Don’t fence me out

NEW YORK – May 29, 2007 – The loss of open space is prompting many Americans to decry gated residential communities, many of which block access to hiking trails and other areas once at the disposal of the public.

From 1982 to 2001, the U.S. Forest Service reports, 34 million acres of open space was handed over to developers; and the Census Bureau’s most recent American Housing Survey shows a 13.7 percent jump in the number of people living in gated communities between 2001 and 2005.

Courts typically rule in favor of homeowners, who shell out money to maintain the open space within their developments’ boundaries; but some developers have been forced to make changes if trails, lakes, and other natural resources once used by the public or maintained with taxpayer money is involved.

While some municipalities continue to sell off open space to developers – insisting that limited budgets prevent them from retaining the land and making the necessary improvements – others are concerned about the increasing amount of land made inaccessible to the public. Gated developments have been banned in Boulder City, Nev., and officials in Asheville, N.C., might approve a similar measure.

Source: Wall Street Journal (05/25/07) P. W1; Fletcher, June

© Copyright 2007 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688

Questions, comments or suggestions on this article? Have a news tip? Send a letter to the editor to: Newseditor@floridarealtors.org.