The Arlington County Board will consider a new management plan aimed at preserving the county’s few remaining natural lands and resources.
As one of the most urbanized areas in Northern Virginia, with a densely packed population of more than 200,000, Arlington County decided in 2005 to create an inventory of its natural resources. County officials conducted a three-year investigation to determine what was left in Arlington County to save.
Their conclusion? Not much.
Only 4.4 percent of Arlington County’s 26 square miles is still considered natural land, untouched by the county’s nonstop development. The 738 acres it wants to preserve are divided between parks owned by the National Park Service and the county, according to the report.
The undeveloped parcels are scattered around the county, with many of them divided by roads and buildings. About 18 percent of all land in Arlington County is considered “open space,” such as parks or public school properties.
The report also showed that there is little available undeveloped land the county could purchase and preserve.
With so few remaining natural resources, county officials are recommending the board adopt the proposed Natural Resources Energy Plan at Saturday’s board meeting. The 19-point plan includes a “zero-loss” policy for county-owned natural lands, meaning the county would keep and preserve all the natural land it owns, which is less than half of the 738 remaining acres.
The county has no authority over lands managed by the National Park Service, but those lands are already safe from development.
The plan would also create a new category of county-owned open space known as Natural Resource Conservation Areas, a designation that could apply to entire parks in the county. The county recommends the board create a special preservation unit within the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources to monitor the condition of the land.
The report makes no mention of how much it will cost the county to implement these 19 measures.
