In November, the current owner, the American Horticultural Society (AHS) listed River Farm on the market for $32.9 million. This value was presumably premised on an appraisal that assumed the property could be significantly subdivided. In reality, River Farm is protected by a two-acre easement with the National Park Service (NPS) on its East Boulevard Drive frontage and a ten-acre easement along the Potomac River frontage that was granted to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 1978.
The NPS easement only allows a “driveway” and prohibits a road without NPS approval, which means the remaining 16 acres could only be subdivided into three lots and not a three-house-per- acre development as some assume.
The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) got an alternate and more realistic appraisal. Based on that, the NVRPA made an offer to purchase the property for about half the AHS announced price. AHS refused the offer and has not countered at this time. You can read their explanation here:
AHS claims they are selling the property because of cash flow problems, but they have spent thousands on legal fees and a public relations firm. Also, as highlighted in a recent Washington Post story, they do not appear to have liquidity problems, according to their publicly available financial statements.
At this point, our team of elected officials is well on our way to securing $7-8 million in grants and other funding to enable a purchase the property that would preserve it. Senator Adam Ebbin and Delegate Paul Krizek successfully amended the state budget with the help of Delegate Mark Sickles to include $2 million. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) has provided an initial grant of $150,000. An additional $1.5 million grant application is pending along with an application to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
It is also possible to raise an additional $3-4 million through an additional Virginia Land Conservation Tax Credit with the consent of the landowner. Altogether, the state could potentially fund 50 percent of the purchase price through grants and credits and the remaining funds would have to come from Fairfax County or private sources.
Supervisor Dan Storck and Chairman Jeff McKay have proposed a historic zoning overlay district to protect the architectural resources on the property and its historic character. The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved the overlay district last week on a 12-0 vote. Over 60 local residents testified in support. The Board of Supervisors will consider it on April 13.
In addition, in the recent General Assembly session, I passed legislation to give Fairfax County the additional authority to prohibit subdividing River Farm and to require public access to the property as part of an historic zoning overlay district. You can read my bill here:
SB1457 – Historic Sites, Urban County Executive Form of Government
With the Board of Supervisors’ agreement, I have asked Governor Ralph Northam to place an emergency clause on the bill so the county can use this authority starting in April instead of July. Governor Northam previously wrote a letter supporting saving River Farm so I am optimistic that he will agree.
Over 3,000 people have signed my petition and provided comments asking that River Farm be preserved as a public park. Please ask people to sign the petition so we can show AHS and all elected officials the depth of community support.
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) has set up an account to accept tax-deductible donations towards the purchase of River Farm and they are leading a media campaign. You can read more about that here:
Finally, the Attorney General of the District of Columbia and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring are jointly investigating AHS’s decision to sell River Farm. Enid Annenberg Haupt gave $1 million to AHS conditioned on the money being used to purchase River Farm and keep it open to the public. State and federal law prohibit charities from using their restricted funds in ways that contradict the donors’ intent.
Many people ask me what they can do to help. Here is what you can do:
#1 - Make a tax-deductible donation to help raise funds to purchase River Farm here:
#2 - Sign my petition and get others to sign and comment. I will deliver my signatures to each member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors before their vote on the River Farm historic zoning overlay ordinance so they understand the strong community support for saving River Farm. You can sign here:
Sign Petition to Save River Farm
Thank you for your interest and all of your support.
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