Smarter Growth. John H. Spiers

Potomac. Over time, however, the tract’s wildness became a source of admiration as more citizens desired to preserve its amenities. This included “the dramatic bluffs of the palisades, the breathtaking waterfall of Scott’s Run, the Potomac River frontage, the abundant wildlife, the unique array of wildflowers, and scientifically acclaimed forest of high quality tulip, oak, hickory, and hemlock.”⁶⁷ As local residents came to interpret expansive development as destructive, preservation advocates gained ground in their fight to protect the Burling tract.⁶⁸ Developing an appreciation for nature and the various roles it fulfilled thus went a long way to cultivating a sense of responsibility for its protection.⁶⁹

      With local environmentalism on the rise, the board of supervisors agreed in early May to allow residents of the Dranesville District to vote on whether they would pay a special tax to help the county purchase the Burling tract for a public park. Although officials intended the ballot measure to be advisory, the county attorney concluded that if voters approved the tax, the outcome would be legally binding and enforceable by the local circuit court.⁷⁰ A week later, Gordon Smith announced that his development firm, after ten months, had finally purchased the Burling tract for $3.36 million and was planning to proceed with their approved development project.⁷¹ Because the purchase price exceeded the funds available from the Interior Department and a local park acquisition bond, the special tax assessment—estimated at $1.5 million—was a prerequisite for acquiring the Burling tract.

      On May 28, the Fairfax planning commission held the tenth public hearing on the Burling tract, at the request of the board of supervisors, to outline the costs to homeowners of the referendum measure. While familiar points of view were aired in what had become an intense debate, the atmosphere was incredibly lively. Cameras from a national television station recorded a public hearing that drew over two hundred attendees. Fifty-one people signed up to speak, most favoring preservation. Many in attendance were local teenagers, several of whom broke with the traditional approach of offering written and oral testimony to be more creative. Some of the youth showed a film explaining the merits of preserving open spaces. The high point of the meeting, and a watershed moment in the case, came when high school student Susan Daniel performed a folk song she had written in support of preserving the Burling tract.⁷²