper problems; problems that Over and over, environmentalists are forced to fight bad developments. One of go to the issue go of our national charac- our greatest challenges is to create a positive vision of the developments we want. To ter. The highway strip is not just a se- do that, we first need to broaden the range of available choices. After all, the main quence of eyesores. The pattern it repre- reason we are always against things is that we’re given impossibly bad choices. I t sents is also economically catastrophic, en- always seems to be a choice between a highway interchange at Point A or Point B, or a vironmental - calamitous, socially devas- choice between jobs and pollution. tating, and spiritually degrading. I’m tired of those false choices. Instead of the interchange, I want a man transit system that will make it unnecessary to drive. On a recent trip to Pittsburgh I found a good example of this desire to broaden the range of possibilities. The State of Pennsylvania wants to spend $2 billion to build new freeways around the Mon Valley area and promote economic development. But the director of the Allegheny County Planning Department, Raymond Reaves, says there are lots of better ways to invest $2 billion of public money. After making sure that the existing road system is well maintained, he would up- grade the local schools so that they could lead the transition to a post-manufacturing economy. He would turn the Mon Valley into an international research, development, training and education center in the environmental field. He would invest in fiber optic cables and other forms of advanced telecommunications. And he would create a center for magnetic levitation research and manufacturing so the Mon Valley could produce Walt Disney had America’s number. high-speed rail systems for North America. Walt Disney was so optimistic about the “I have left a few hundred million dollars for you to spend. But you get the idea,” way things were going in post-war says Reaves. “Rather than attempting to re-create yesterday’s economy with unimagi- America that his attitudes about the past native ideas, such as expressways, let’s build the future.” and the future were equally sentimental. He adds, “Critics will say that the funds which might be available to build the It was possible for him to believe that an expressways cannot be used for these other activities. My response is that is a failure of organization like his own, operating freely vision and a failure to use our wealth for the appropriate investments. We need not be in a free country, could only bring won- captive to the past and to the status quo. We can change laws. We can choose our derful benefits to a free people. So, the future.” underlying message of Disney’s Main Reprinted with permission from David Beach, editor, “Moving to Cornfields,” EcoCity Street USA was that a big corporation Cleveland, 1996, p. 45. could make a better Main Street than a bunch of rubes in a real small town. And law corner grocery stores in the residen- raphy of Nowhere, about the mess we have Walt was right! tial neighborhoods because they caused made out of our everyday environment Through the post-war decades, Ameri- “traffic problems,” and they’d build all the here in America. The public discussion of cans happily allowed their towns to be dis- new schools three miles out of town so the this issue has been nearly nonexistent. We mantled and destroyed. They’d flock to kids couldn’t walk or bike there-they’d do apparently don’t understand, for instance, Disneyland and walk down Main Street every fool thing possible to destroy good that there’s a connection between our eco- and thing, gee, A feels good here. Then existing relationships between things in nomic predicament and the physical ar- they’d go back home and tear down half their towns, and put their local economies rangement of life in this country. Yet I the old buildings downtown, so they could at the mercy of distant corporations whose believe when you scratch just below the have more parking lots, and they’d throw officers didn’t care whether these towns surface, Americans keenly sense that a parade to celebrate the new K-Mart lived or died. And then, when vacation something is wrong with the places where opening-even when it put ten local mer- time rolled around, they’d flock to we live and work and go about our daily chants out of business-and they’d turn Elm Disneyland to feel good about America. business. We hear this unhappiness ex- Street into a six-lane expressway, and out- I just wrote a book called The Geog- see NOWHERE - page 51

50 Managing Change * BGSU / UT NOWHERE - from page 50 Regional Fundamentals, by David Beach pressed in phrases like “the loss of community” or “no sense of place.” The following are fundamental programs for healthy and sustain- We drive up and down the gruesome tragic suburban able communities which only regional coordination and integration boulevards of commerce, and we wince at the fantastic, can achieve: awesome, overwhelming, stupefying ugliness of abso- lutely everything in sight-the fry pits, the Big Box stores, the office units, the lube-joints, the carpet warehouses, Regional transportation/land use integration the parking lagoons, the jive-plastic townhouse clusters, To counter the negative effects of sprawl we must focus new devel- the uproar of signs, the highway itself clogged with cars-as opment, redevelopment, and services in walkable, transit-served though the whole thing had been designed by some dia- neighborhoods. These patterns serve not only youth, elderly, and bolical force bent on making human beings miserable. And naturally, this experience can make you feel kind of glum low-income groups but also working middle-class households in about the nature and future of our civilization. search of more convenient and affordable lifestyles. Some-though certainly not all-of these terrible things were designed by architects, and many of the other com- mon features of our everyday environments were designed Fair housing policies by their brethren in related design fields like landscaping Each jurisdiction must provide its, fair share of affordable housing and traffic engineering, and administered by creatures in order for a region to function effectively. In addition to zoning for called planners. What’s out there A not out there by acci- affordable housing, appropriate financing vehicles must be devel- dent. We created Nowhere by a definite set of rules, and if we’re going to fix this mess, and take ourselves from oped for adequate volumes of multi-family housing to be produced. nowhere to someplace, we’ll have to reexamine and change these rules. Regional open space networks and urban growth boundaries So, we drive around and look at all this cartoon ar- Without clear, defensible limits to growth, investments in infrastruc- chitecture and other junk we’ve scattered across the land- scape and our response is, in some form or other, “YUK.” ture and jobs will continue to sprawl. It has been demonstrated that I believe that the ugliness we see is the mere surface ex- sprawl leads, to higher costs in municipal services, housing and in- pression of a whole range of deeper problems; problems frastructure, to more congestion, and to loss of a valued open space. that go to the issue of our national character. The high- Sprawl and environmental degradation not only result in a dimin- way strip is not just a sequence of eyesores. The pattern it represents is also economically catastrophic, environmen- ished quality of life but also rising tax obligations. tally calamitous, socially devastating, and spiritually de- grading. And all this is what we sense when we look at it Regional tax base equity and go “YUK.” We built a nation of scary places and became a na- As long as basic local services are dependent on local property wealth, tion of scary people. property tax-base sharing is a critical component of metropolitan In our manner of building since the end of World War stability. Property tax-base sharing creates equity in the provision of II, we have managed to fill our land with things that are public services, levels the quality of education, breaks the intensify- unworthy of our affection, and these add up to thousands of places that are not worth caring about. In the process ing sub-regional mismatch between social needs and tax resources, of filling our landscape with these loveless and unlovable undermines local fiscal incentives which drive sprawl, and ends structures, we have thrown our civic life into the garbage intermetropolitan competition for tax base. can. And as a final consequence of all this, we are putting ourselves out of business as a civilization. Livable community design Reprinted with permission from David Beach, editor, “Moving to Cornfields,” EcoCity Cleveland, 1996, p. 45. Progressive regional policies and programs can be largely negated if the physical design of communities follows the old patterns of iso- lated uses, super block configurations, and auto-only streetscapes. Four design principles are central to making a fundamental differ- ence in the quality of our communities: neighborhood orientation, human scale, integrated diversity, and sustainability. In the end, development must reinforce neighborhoods through physical form, as well as social and institutional programs.

