Open Space Commission - Newsletter 2 - Fall/Winter 2002

• Open Space Pays
  
• What Is A Conservation Easement And How Can It Lower My Taxes?
  
• Compelling Economic And Environmental Reasons Make Open Space Preservation Good Common Sense
  
• French And Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, Inc.: Working With Townships To Preserve Open Spaces And Historic Places
  
• Charlestown Cooperative Farm - Preserving Farming And Open Space In Charlestown
  
• Upcoming Workshops
  
• Open Space Commission Members
  

• Landowners participating in such programs extract immense personal satisfaction and psychic income from "doing the right thing" for future generations.
• Conservation promotes planning, enabling families to bind together, evaluate all available options and avoid possible conflicts.
• Extended protection frequently surfaces when neighboring landowners on contiguous properties share the benefits of protecting large resource areas, such as watersheds, agricultural areas and scenic landscapes.
• Landowners who donate conservation easements may be eligible for significant financial aid through the reduction of federal income, gift and estate taxes.

• the landowner continues to have title to the property
• the landowner continues to have the right to live on the property
• the landowner continues to have the right to sell the property
• the landowner continues to have the right to pass the property to heirs
• the landowner continues to have the right to lease the property
• the landowner may continue to have the right to subdivide the property
• the landowner's income and/or gift and estate taxes may be reduced
• the costs of preparing and easement are usually tax deductible
• an easement agreement usually does not permit public access to the property
• And lastly, the landowner knows the property will be protected for future generations.

1. Open space saves every taxpayer money. a widespread and very damaging fallacy in land development is that the development of raw land into residential units somehow "builds our tax revenue." This is not only false but in fact, the opposite is true: residential development raises everyone's taxes. Fewer services are required for open space (no kids in the schools, no extra cars to increase road maintenance, reduced need for a local police department, sewers or public water, etc.) In fact, according to several recent studies conducted by Penn State University, Open Space consumes in services only 8% of the tax dollar it pays, while a typical residential development consumes 112% of the tax dollar or 12% more in services than the tax dollars actually paid by the homeowners.
2. Open Space helps our environment. Rain soaks through fields and woods to replenish our wells. Fewer homes, driveways and roads reduce runoff. Fewer homes mean fewer cars on the roads and cleaner air.
3. Open Space in the form of fields, woods, streams, and trails is beautiful and relaxing.
4. Keeping Charlestown beautiful through open space increases our property values.

1. The Open Space and the Planning Commissions estimate that there are about 1600 acres suitable for development left in Charlestown.
2. Development pressure is IMMENSE! Weekly phone calls from potential developers to Charlestown's large landowners are routine.
3. The list of development and development pressures on the books grows daily:
• The Turnpike interchange on Rte 29 is scheduled for completion in 2007.
• The Atwater Corporate Park on Rte 29 will add 8,000 to 12,000 jobs (read more commuters)
• Spring Oak Corporate Park on White Horse Road in Devault will add 1600- 1800 more jobs.
• Charlestown Meadows on Route 401 and Newcomen Road will result in 190 homes.
• AND THERE WILL BE MORE!

1. The Open Space and Planning Commissions estimate that we have a window of opportunity of 5 to no more than 10 years.
2. Landowners can help the township to preserve open space by placing a conservation easement on their property or by selling development rights. In both instances, the landowner retains ownership of the property; but the possibility of building additional structures on the property is permanently limited. (Farms and homes with large acreage often appreciate in value when the land is protected. Properties that abut protected land also appreciate in value.)
3. The estimated costs of preserving 100 acres annually through purchase of development rights is estimated at $1,800,000 ($18,000/acre). These costs can be reduced by matching grants from the County and the state, by outright donations from landowners (often a viable estate planning strategy), and by a variety of other means. However, Township dollars will be required as a match for grant funds, and for the related costs associated with ensuring that the eased land is protected as intended.
4. Our current promise to two Charlestown families constitute more than we currently can afford under existing available funds. Additional projects require aggressive and very substantial funding. Most importantly, time is not on our side-we must act before we are simply priced out of the market.

• Educated itself about the myriad opportunities and methods available to those landowners who wish they could preserve their land as open space.
• Developed a resource list and collection of materials about land preservation. The resource list is available on the Citizens' website (http://www.charlestown.org); the materials are housed in the Township Office in Devault.
• Distributed newsletters about open space (this is the second issue to be published) to Charlestown residents. (Comments, feedback for improvement are welcome!)
• Maintained information about meetings, etc., on the Citizens' website.
• Entered into a working relationship with two large landowners toward preserving their property as open space.
• Written three grants for money to assist with these preservation efforts and to fund possible purchase of easements for the Horseshoe Trail, the latter as a collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department (Grant decisions will be made this month.)

• Historic House Maintenance
• Wild Animals Of Charlestown
• Estate Planning