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attempts to control growth by requiring developers to build expensive water and sewer facilities, “you run the risk of somebody coming along and providing sewer and water," he warned.
‘‘The real issue," said Plavnick, is the need for "legislation to give local jurisdictions the right to preserve agricultural land as a primary use.” Farmers, he maintained, have to decide if they want to be farmers or land speculators. According to Plavnick, the farmer needs government regulations to permit him to be a farmer. If the farmer chooses to fight regulations, then he becomes a speculator.
"If agriculture was profitable, then the farmer wouldn’t be a speculator." countered Miller.
Five Percent Growth Rate? "Can we limit growth to five pier cent a year?” asked Fannon.
"I don’t think so," Plavnick replied.
“Can we limit growth to ten per cent a year?" Fannon continued.
"I don't think so," the planning engineer repeated.
“Can we limit growth at all?” Fannon asked.
“I don’t think so," concluded Plavnick.
Despite his gloomy prognosis, Plavnick maintained that Rappahannock’s population would remain more or less stable with only a very gradual increase. Land, he noted, is being subdivided in the county but not built on. He acknowledged that external forces could influence this trend—gas price increase to SI per gallon could slow growth while the development of employment centers in Fauquier and Culpeper Counties would have the opposite impact.
Rappahannock will continue to have problems, he said, because “everybody wants to have a piece of land" but he maintained that
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