The Ecological Impacts of Steep Slope Development in Virginia E.

French Price

Technical Briefing First Year Experience in CNRE (NR 2984) Cowgill, Orth, Stauffer, and Wiseman October 30th, 2013

Price The Ecological Impacts of Steep Slope Development in Virginia Introduction

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Throughout Virginia, both urban and rural development should be minimally detrimental to the ecosystem and neighbors. Currently, Virginias population is growing and development is occurring at a rapid pace. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between April 2010 and July 2012 Virginias population increased 2.3%, when the entire United States population only increased 1.7%. Residents are choosing to build on steep slopes, because the land is cheap and in certain cases can provide desirable views and seclusion. However, this increasingly common steep slope development, that is loosely regulated by the state government, is devastating to water quality, wildlife, plant life, natural areas, and even public services. There are many conflicting viewpoints regarding steep slope development. There are several schools of thought regarding hillside development. Some see hillsides as an aesthetic opportunity for development. Others see hillside development as a public safety problem. Still others view hillside development as being environmentally unsound and aesthetically undesirable (Olshansky 1998). The three major elements that play a role in steep slope development are government, community, and the environment. Each element correlates with the others because they are intertwined so the events that occur in one area of the issue affect the actions of another area. The issue arises when the priorities of the government and the public fail to overlap, because this leaves the environment and other aspects unsupported. Ultimately, the most influential stakeholder is the community. The community has the ability to control the governments actions. If the community chooses to make environmental quality top priority, it is the governments responsibility to address the concern. Issues According to the state of Virginia, a steep slope is any grade greater than 15% due to the high erosion hazard of such an incline (VA DEQ 1992). Steep slope development is any type of building or construction on pieces of land classified with a high erosion hazard. Steep slope development is a multifaceted issue. There are numerous problems that have unwelcome effects. Steep slope development

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can have an impact on the ecologic and economic prosperity of an area. Most of these issues stem from the development of the land itself, but as time passes a domino effect occurs causing the damage to multiply.

Figure 1: Conceptual Model of the Impacts of Steep Slope Development: The figure above shows the components of Steep Slope Development, summarizing the importance and complexity of this issue. As is evident, the three key players are the government, the community, and the environment.

By building on steep slopes, including excavation to prepare the land, the topography of the lot is changed immensely. When topography is changed the runoff patterns change as well, which can lead to excess erosion, especially since building sites usually contain lots of exposed topsoil. The disrupted flow of runoff can also beat up on any riparian buffers that may be in place if they havent already been removed to prepare for construction of the land. Riparian buffers are any plants placed along the banks of bodies of water, such as streams, that prevent excess nutrients and sediments from being deposited into

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the water. According to Torti Gallas in The Neighborhood Model based off of Albemarle County, VA, It is the grading an reconstruction of slopes that affect neighborhood and environmental quality, such as the health of streams. This increased erosion and weakened natural barriers cause the sedimentation of streams. This means increased turbidity, which affects the overall quality of the water. Sedimentation can have a huge effect on the ecosystem, especially for sensitive aquatic life. This issue is important to citizens concerned about environmental health and any local governments in areas that place deep value in their water resources. In the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook it states, existing drainage patterns should be identified in order to plan around critical areas where water will concentrate. In order to help stunt the sedimentation of water sources near development sites municipalities could require property owners to hire a consultant to make predictions about the changes in topography and runoff patterns. Hiring a consultant would allow property owners to determine how to position the structure on the lot so that it created the least environmental harm. Before construction is even begun stream surveys could be performed as a precaution to ensure the affected stream sections are not habitats for endangered aquatic organisms. According to an article by C.W. Fields-Johnson, C.E. Zipper, J.A. Burger and D.M. Evans published in Forest Ecology and Management, vegetation seedings are essential reclamation practices that may influence plant community reestablishment and hydrologic processes that are essential to forested landscapes. Another way to address increased runoff is to require builders to plant more vegetation during and after construction to limit the erosion of slopes (VA DEQ 1992). These precautionary regulations can become quite restrictive and difficult to enforce. These make the requirements unpopular with the public because they are too strict and with the local government because they can be tricky to enforce for fiscal reasons. If precautionary measures to protect aquatic life cant be legally required, communities can work to educate other citizens and promote environmentally friendly building practices. Another concerning aspect of steep slope development is the settling of hillsides post construction. Excavation and construction disturbs the earth and compromises the stability of the sloping land. If structures are not always engineered to handle this unpredictable event, post construction

