I agree. I hate to see any new development of rural lands and wish it only took place in areas that are already urban; or not at all. Of course, my rational mind knows that's not fair at all - it's like saying "Now that I have mine, you cannot have yours." Everywhere, including where I live, was once pristine untouched land.
An interesting phenomenon is that, to young people, the land that is now developed was always that way; and they aren't concerned about it. To old people, like me, most of the developments, schools, malls, office complexes, etc around here are places I once hunted.
Not much one can do. By suing a huge landfill company years ago, I did create a permanent stream of millions in funding each year for a program in Berks County that buys perpetual non-development easements over ag land by paying the landowner the difference (usually quite substantial) between the land's ag value and its value for development. As a result, Berks County supposedly has the highest percentage of preserved farmland in the nation. All of the family farms have easements on them.
If you own a sufficient amount of undeveloped land, you can also make a gift of an easement on your own land to the Conservancy and get a charitable deduction (equal to the difference between ag/forest land value and development value) to use on your tax return. I did that with my land. While that lowered its value greatly if I should ever want to sell it, I get much satisfaction in knowing that this pretty little bit of woodland (where my ashes, and those of my wife and my dogs will eventually end-up) will be forever wild.
Three years ago, a big Philadelphia developer bought the backside of "my" mountain - maybe only a mile from where we live - and began to tear it down it make a fancy new development. Pics from that time:
It had been pristine woodland. Made me physically sick.
They ran into trouble with the township because they wanted the access for all of these new people (60 some houses-to-be) to be on our narrow, winding country road - very dangerous. That happily brought things to a halt until a couple of months ago, when the developer somehow must have gotten an approval and they starting selling lots ("Starting in the low-$400,000's" the sign says :-O ) and building many new homes there. I'm sure it will be fully occupied, and all of those people will be driving on our dangerous little road and trespassing in the woods by the end of the summer. UGH!!!
I'll got take some pics there to show you what it looks like now. :-(
Greg
