"OPEN SPACE" TAXES. Has your town taxed you yet to "preserve" open space?

[1Old Pro]

Towns and communities throughout the country, but especially in the Northeast and Left Coast, are asking residents to pay a special tax so that the town or county can purchase "open spaces".

Read any local paper in these areas and you will soon come across a story concerning this. The push is by environmentalists and suburbanites who "have theirs" and don't want any more traffic or building of any kind.

It sounds nice, but a certain amount of minimum growth is necessary for the tax base. Also, who decides what tracts are purchased? Is it town leaders who decide to buy land around their homes for privacy because they didn't have the money or foresight to buy more land or a home in a different local?

Besides, what about people who don't want to have their town in the land buying and management business and believe conservation is best left to private owners.

Anyway, feel free to jump in, voice comments, experiences and thoughts.

 

[1Old Pro]

We have "conservation easements" for owners of I believe 10 or more acres. They get substantial reduction in rates, which in effect are a tax on others to make up the balance, in exchange for not developing their land. Many people are hesitant to do this because they want to keep their options open, but it does seem to have the effect you suggest.

[always vigilant]

I think that would work to a point but here in lower Fairfield county CT the profit to be made in developing land fare exceeds any tax benefits.

[Rodney King]

In Greenwich, CT, we just spend more than 30 million dollars for 160 acres or so.

[Snowy]

I enjoy the "Open Spaces" in my area. I walk my dog almost every day on land like that. Where I live, we don't need more housing. We have had surplus taxes in the last few years, and the police have shinny new vehicles as a result. Our schools are becomming over-crowded. I am 100% in favor of preserving open spaces, and would be happy to never see another development being built.

[1Old Pro]

That's expensive real estate.

[1Old Pro]

Should your neighbors be taxed so that you can walk your dog? Why not buy some acreage for yourself?

[Rodney King]

Well, its right in the heart of town, where prime building lots go for 700-800K.

[CJinVA]

Did you see that those crooks are trying to refinance the Government Center in Leesburg again.

[Snowy]

Should your neighbors be taxed so that you can walk your dog?

They walk their dogs too. ;-) Most people I have spoken too like the idea of preserving open space. Overdevelopment has already ruined the natural water table, not to mention the added traffic of more residences. As I stated before, our schools are pretty packed. Don't you think added another elementary school would raise taxes?

[Kay Ludlow]

The best way to preserve open space is for towns and states and counties to agree to NOT ASSESS PROPERTY TAX on ANY UNDEVELOPED PROPERTY.

It is the taxation of undeveloped property that forces people to break land into parcels and sell it.

This is so true. I have a neighbor, who lived and farmed on his parents farm most of his life. Being in his 70's now, with no children to farm for him and little retirement income to pay the property taxes, he had to sell. While he sold his farm for a cool million and will live out his days in comfort, he really wanted to stay home on the farm. Taxes forced him to sell.

[1Old Pro]

our schools are pretty packed. Don't you think added another elementary school would raise taxes?

Business development is preferable to housing developments because they are considerably less stress on schools and thus school taxes.

[Koblenz]

In Greenwich, CT, we just spend more than 30 million dollars for 160 acres or so.

Yeah, and then the "leaders" of the town complain that housing is so expensive in town. Somehow basic economics were never taught to these people: when you cut supply, prices rise. It's gotten to the point where over 80% of the Policemen and Firemen do not live in the town, and some drive for more than an hour to get to work. Of course, if there's ever an emergency, it may take a while to get backup, but we've got open space...

Of course, most of this space was probably going to be commercial space. But this just forces people to have to drive further to buy anything. Local residents were up in arms about a new Costco in Port Chester, NY (next town over). But if you don't allow any local CostCos, then everyone that wants to go to CostCo has to drive 12 or 15 miles to the next one. Which further exacerbates the traffic problems.

Another thing that is REALLY irksome is that all the leaders of local communities think that the way to improve traffic is to spend more on the local trains. Local trains do carry a great number of people. However, there's very limited parking at most train stations: waiting lists for a parking permit can be seven years for some stations. But whenever there's a proposal to build a parking garage that can hold more cars, all the locals go nuts about how a parking garage would really hurt the character of the neighborhood.

[1Old Pro]

Another thing that is REALLY irksome is that all the leaders of local communities think that the way to improve traffic is to spend more on the local trains. Local trains do carry a great number of people. However, there's very limited parking at most train stations: waiting lists for a parking permit can be seven years for some stations. But whenever there's a proposal to build a parking garage that can hold more cars, all the locals go nuts about how a parking garage would really hurt the character of the neighborhood.

So true.