![]() "We'll get that buck back and more."įrank noted that buying properties for open space also works to the advantage of developers and the owners of properties that neighbor the open space parcel, since those properties can increase in value by up to 10 percent because of their proximity to open space land. "If you spend a buck to preserve open space, more than likely you will save more than a buck in community services," Frank said. He used both hypothetical cases and examples from his extensive praxis working with municipalities and counties throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania - including Chestnuthill Township in Monroe County's West End - to make his case. Michael Frank, a community planner for the Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown, presented a statistical analysis that he said shows buying land for open space saves taxpayer money in the long run. Two speakers - one a local township supervisor, the other a veteran land-use planner from Bucks County - extolled the merits of using municipal tax money to buy properties for open space at the workshop, organized by the Barrett/Paradise/Mount Pocono Open Space Committee and other local conservation groups. The owner of a property assessed at $40,000, with a market value of about $160,000, would pay $20 per year in open space property tax if the referendum is approved. The tax would raise about $30,500 annually. ![]() 8 whether to approve a 0.5-mill property tax dedicated to open space purchases. ![]() The question is pertinent this year in Barrett Township, where voters will decide on Nov. ![]() CANADENSIS - The message at Tuesday's conservation workshop at Barrett Elementary Center was clear: Open space is a good deal even if costs taxpayers a bit extra. ![]()
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