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In its simplest definition, open space is land that has not been developed or converted to other uses. It includes forests, fields, river corridors, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and greenway corridors, as well as agricultural lands and town parks. These are features that make Stratham a special place to live.
Open space is a very important part of any community. It is an investment in the rural character of our community. Open space yields more in tax revenues than it costs in town services. It provides aesthetic and scenic values, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and helps to ensure our water supply protect the health of streams and minimize urban sprawl. Recreational opportunities on open land include walking, hunting, fishing, biking, wildlife viewing, and photography, just to name a few. Stratham residents understand that open land will not remain open in perpetuity unless protected.
In 1999, the town voted to put tax money that the town collects when a property is taken out of Current Use into the Land Conservation Fund. Previously, this fund only received $10,000 per year and little was able to be done with the fund. At the March 2002 Town Meeting voters approved $5 million bond for the purpose the Town to acquire conservation easements or open space lands. The bond was the largest in the state and was approved by the largest margin with 88% of voters approving the article.
The bond fund is not intended be used to purchase commercially zoned land, although small areas may be included if they are adjacent to larger agricultural parcels. With the creation of the conservation bond fund, the Town of Stratham now has the financial readiness to act quickly when a desirable parcel of land becomes available for sale or for conservation easement. Moreover, the bond bund has provided landowners, who are considering selling their property for development, a conservation-minded option. This can provide income to property owners who have equity in the land they own, while also allowing them to retain ownership and permanently protect open space.
In 2002, the Conservation Commission appointed an Ad Hoc Bond Subcommittee to develop criteria for land selection, to compile a list of potential properties for conservation and to assist landowners with the process of appraisals and easement development. The initiative incorporated a public hearing process which allowed for public input on the easement purchase process, with final decision making being left to the Board of Selectmen. The Commission and the Ad Hoc Committee agreed that some of the key criteria for purchase of a parcel would consider the following: whether or not parcels are in the Aquifer Protection District, have important wildlife corridors and/or viewsheds, if they protect farmland, and whether or not they are adjacent to other easement properties or town owned lands.
The Town of Stratham and its abutting communities have recently experienced tremendous growth in housing development. It is important to protect some open space areas, which allow residents to relate to the desirable qualities that originally attracted them to the Town. One of the essential reasons to plan for open space is to set a course of coordinated development for the Town that maintains the Town's high quality of life. Many times decisions are made on land use without the benefit of a unifying plan to coordinate the actions. The result is haphazard development that disregards the Town's and/or region's unique characteristics and sense of place.
The Town owns several conservation parcels. There are over 1000 acres of conservation and restricted development land in Stratham.
It is the policy of the Town of Stratham to protect Stratham's natural resources, agricultural land and other open spaces by securing the development rights to important open space and conservation lands.
2002 Open Space Bond
Fueled by the knowledge that other NH towns had funded major land conservation initiatives, the Conservation Commission decided in 2001 to embark on a major campaign to permanently protect 750 acres, roughly 1/3 of our remaining buildable land. We named the campaign Stratham, Our Town and decided to ask the voters at Town Meeting to approve a $5 million bond to be paid back over 15 years. Below are links to the 5 newsletters sent to residents to prepare them for the vote in March of 2002 as well as the Case Study. The bill passed with an 88% YES.
Newsletters regarding the 2002 $5 million Open Space Bond
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