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instability of both the slopes and the building itself can lead to potential landslides; this is especially true in the cases of ridgeline development. This causes a huge danger to the public, simply put, reconstructed slopes should be stable, safe (Torti Gallas 2000). This is why the potential danger should be concerning to both the community and the government. In order to prevent any instability due to poor construction techniques, local governments can require builders to submit an As-Built Plan. An As-Built Plan is a document showing any changes made during construction from the original plans, showing the final design of the structure as it was built. An as-built plan serves just to ensure the builders complied with the codes they said they would when they applied for the building permit. An issue that causes multiple negative effects is building on ridgelines. Ridgeline properties are desirable because they have stunning views and can provide seclusion in certain instances. Despite the advantages, the development of ridgelines can be very dangerous and very expensive. It can be dangerous because of the potential for landslides and expensive because the pre-construction preparation. Construction on ridgelines can cause vast amounts of destruction to the view shed of an area. This destruction can be seen from valleys below in the form of scars on the mountains during the day from where trees have been cleared for buildings and infrastructure and as light pollution during the night. In areas of western Virginia known for their mountains, ridgeline development could have disastrous effects on tourism. In addition to potential decline in the tourism industry of an area, ridgeline development can also take a toll on the public services of a community. The steep and precarious roads that access residences in the mountains are not very conducive to the travel of any emergency vehicles, yet local governments are expected to provide service to all of its constituents. The potential fiscal woes caused by ridgeline construction should catch local governments attention. The most effective way to deal with the potential for natural disasters is land-use planning (Burby, Deyle, Godschalk, Olshansky 2000). In order to stunt the development of ridgelines and mountainsides, towns and counties in Virginia can enact ordinances and codes that prohibit building above a certain slope and a certain elevation. Steep slope development has a ripple effect on the ecology of the area where it occurs. When trees are removed to prepare the site for building, it has a critical effect on the wildlife of the area. Trees

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should only be removed to make space for buildings and access roads where absolutely necessary (GA Dept. of Community Affairs 2007). When development occurs in secluded areas unpopulated by humans, many animals are displaced. Once their habitat has become occupied they will either relocate to uninhabited areas, possibly at a higher elevation they may not be adapted for or they will be forced into heavily populated areas where resources are scarce and risk of interactions with humans are high. In very unfortunate scenarios, if the animal has a very specified diet and habitat the available places for it to relocate to are scarce. The biodiversity of an area is consider a non-use value meaning it has value that isnt purely beneficial to humans (Chadourne, Cho, Roberts 2012). As wildlife gets pushed into areas populated by humans the safety of both parties is threatened. In Virginia, animals such as deer and bear can enter neighborhoods and become a hazard to drivers. The displacement of wildlife should cause community and government concern because of the element of public danger. In order to protect both people and the wildlife the community and government can work together to educate citizens of the impacts of steep slope development on wildlife and encourage minimal disruption. Unfortunately, there is little local governments can practically do to prevent the development of wildlife habitats, unless there is an immediate danger. An aspect of steep slope development that is becoming increasingly common is exurbanization, especially in rural and scenic areas of Virginia. Exurbanization is when former urban residents relocate to rural areas. Exurbanites give the community an economic boost, but can cause extensive social and ecological impacts (Gustafson 2012). Exurbanization is a problem because exurbanites, such as vacationers or recent retirees, may not be invested in the community like the locals are. They may only be there because they purchased a cheap piece of property on the mountainside. Exurbanites have a lack of concern for the prosperity of the rural community they own property in, so they may not feel any remorse for building a house that is potentially detrimental to the area. In order to prevent exurbanites from making huge, careless decisions about their property local governments can enact more regulatory ordinances regarding steep slope development and have more stringent requirements for a building

