Farmer’s markets are an important way to support local farms and agriculture in your community. They are a fun, educational outing for the family. I’ve found them to be a great way to meet new people. Supporting your local farmer’s markets helps farmers make the money they need to stay in the business of farming. You [...]
A report from the National Academy of Sciences (PDF) is concerning. It says people are spending less time outdoors. I will assume from the report it’s because we are spending more time in front of computers and the television. To open portable document files (PDF) you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. “Declining nature participation [...]
Wind turbines provide one possible funding source for landowners looking for ways to conserve land that also offer a monetary benefit. And wind energy is important to our energy independence. But wind turbines can be really ugly on a rural landscape. In the article “Wind turbines are green, but their design blows”, Detroit Free Press [...]
Do you love rural America? A conservation subdivision, also called a ”conservation development” or “open space development”, can help preserve the rural lands you love while allowing growth. Years ago I came across this great report from the Population Reference Bureau, “The Rural Rebound” (PDF) (22 pages). Although dated, in my opinion much of the data [...]
This short (under two minutes) YouTube video is the same video as in the post below, but some were not able to access it through QuickTime. To learn more about noted planner Randall Arendt, visit his website.
Using conservation subdivision design, Randall Arendt, the nation’s foremost authority on conservation subdivisions, saved a Texas developer $250,000.00. He preserved land and saved 23 of the 24 historic, beautiful Oak trees that the original engineer planned to decimate! . Watch the short video clip. NOTE: If video does not play in this window, you may [...]
LandChoices is offering a free one page fact sheet on conservation subdivisions. Visit LandChoices “Conservation subdivisions” Web page and click on the RED “Download Fact Sheet” button in the right sidebar. You can download the one page fact sheet for free. Print extra copies and pass them along. Or easier yet, click on the orange [...]
When town planners or township officials are asked what they are doing to preserve rural character, they often reply “We’ve got large lot zoning”. The towns I grew up in, Farmington Hills, and West Bloomfield, Michigan, had large lot zoning. Today they are poster childs for over development. People run away from these towns every [...]
Before I started LandChoices I searched for an answer to over development, or “urban sprawl”. I purchased the book Conservation Design for Subdivisions by Randall Arendt and it changed my life. Land use experts say that 85% to 90% of landowners plan to sell their land for development. With our country’s population growing by 2-3 [...]
“We already have clustering!” That’s the common response often heard from township officials when they consider conservation subdivisions to preserve rural lands. Whereas with clustering preserved land is often an afterthought, conservation subdivisions preserve the highest quality conservation lands first. Cluster ordinances typically require only 25 or 30 percent open space, including unbuildable wetlands, steep [...]
