Protecting Land to Improve Communities

Fall  2011

This change significantly raises the amount that can be deducted in any one year and increases the number of years over which the deduction may be carried forward.  For more information, see our “Tax Considerations in Conveying Land” fact sheet and this overview from the Land Trust Alliance. For more information about easements, see “What is a Conservation Easement?”

Tax Law Highly Favorable to Easement Donors in 2011

Strong Towns advocates for more streets (networks of activity) and fewer roads (connections between 2 places) in this new 15 minute video about sustainable towns and neighborhoods.

The NeighborSpace Board of Directors has elected J. Kenneth Schmidt, Jr., an award-winning landscape architect and principal with the firm of Mahan Rykiel Associates, to membership on the Board.  Mr. Schmidt has over 20 years experience as a landscape architect on a wide variety of transportation related streetscape enhancements and gateway design projects, including hiker/biker trails, corridor studies, welcome centers and parks.

NeighborSpace Elects Award-winning Landscape Architect J. Kenneth Schmidt, Jr. to Board Membership

On Oct. 17, the County Council voted to amend the PUD ordinance to specify that NeighborSpace may be considered as a potential community benefit. Thanks are owed to the entire County Council for its many efforts to improve the ordinance and, particularly, to Councilmen David Marks and Tom Quirk, who sponsored this particular amendment. For a copy of the bill, click here.

County Council Amends Community Benefit Language in Planned Unit Development (PUD) Law