The majority of this two-hour lecture was spent recapping results from a large number of separate New Hampshire studies. The major focus of the talk had to do with property tax impacts. The general conclusion reached was that open space, or undeveloped land, is a revenue generator for communities. On the other hand, newly built housing is a drain on the tax base, leading to higher taxes. This does not mean that town growth is bad.
People are a town's greatest resource, however, planning for that growth is important.
In general, faster town growth means property taxes increase at a faster rate. Land protection is a means that helps to balance growth with taxes. This seminar was open to local and neighboring land protection groups, as well as town officials. The purpose of this two-hour lecture was to teach about a variety of land protection techniques. People may not realize it, but there are many low cost ways that can be used to protect land from future development.