Poll Reveals Growth As Top Concern for Shenandoah Valley Region

For Immediate Release March 1, 2000

Richmond, Va. - The Valley Conservation Council (VCC), a land trust serving the Shenandoah Valley region, and Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., based in Washington, D.C., released the results of a public opinion survey of 1,114 Valley residents today that reveals growth as a top concern.

By a better than 2-to-1 margin over any other single issue, 35 percent of Valley residents said managing growth and "quality of life issues" related to protecting the region's historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resources, was the most important issue facing the region today. Education-related issues came second at 16 percent.

Asked about "the most important" issue facing their county, Valley residents again named growth/environment/quality of life issues, which tied with improving schools/education as the top concern at 27 percent each. No other single issue received more than 8 percent.

While an overwhelming majority, 87 percent, of Valley residents rate their current quality of life "excellent" or "good," and 80 percent of residents credit the natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources of the Shenandoah Valley region with "significantly" enhancing their quality of life, Valley residents expressed concern about the future.

Sixty percent (60 percent) of Valley residents said they thought that residential and commercial development threatens their quality of life. When asked about their counties in particular, 69 percent said the rate of residential growth and development was "much too fast" or "a little fast," while 56 percent said the same about commercial growth. Fifty-nine percent (59 percent) believe that natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources in their communities are being threatened.

Residents supported a wide variety of options and proposals to protect Valley natural and cultural resources including: stricter zoning; increasing incentives, such as tax benefits, for property owners; public funds for land preservation; and a dedicated state fund to allow purchase of development rights on land or outright land purchases.

Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., polled residents in VCC's service region which included independent cities in the region and the following counties: Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, and Warren.

The poll's margin for error is 3 percentage points, with a higher margin for any subgroup such as gender or county grouping.

The Valley Conservation Council is a land trust based in Staunton, VA, that works to protect the character of land in 11 western Virginia counties using a non-regulatory, non-confrontational approach. VCC encourages landowners to use voluntary land protection measures, such as conservation easements and agricultural/forestal districts. It also promotes land-use policies that address environmental as well as economic concerns.

This poll was conducted as part of VCC's Community Partnership Project and supported by funds from the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program, The Little River Foundation, the Robins Foundation, and the Virginia Environmental Endowment.