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Our MissionThe Rural Land Alliance a Non-Profit Corporation is a private organization working to help preserve green space in southwest Ohio. WE'RE LOSING OUR FARMS AND GREEN SPACE You’ve seen it from the highway—more and more houses sprouting up everywhere. If you grew up in the Cincinnati or Dayton area, you may have felt a sense of sadness about how much these cities have lost their vigor and how farmland miles away from downtown has been eaten up by shopping plazas and subdivisions. The small towns between these two cities are getting swallowed up in the sprawl. Areas that were once rural now have to contend with burgeoning school populations and increased need for government services. This requires tax levy after tax levy to contend with the growth. Traffic congestion clogs areas that were once sparsely populated, and commuting time grows. Homeowners whose property once bordered open space now border development. Farmers who once bordered other farmland now find it difficult to farm because increased traffic makes it difficult to move farm equipment. What is worse is that the cities and the older suburbs are being left behind in the tide. People vacate these to build houses farther out, to be “in the country.” Soon there will be no more “country” left and the central cities and older suburbs will slide further into decline as residents and businesses move outward. FALSE GROWTH The Cincinnati-Dayton region is very different
than fast growing regions elsewhere. Florida, Nevada and several
other regions are experiencing real growth as more residents move to the
regions. In the Cincinnati-Dayton region we are experiencing false
growth. Many new houses are built each year, yet the overall
population of the region is stagnant. In fact, while Warren county
is experiencing tremendous growth, the populations of Montgomery county
and Hamilton county are actually declining. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ohio lost farmland at a rate of 28,100 acres per year between 1982 and 1992. In fact, Ohio is on of the top six states in the nation in land area consumption per citizen. The ratio of land use to population growth is 2.3 for the U.S. while it is 4.7 in Ohio (Report of Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force). This means our land use rate is approximately 4.7 times our population growth rate. As a result, the donut effect occurs, as people move further and further away from downtown Dayton and Cincinnati, leaving behind vacant shopping plazas and homes. This results in a decrease in property values and an increase in commuting distances which leads to traffic. Farmers who want to keep their land are in a quandary. As the sprawl creeps closer to their land, many are torn between selling property to developers and cashing out—and preserving the farms that may have been in the family for generations. Passing these farms on to future generations can be difficult since multiple heirs may differ on what to do with the land, and tax concerns may complicate the issue further.
THERE IS A SOLUTION There is help for these farmers and other landowners who want to preserve their land. They can donate the development rights of their property to a land trust. Land conservation easements (permanent voluntary deed restrictions that limit development) are a proven way of preserving farms and green space while protecting property rights. With a conservation easement the landowner still owns the property and retains the rights to farm the land, live on the property, pass the land on to heirs, or even sell the land to others. However, the land may never be developed. The current owner and all future owners are bound by the terms of the easement that is held by the land trust. Private non-profit land trusts nationally protect nearly five million acres of land. Many landowners are unaware that this option exists. Conservation easements allow current owners of property to decide what will be done with their land—forever. There may also be tax benefits for property owners to donate easements. Development rights may have a substantial monetary value. It is the price difference between the land as a farm field versus the land as a subdivision. The value of this donation is often tax-deductible. Since development is prohibited on the property it may also help reduce inheritance and other taxes that are based on the value of the land. WHO IS THE RURAL LAND ALLIANCE? Rural Land Alliance is a non-profit land trust based in Warren County Ohio whose purpose is to help farmers and other landowners preserve land through the use of conservation easements. This preserves land forever in its undeveloped form. The Rural Land Alliance is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, a national association of land trusts. WE NEED YOUR HELP In order to preserve the farmland and green space that we all benefit from we need your help. It takes resources to inform landowners that there is a way for them to conserve their land. It takes resources to hire the attorneys, accountants, surveyors, and other professionals needed to properly establish conservation easements. The Rural Land Alliance has no paid employees and very limited overhead. The volunteer board has donated the time and the substantial financial resources necessary to get the organization started. But we need your help to continue. You can help by becoming a member of the Rural Land Alliance. Help us help keep parts of southwest Ohio rural. Help us help our farmers. Help us help wildlife and watersheds. Help us help you preserve the value of your property by keeping part of the “country” that benefits us all. Once land is developed it can never be undeveloped. As Mark Twain said, land is the one thing that we are not making any more of. Become a member today!
Contact Information
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Upcoming Events Get Involved Donate Corporate Partners FAQ Home Page Links Send mail to landalliance@yahoo.com with questions or comments about this web site.Last modified: August 2005 |
