ABSTRACT
Montgomery County's borders are formed by the Potomac River on the west and the Patuxent River on the east. In 1980, Montgomery County adopted its Functional Master Plan for the Pres-ervation of Agriculture & Rural Open Space. The preservation plan demonstrated that Montgomery County was as serious about preserving the wedges as it was about confining urban growth to the corridors. The preservation plan established the Agricultural Reserve, with 93,000 contiguous acres of land that include wooded areas, stream corridors, wildlife habitat, and parkland, as well as the best remaining farmland in the county. Montgomery County wants landowners in the Agricultural Reserve to record easements that permanently restrict development to the density limit of one unit per 25 acres that was imposed by the rural density transfer zoning adopted for the reserve. The Maryland Rural Legacy Program offers competitive grants for the acquisition of easements on land with significant farm, forest, cultural, or natural resources.
