PLENTY Magazine SUMMER 2019 Plenty Summer 2019-joomag (1) | Page 5

The Reserve, however, is much more than a to Montgomery County restricting development place to visit. It is a working landscape of over 540 in perpetuity to no more than one residence for farms and 350 horticultural enterprises, which each 25 acres. Today, almost three-fourths of the generate more than a quarter billion dollars a year Reserve’s farmland is protected in perpetuity by in income, making agriculture one of the county’s TDR easements granted to Montgomery County most important businesses. The Reserve’s coun- or by other easements granted to the Maryland try villages and communities, historic homes, Environmental Trust (MET) or the Maryland Agri- barns, and churches embody much of the county’s cultural Land Preservation Fund (MALPF). cultural heritage. Encompassing a third of the The result for Montgomery County is the sus- county’s land area, it provides an array of critical tenance of landscape of beauty, cultural richness, environmental services for the region. Its fields and abundance. The Agricultural Reserve made it and forests sequester carbon, helping clean the possible for the county to grow more efficiently, air. Forested headwaters and reducing sprawl and its ef- stream buffers, combine with fects while accommodating Unlike much of the land near best practices by farmers the same amount of growth to protect water quality in that would have occurred if great metropolitan areas, the Potomac tributaries, helping it had been otherwise open Agricultural Reserve is not just restore the Chesapeake Bay. for subdivision. Unlike much of the land When the Reserve is temporarily open, waiting to be near great metropolitan ar- added to the 37,000 acres eas, the Agricultural Reserve of parkland managed by the developed. Established nearly is not just temporarily open, Maryland-National Capital 40 years ago as an essential waiting to be developed. Es- Park and Planning Commis- tablished nearly 40 years ago sion and 17,000 acres of state feature of the county’s “Wedges as an essential feature of the and national parks, almost and Corridors” comprehensive county’s “Wedges and Cor- half the land area of Mont- ridors” comprehensive plan, gomery County is in public plan, it is the nation’s best it is the nation’s best example or private open space. This example of land permanently of land permanently protect- great resource adds immea- ed for farming in a large and surably to the quality of life protected for farming in a large growing metropolitan area. for our residents, making This was done by a combina- the county one of the best and growing metropolitan area tion of public policies. Zoning places in America to live. It that made agriculture the adds value to homes and is preferred use and limited residential development an important feature that attracts and helps retain to no more than one house per 25 acres. Public one of the nation’s most talented workforces. water and sewerage service was not extended When the County Council approved the into the Reserve, respecting its natural “carrying master plan for Preservation of Agriculture and capacity.” Landowners, however, could sell their Rural Open Space in 1980, it protected the green former right to build a house for each five acres lungs of the county. The Reserve set the national to builders in other parts of the county that were standard for effective protection of farming on the planned for more intensive development. metropolitan edge. Its bounty is displayed annu- As they sold these Transferable Development ally at the county fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. It Rights (TDRs), landowners recovered equity in the is directly available in season on Reserve farms, land earned by years of husbandry and invest- at farmers’ markets in communities across the ment. This allowed farming to continue. When de- region, through farm-to-table cooperatives, and velopment rights are sold, an easement is granted at grocery stores that feature locally-grown foods. PLENTY I SUMMER GROWING 2019 5