The Fatal Flaw In Open Space Preservation

How long does land preservation really last? Should a dying man's will forever constrain his property?

1 minute read

January 28, 2003, 2:00 PM PST

"Northen voluntarily gave up the rights to develop the 81-acre parcel. The agency locked those rights away in a contract called a conservation easement. Both sides figured the deal was forever. Maybe not. Northen died in 1986. The Mary Moody Northen Endowment, a nonprofit group she established in her will, owns the land now and wants to sell it for development... The Moody property is worth about $35,000 with the restrictions on it - and about $7 million without them, endowment officials say."

Thanks to transport-policy listserv

Read the full story: Protected property?

Friday, January 24, 2003 in Richmond Times-Dispatch

History / Preservation Virginia

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