thedrifter
03-11-09, 12:34 PM
Marines want to protect the base
Quantico looks to conservation easements as a way to control growth on the borders of the base
BY JONAS BEALS
Date published: 3/11/2009
BY JONAS BEALS
Joe Provenzano remembers the endless orange groves that used to surround Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in the early 1980s.
That base, built on a lima-bean field near Irvine, Calif., in 1942, became one of the most important military airfields in the West. In 1999, El Toro--now surrounded by houses and shopping centers--closed.
The U.S. Navy, which oversees Marine Corps property, learned a lesson from El Toro: Protect your mission. The Navy is concerned Marine Corps Base Quantico may suffer the same fate, and is taking steps to ensure growth around the base doesn't eventually choke out training.
Provenzano, the deputy director for Base Facilities at Quantico, addressed a gathering of Stafford landowners on Monday evening. The group had been invited to the meeting because their property has long-term strategic value to the base. Officials from Quantico are not interested in buying the property, they want the property to remain as it is.
"We do train," he said. "We drop bombs. We shoot rifles. We train at night. We look at the development around us and ask ourselves: Do we want high-rises or agriculture? We want it to be as low-density as possible."
To meet that goal, Provenzano hopes to buy conservation easements or purchase development rights from the landowners under the Navy's encroachment partnering program.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a property owner and another party that limits the uses of a given piece of property. The landowner is often paid for making concessions that benefit the other party. The property itself does not change hands, but the restrictions may devalue the property. Purchasing development rights works in a similar manner. In the end, the land is protected from development.
Provenzano explained that Quantico is not interested in owning property and assuming the responsibilities that come with ownership. Rather, they are trying to create a low-density buffer around the base by pursuing conservation easements on large parcels that might otherwise be subdivided to create dozens or hundreds of new neighbors for the base.
He cited Merrimac Farm in Prince William County as an example. That property was actually purchased outright by Quantico and a cadre of conservation-minded partners. Together, they were able to pool $2.8 million to purchase the land, which was then placed in a conservation easement. The property is now a Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife management area, open to the public.
In 2006, a similar easement allowed the United States Army to protect 1,320 acres adjacent to Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County. Partners in that deal included The Nature Conservancy and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
Despite those success stories, Provenzano met with a skeptical crowd on Monday. Quantico had worked with Stafford County to identify the most desirable properties and sent letters about the presentation to approximately 100 residents. Close to 50 people attended the meeting. Many residents came out of concern for their land.
"My first thought was that they were taking our property," said Russ Dillon, who owns 6 acres in the Barrington Woods subdivision. "The county might really want my property, but they said they would take it off their list. I'll take them at their word for now."
Some who attended referenced aggressive federal property acquisition around the base in the 1940s. Provenzano acknowledged those fears and stressed that the program is completely voluntary. Even if a property owner does want to pursue an easement, he advised, it could take years to find funds and reach an agreement.
"This is not a land grab by the federal government. We are not buying up people's property," Provenzano assured residents. "Our only interest is having the land stay as it is. We're looking for one thing: a conservation easement."
Stafford County, which recently implemented a purchase of development rights program, could benefit if the Navy reduces growth and encourages preservation of open space. If structured properly, the county could also be a partner in easement transactions.
"Initially, it was scary," resident Susanne Brunson said of receiving the invitation from the county. She is interested in preserving her property, but was not completely sold on Quantico's plans.
"I feel a lot better now," she said. "They answered our questions in a reasonable way. Having an easement could bring peace of mind."
Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com
Ellie
Quantico looks to conservation easements as a way to control growth on the borders of the base
BY JONAS BEALS
Date published: 3/11/2009
BY JONAS BEALS
Joe Provenzano remembers the endless orange groves that used to surround Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in the early 1980s.
That base, built on a lima-bean field near Irvine, Calif., in 1942, became one of the most important military airfields in the West. In 1999, El Toro--now surrounded by houses and shopping centers--closed.
The U.S. Navy, which oversees Marine Corps property, learned a lesson from El Toro: Protect your mission. The Navy is concerned Marine Corps Base Quantico may suffer the same fate, and is taking steps to ensure growth around the base doesn't eventually choke out training.
Provenzano, the deputy director for Base Facilities at Quantico, addressed a gathering of Stafford landowners on Monday evening. The group had been invited to the meeting because their property has long-term strategic value to the base. Officials from Quantico are not interested in buying the property, they want the property to remain as it is.
"We do train," he said. "We drop bombs. We shoot rifles. We train at night. We look at the development around us and ask ourselves: Do we want high-rises or agriculture? We want it to be as low-density as possible."
To meet that goal, Provenzano hopes to buy conservation easements or purchase development rights from the landowners under the Navy's encroachment partnering program.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a property owner and another party that limits the uses of a given piece of property. The landowner is often paid for making concessions that benefit the other party. The property itself does not change hands, but the restrictions may devalue the property. Purchasing development rights works in a similar manner. In the end, the land is protected from development.
Provenzano explained that Quantico is not interested in owning property and assuming the responsibilities that come with ownership. Rather, they are trying to create a low-density buffer around the base by pursuing conservation easements on large parcels that might otherwise be subdivided to create dozens or hundreds of new neighbors for the base.
He cited Merrimac Farm in Prince William County as an example. That property was actually purchased outright by Quantico and a cadre of conservation-minded partners. Together, they were able to pool $2.8 million to purchase the land, which was then placed in a conservation easement. The property is now a Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife management area, open to the public.
In 2006, a similar easement allowed the United States Army to protect 1,320 acres adjacent to Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County. Partners in that deal included The Nature Conservancy and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
Despite those success stories, Provenzano met with a skeptical crowd on Monday. Quantico had worked with Stafford County to identify the most desirable properties and sent letters about the presentation to approximately 100 residents. Close to 50 people attended the meeting. Many residents came out of concern for their land.
"My first thought was that they were taking our property," said Russ Dillon, who owns 6 acres in the Barrington Woods subdivision. "The county might really want my property, but they said they would take it off their list. I'll take them at their word for now."
Some who attended referenced aggressive federal property acquisition around the base in the 1940s. Provenzano acknowledged those fears and stressed that the program is completely voluntary. Even if a property owner does want to pursue an easement, he advised, it could take years to find funds and reach an agreement.
"This is not a land grab by the federal government. We are not buying up people's property," Provenzano assured residents. "Our only interest is having the land stay as it is. We're looking for one thing: a conservation easement."
Stafford County, which recently implemented a purchase of development rights program, could benefit if the Navy reduces growth and encourages preservation of open space. If structured properly, the county could also be a partner in easement transactions.
"Initially, it was scary," resident Susanne Brunson said of receiving the invitation from the county. She is interested in preserving her property, but was not completely sold on Quantico's plans.
"I feel a lot better now," she said. "They answered our questions in a reasonable way. Having an easement could bring peace of mind."
Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com
Ellie