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permit. Making the hoops higher and more numerous that exurbanites have to jump through, they will be less likely to pursue their elaborate plans. Local governments must remember that any regulations they put in place have a ripple effect. Putting extensive regulations on the development of steep slopes in order to address all of the aforementioned issues will have effects on the position and disposition of the community. Some citizens might see all of the regulations as a hindering property rights. People do not like when they cant do whatever they please with the property they own. In order to prevent property owners from getting mistreated and upset, local governments can include a waiver aspect in any steep slope development ordinances that they pass. The waiver would allow property owners to apply for the permission to build even though it may violate some of the regulations within the ordinance. The waiver application would be considered by the town or county on a case-by-case basis and only be approved if the resulting development was minimally detrimental and/or advantageous to the community. The waiver can become counter effective because less than honest governments can grant permission via waiver to commercial developers in order to receive the tax money from the resulting development even if it is not in the best interest of the community and environment. Another issue that arises from extensive and stringent regulation is the property value. Sloped land is cheap because it requires expensive and time-consuming efforts in order to prepare the site for production. By limiting building on steep slopes buyers wont want to deal with the hassle of fighting for permission to build thus lowering the property value even further. This increases the incentives for commercial developers who know how to find loopholes in the law. Owners of sloped property wont be pleased with the depreciating value of their land. Also, with the amount of land available for new construction becoming limited the value of flat land will increase. The varied and unpredictable effects of heavily regulating steep slope development may be too risky for a local government to gamble with. If the community and governments top priority and choice plan of action is legal prevention, then they should consider how the effects would impact the localitys comprehensive plan. Extensive regulation could stunt the growth of a community, especially one with rolling hills and majestic mountainsides, so

Price governments may only want to put the ordinances in effect when they are comfortable with their

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communitys size and dont want to continue growing. If a community decides that extensive regulation may be more harm than it is worth, they should instead opt to educate the people of the causes, effects, and solutions surrounding steep slope development. Education of the public will create awareness and foster a long-term solution. Conclusion Steep slope development is an issue that if ignored will become magnified. Steep Slope Development is not only an ecological issue, but it also has economic and social aspects. Because it is very much a community issue and its severity and importance varies from town to town, it can only be effectively dealt with on a local level. Local governments are the only ones who have the power or capability to control local issues. They are the front line resource management units (Tarlock 1993). Whether through regulation by ordinances or education of the public it requires a community effort to raise awareness and deal with the issue in a diplomatic way where all parties are represented. The interests of the community, the government, and the environment all need to be taken into consideration before action is taken.

Price Works Cited

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Burby RJ, Deyle RE, Godschalk DR, Olshansky RB (2000) Creating hazard resilient communities through land-use planning. Natural Hazards Review 1: 99-106

Chadourne MH, Cho S, Roberts RK (2012) Identifying priority areas for forest landscape restoration to protect ridgelines and hillsides: a cost benefit analysis. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics 60: 275-294

Fields-Johnson CW, Zipper CE, Burger JA, Evans DM (2012) Forest restoration on steep slopes after coal surface mining in Appalachian USA: soil grading and seeding effects. Forest Ecology & Management 270: 126-134

Georgia Department of Community Affairs (2007) Hillside and ridgeline protection mode land use management code. Accessed online October 2, 2013:http://www.dca. state.ga.us/development/PlanningQualityGrowth/programs/modelcode.asp

Gustafson, Seth (2012) Knowing and not knowing the land: the politics of knowledge in southern appalachian steep slope development. Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG 2012). New York City, NY [Abstract].

Olshansky, Robert B. (1998) Regulation of hillside development in the united states. Environmental Management 22: 383-392

Tarlock, A Dan. (1993) Local government protection of biodiversity: what is its niche?. The University of Chicago Law Review 60: 555-570

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Torti Gallas and Partners, et.al. (2000) The neighborhood model: building blocks for the development areas. County of Albemarle, Dept. of Planning and Community Development, pp. 106-110

United States Census Bureau (2013) State and county quickfacts. Accessed online October 28th, 2013: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51000.html

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. (VA DEQ)(1992) Virginia erosion and sediment control handbook. Chapter 6 Richmond, VA