Reprinted with permission from David Beach, editor, “Moving to Cornfields,” EcoCity Cleveland, 1996, p. 64.

Managing Change * BGSU / UT 51 Ohio State of the Environment Report ‘Urban townships’ is a The Ohio Comparative Risk Project, Ohio EPA, December 1995, excerpt. contradiction, Letter to the Editor, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Priorities of the Public Committee To Date February 21, 1998. In March 1995, the Public Committee (composed of a cross-section of regional In a recent editorial, “Springfield’s stakeholders) provisionally set environmental priorities. Factors determining these pri- little mess,” The Blade was right on target ority rankings included: the perceived urgency of the issue, either because of immedi- in identifying the primary cause of the ate risk or long-term irreversibility; and the issue’s significance for our region. In June problems which currently bedevil Spring- 1995, the Public Committee designated the top two as definite high priority regional field Township. environmental problems as follows: These problems, which may be found in almost all townships adjacent to cities, Environmental and Related Economic Impacts of Outmigration from the Urban Core result from the fact that the township form Outward migration of citizens is draining many productive individuals and com- of government is not, and was never in- panies from the urban core, trapping the young, elderly, and poor in an increasingly tended to be, competent to manage areas impoverished environment--clearly an issue of environmental justice. At the same with high population densities. time, the diffusion of the population means sharply increasing infrastructure costs (higher However, The Blade went on to say taxes) to almost all citizens of the region, increased pollution from auto and truck that the solution to the problem was for emmissions, degradation of streams and rivers, destruction of large tracts of habitat, the state legislature to permit the creation and an overall loss of a sense of community as the city/suburb lines harden. The time is of “urban” townships, the implication be- ripe to stimulate public awareness and develop a “systems approach” to address this ing that such would have greater powers problem, which generates many cumulative environmental impacts. than “rural” townships. Connection to other issues: Impaired quality of urban environment (see below) There already exists a much better so- increases outmigration. Also, outmigration causes damage to or loss of natural areas, lution: follow the original plan as con- commuting and congestion degrade quality of outdoor air; and land use practices de- ceived by the founders of the Republic grade quality of surface water, especially by sedimentation/erosion and runoff, with more than 200 years ago. Township gov- downstream flooding. ernment in the old northwest territories was Quality of the Urban Environment given limited powers to provide basic ser- The decay of the urban core leads to a profoundly negative situation for urban vices to predominantly rural areas with the residents. The loss of industry and deterioration of environment increases poverty. intent that such areas would either incor- Also, the degradation of urban areas engenders feelings of hopelessness and alienation porate or annex when a greater density of in the citizens, making it difficult to motivate residents into actions that might improve population was attained. Once this action the situation. This failure to take action then triggers yet another round of outmigration, was taken, a municipal form of govern- further damaging the urban environment. ment would enable them to receive the Connects strongly to urban sprawl -- this is both a causal factor of current more extensive services and management outmigration, and is partially an ongoing result of earlier outmigration. Also connected they needed and would prevent them from to quality of outdoor air. being a drain on the resources of adjacent cities. “Urban” township is, or should be, a contradiction in terms. Where such exist they usually have resulted from a failure of governance caused by some political issue rather than any responsible analysis of community needs. And their only ben- eficiaries are those developers who profit from the absence of planning authority and staff resources in townships to gain ap- proval for self-serving projects. If any changes in the Ohio revised code are contemplated they should be de- signed to make annexation or incorpora- tion easier, not harder. An area with an urban level of density is best served by an urban level of government, and this is as true today as it was 200 years ago. JONATHAN F. ORSER President Perrysburg city council

52 Managing Change * BGSU / UT