As a native of Leesburg, I agree that the overdevelopment of Northern Virginia is saddening, however, many in the historic preservation/anti-development groups are left wing, aging ex-hippie, capitalism-haters; arch-typical upper middle class liberals--folks very well off, who could care less about free-enterprise, poor farmers or other people trying to make an honest living.
I remember the national outcry generated when Disney bought a lot of land some 15 miles outside of Manassas. SAVE THE BATTLEFIELD was the PR campaign (and bumper stickers) all the while downtown Manassas is nothing but endless strip-malls already--with new ones going up all the time. The proposed development compromised no conceivable battlefield--Lee only rode by (like he did anywhere in N. Va.).
The real story is that the development would have brought traffic to some of the main roads (strangely all paved, in that part of the county....hmmmm) leading into Middleburg, heart of the hourse country and the country estates of Washington, DC's very (very) rich. Not that Disney wouldn't have spent millions on new roads and improvements on old to ameliorate any problems, but the very rich just didn't want any change within a day's horse ride of their thoroughbred stud farms.
The whole "Save the Battlefield" cry to keep Disney away was a huge lie, perpetrated by the preservationist and anti-development crowd--liberals one-and-all. Conservatives too then jumped on the bandwagon--ostensively not wanting a Disney PC version of history around (it was to be a history themed park), but willingly helping to raise money nationally to "Save the Battlefield!" where no battlefield at all is or ever was to be found.
Today expensive houses on 1/10 acre lots fill the same land, as eeeeevil Disney was chased out hat in hand--all by a lie.
So, frankly, I don't have a lot of respect for much of the preservation crowd--and even some of the conservatives who went along with them (in that instance).
ping
I'm aware, from working with them, that many of the preservation/conservation folks are liberals. Some of them are conservatives, too, but not as many. To be frank I don't care what their political philosophy or motivations are since we are working for the same ends: to keep an irreplaceable part of our nation's heritage--a very small part--intact for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
You seem to think there's some hypocrisy in it, but I thank God that the rich people in Middleburg and Upperville are active in this fight. They're the ones who have the money to pay for lawyers, feasibility studies, consultants; they know how to testify and depose effectively; they have the connections in Richmond and DC to achieve their goals. If only poor and middle-income people lived in Upperville, Til Hazel would have paved it all over entirely by this time.
Middleburg is not just about beautiful horse farms. Some of America's great architectural landmarks are there. Battles were fought there. Mosby was active there, and every other house sheltered him.
What those who favor development must remember is that the gorgeous open countryside of Northern Virginia is an enormous tourist draw. People come from all over the US and all over the world to see the battlefields, drive the Civil War Trails routes, track down their family roots, visit the places where their Confederate and Yankee ancestors fought and died. They go to graveyards, historic churches, inns, vinyards. The tourist dollars they bring in are clean income--that is, the dollars stay here but don't require new roads, schools, sewage treatment plants, or hospitals, as other industries do. And those tourist dollars won't get left in Virginia if people come and see nothing but endless ranks of townhouses and McMansions. They expect to see a landscape that looks not too much different from what was there in 1862, with stone walls and charming old farmhouses dotting the sweet green pastures, magnificent oak trees leaning over narrow country roads, an old church in the shadow of the Blue Ridge. Route 7 is not a tourist draw.
The horse business is a goldmine for Virginia, too. People who don't ride don't realize this, but the horse industry is a multi-billion dollar one and some of the best horseflesh in the world originates in Virginia. The breeding, training, racing, showing, and hunting require a lot of real estate. This is all profitable for Virginia.
So whether the argument for land preservation is based on a reverence for the history that created our country or on economics, preservation really is the wise course, and even if the person helping with the cause used to be a hippie, I'm glad for his efforts.