Issue 1, September 10, 2000                                             Edited by Christine Butcher

Why? The seacoast is booming. There is building, going on all around us. It seems like more all the time. And whether we like it or not, North Hampton is changing.

The blessings of population growth and prosperity have created a growing demand for new housing. At the same time for reasons that are unique to North Hampton, a large amount of buildable property is coming onto the market. North Hampton is an attractive place to call home. The result?  More develop-ment is almost certain.

That quiet, uncrowded, semi-rural flavor we love is slipping away. Without our noticing, the roads are slightly busier. The police are slightly more occupied. There’s a slightly longer wait for a sandwich at Joe’s.  And our beautiful, open fields and forests may soon be slightly scarce.

Growth is good. But too much, too fast, too soon can take us all by surprise. We can watch it happen, or we can try to manage it. But one way or another, North Hampton is changing.

How? Growth management is complicated business. Growth is fundamental to our prosperity and to our property rights, and it’s a rare New Hampshire person who would limit either. In fact, most growth control efforts have died in court because they do interfere with property rights. So how can we preserve large, undeveloped areas of land and the special qualities they contribute to North Hampton?

There is one simple, fair, and straightforward answer. It is to purchase the land. At first glance, this seems ambitious and very expensive. But the cost should be measured against the costs that development creates. From schools to snow removal, from police to paving, new development is expensive for the town. In fact, the total cost to taxpayers is almost enough to buy the land.

A radical idea? Not really. It has been done successfully in more than 170 communities. All it really takes is commitment and communication, -- the commitment needed to formulate a practical plan, and the communication needed to enlist the support of the people of North Hampton.

Who? North Hampton Forever is a commitment initiated by a sub-committee

of  the North Hampton Conservation Commission, with the help of a number of interested citizens. The group is exploring ways to preserve some of the town’s large, open tracts of land, including the possibility of purchasing such land.

Their objective is to find the ways and means to conserve open land, and be ready when appropriate land comes on the market. Mechanisms need to be established to select, purchase, maintain and conserve such land.

 The town should also be in a position to take advantage of matching funds that may become available from state or federal sources.  All of these things come under the heading of “ a practical plan”.

The remaining job, the communication part of the project belongs to everyone in North Hampton. Talk to your friends and neighbors and think about it. Should we just watch our town grow? Or should we try to manage that growth?