His backyard ice rink honors a stepdaughter’s memory. Now county inspectors may close it.

[struggle4progress]

57. The Agricultural Reserve

... The forward-thinking 1964 General Plan focused growth in defined corridors emanating from the population centers in and around the Capital Beltway. Between those corridors, the General Plan called for wedges of low-density residential uses, open space and protected farmland ...

In 1980, the Montgomery County Council made one of the most significant land-use decisions in county history by creating what we call the Agricultural Reserve. Heralded as one of the best examples of land conservation policies in the country, the Agricultural Reserve encompasses 93,000 acres – almost a third of the county’s land resources – along the county’s northern, western, and eastern borders.

The Agricultural Reserve and its accompanying Master Plan and zoning elements were designed to protect farmland and agriculture. Along with a sustained commitment to agriculture through the county's Agricultural Services Division, the combination of tools helps retain more than 500 farms that contribute millions of dollars to Montgomery County's annual economy. This is a notable achievement in an area so close to the nation's capital, where development pressure remains perpetual and intense ...

Although primarily a working agricultural landscape, the Agricultural Reserve offers county residents a plethora of activities. Check out the Reserve's many opportunities -- pick-your-own fruit farms, a winery, bike routes and pastoral scenic vistas -- in a resource guide and map, produced in collaboration with the Montgomery Countryside Alliance. Beyond that, the Reserve represents a historic landscape as well as a resource that protects our public water supply and provides access to green open spaces ...

http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/ag_reserve.shtm