Open Space Preservation

California Coas

How Best to Pay for Park, Wildlife, and Water Improvements

Only one of the five propositions on California's June primary ballot is a general obligation bond measure. Prop. 68 authorizes $4 billion for projects benefiting parks and water quality. Opponents prefer a pay-as-you-go approach using general funds.

May 23, 2018 - The Mercury News

Open Space Preservation Creates Rift Between Local, County Officials

Local officials in Lake County, located north of Chicago, are concerned about the revenue implications of a decision to preserve a parcel of land they view as a potential commercial development.

May 15, 2015 - Lake County News-Sun

Pending Massachusetts Zoning Code Bill Would 'Promote Sustainable Communities'

A Boston Globe editorial calls for the Massachusetts State Legislature to approve Bill H.4065 (An Act promoting the planning and development of sustainable communities).

June 3, 2014 - Boston Globe

Redefining "Smart Growth" for the 21st Century

Kaid Benfield of the NRDC thinks it is time to add more specifics to the definition of smart growth. He prescribes a set of six new focus areas, including equity and health, that he argues should be emphasized in the 21st-century smart growth agenda.

December 7, 2010 - Natural Resources Defense Council

Volcano-Oriented Development

The Albuquerque City Council and staff are drafting plans for Volcano Heights, Volcano Cliffs and Volcano Trails, three sites bordering Petroglyph National Monument. A simmering debate over open space conservation seems cooled by public process.

August 4, 2010 - Albuquerque Journal

California Budget Crisis Derails Open Space Acquisition

With a budget proposal that threatens to close 80 percent of California state parks on the table, Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, explains how the state's budget crisis left the SMMC "dead in the water."

June 3, 2009 - The Planning Report

Turning Unbuilt Project Sites Into Open Space

DeLuca Homes planned to build condos in Bucks County, PA- until the bottom fell out of the market. Now they're one of many developers cutting deals with governments to create open space.

January 28, 2009 - Center for Public Integrity

Maryland Uses GIS To Track Open Space

The State of Maryland has created a new internet-based mapping system, which it hopes will help target conservation funds.

December 15, 2008 - GIS News

Land Use and Religion Collide in CO

After a church in Denver was denied permission to expand its facilities, they filed a lawsuit against Boulder County on charges of discrimination. This month, the case reached a federal courtroom.

November 19, 2008 - Los Angeles Times

Rewilding the West

Eco-tourism in North Dakota? It's more likely than you may think, as conservationists, travel agents, and big landowners turn the dwindling population of the Great Plains into an asset.

June 10, 2008 - The New York Times

Eminent Domain Used to Save Summer Camp

Representatives in North Providence, RI are attempting to save a site used for a camp for inner-city youth from developers, and may resort to using eminent domain to do so.

May 28, 2008 - www.redorbit.com

Unprecedented Agreement Between Oil Company and Enviros

The agreement trades a massive open space donation and other terms for clearance to conduct exploratory drilling off the coast.

May 6, 2008 - The Planning Report

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