How Does Open Space Benefit You?

Yesterday, NorCo Exec Lamont McClure held a press conference at the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center to announce the results of an environmental study. I passed. I thought he'd be discussing the sex life of bog turtles (I know a few and they brag too much) or how great dandelions taste in a salad (they don't). But as usual, I was wrong. McClure actually wanted to report a return on investment. How has the money spent on open space benefited you, the taxpayer. 

NorCo established a formal open space program with its 2006 budget. When running for Exec, the late great John Stoffa actually pledged that he would raise taxes a half mill to fund this program. As he liked to quip, "I promised to raise taxes, but they voted for me anyway." Stoffa's plan was actually opposed at the time by then Council members Charles Dertinger, Lamont McClure and Wayne Grube. They wanted instead to play games with the Executive's estimated revenue, which is contrary to the Home Rule Charter. Dertinger demanded that someone tell him why the Charter barred Council members from playing games with estimated revenue. "You're supposed to know that," Stoffa quietly answered. The end result is that an open space plan that was initially opposed by a Democratic majority on Council was reluctantly enacted. 

And it has worked. McClure, now a convert, touted the economic and other benefits of the open space investment yesterday. 

According to a statement after the presser, since 2006, Northampton County has invested more than $20 million to safeguard open spaces. Since 2018 alone, the County has awarded $9.2 million in grants, preserved over 600 acres, and added another 339 acres to its park system.

Key findings of the report include:

• $436 million generated annually by outdoor recreation, supporting nearly 2,000 jobs
• $37 million in annual savings from replenishing water supply
• $48 million in natural flood protection each year
• $85 million in air pollution removed annually by trees
• $21.7 billion added to total home value across the County
• $38.3 million in agricultural output supporting more than 700 jobs
• $9–20 million in healthcare savings each year from active lifestyles connected to parks and trails

“The return on our environment is not just ecological, it is financial,” McClure emphasized. “It’s clear: people want to live near green spaces, and that demand translates into measurable economic benefits.”

I routinely see the economic benefit while cycling along local trails and roads, especially now that e-bikes are in heavy use. Bakeries, convenience stores, restaurants and hotels near trails are big winners. i believe a food truck at Sand Island would make a killing.