UPDATE TO POSITION STATEMENT - EVANS SPRING DEVELOPMENT PLAN
THE SIERRA CLUB, ROANOKE GROUP
March 12, 2024
The Roanoke Group of the Sierra Club, representing over 800 members in Southwestern Virginia, is concerned about the potential loss of over half of the urban tree canopy in the 150 acre area of Roanoke designated as Evans Spring, which would occur if rezoning was approved for the Consultant’s development proposal as amended by City Council and added to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Council’s 4-3 approval vote left in place the proposal’s inclusion of a bridge from Valley View Mall and a new big box store with its impervious asphalt parking lot in an area where flood impact is critical and would require the felling of the current tree canopy there. The trees in the property currently contribute many significant environmental services to the City. The addendum to this Roanoke Group Sierra Club’s updated position statement lists 10 reasons why preserving the current canopy would be consistent with Roanoke’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan and its Climate Action Plan. Protecting this canopy would benefit Roanoke economically, environmentally, and contribute to public health.
Research published last month that focused on eastern forests indicated that this reestablished tree canopy has blunted global heating mainly through the trees’ transpiration, in which water is drawn up through tree roots to the leaves and then released into the air as vapor, thus cooling the surrounding area. Through data from satellites and weather stations located across the Eastern US from 1900 to 2000, Prof. Mallory Barnes of Indiana University, the lead researcher, and her colleagues, found forested areas provide this cooling impact on a grand scale, with most of this effect occurring within 400 meters of the trees. All told, researchers found that Eastern forests cool our area by 1C to 2C (1.8F to 3.6F) each year, and the cooling effect is strongest on the hottest days in summer, when trees lower temperatures by 2C to 5C (3.6F to 9F). Barnes wrote that the research should particularly boost efforts to preserve forests near urban communities.
Roanoke’s own guiding documents indicate the importance of preserving Evans Spring’s tree canopy. Roanoke’s Climate Action Plan and its 2040 Comprehensive Plan assert that “harmony with nature” is an important value, and this includes the importance of prudent land use and water resource management. Preserving Evans Spring’s green space with its full canopy clearly supports this important value from Roanoke’s 2040 City Plan. The Climate Action Plan was officially adopted and highlights the key challenge of serious physical and mental impacts from increasing heat in urban Roanoke as noted in the Mayor’s introduction (p.4) and in several sections describing results of City heat studies, which particularly note the importance (and current lack) of shade, vegetation, and tree canopy for cooling (Chapter 2, p. 18, p. 20-21). The Climate Action Plan calls City leaders to “identify sensitive lands within the City and create practices to protect and encourage connections between them (Chapter 8, p. 100). It also calls for “maintenance, protection, and growth of the City’s tree cover,” including to “Protect mature trees throughout the City,” and encourages “various methods such as forest conservation plans” (p. 102). It further proposes "strategic acquisition of floodplain areas (p. 103), as part of an effort to "protect the natural function of under-developed floodplains” (p. 104). Finally, the Climate Action Plan calls for the City to "conduct an economic evaluation to monetize ecosystem services" for areas "under potential development” (p. 114). These statements should inform our leaders’ decision-making.
What’s more, the Sierra Club believes that planning for the future of this last undeveloped acreage in Roanoke should consider environmental justice. Environmental justice affirms the ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from destructive overdevelopment.
Environmental justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all people, without discrimination or bias. Environmental justice affirms the right to ethical, balanced, and responsible uses of land and resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for all living things. Past wrongs done to people of color during the period of urban renewal in the 1960s now necessitates that City Council be particularly sensitive to and considerate of the wishes of current residents of the neighborhoods around Evans Spring.
Clearly, the Evans Spring wetland is a sensitive area worth acquiring and preserving for the enjoyment and education of the public. Allowing rezoning for development if housing, commerce, office space and access from Valley View Mall would over the long term adversely affect the Spring, Lick Run, and the City. Of course, current state and federal regulations determine what can and can’t be done in wetlands and floodplains.* In our view, Evans Spring, and the rare and extensive wetland it feeds, is a priceless asset for Roanoke. We reiterate our recommendation that this site be minimally developed and designated a nature park, with boardwalks and interpretive signage, such as what was done at Roanoke County property adjoining the South County Library. Adding a nature center would bolster opportunities for education and inspiration for visitors. This wetland can be turned into an accessible attraction that enhances the surrounding neighborhood, preserves native plant and animal species, and provides wildlife habitat.
Therefore, the Roanoke Group Sierra Club urges Roanoke City’s Planning Committee and City Council to deny any rezoning that would allow development in Evans Spring consistent with the amended Consultant’s Proposal.
Endorsed by the Executive Committee
Roanoke, Virginia, March 12, 2024
*Note: Evans Spring is an isolated rather than a tidal wetland. Virginia regulated isolated wetlands with its adoption of the Nontidal Wetlands Act of 2001. The Act places responsibility for regulating isolated wetlands with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), acting through the DEQ’s Virginia Water Protection Program. Anyone wanting to develop in an isolated wetland needs a permit from the DEQ and might also need a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Research cited:
Barnes, et al, 2024, ‘A Century of Reforestation Reduced Anthropogenic Warming in the Eastern United States.’ Note: Forest age data from North American Carbon Program. Age estimates as of 2019 at 1km resolution. Temperature data from Delaware Air Temperature & Precipitation Dataset.
ADDENDUM MARCH 2024: BENEFITS TO PRESERVING URBAN FORESTS
- Property Value: Properties adjacent to well-maintained forests and green spaces often have higher property values than those without. This can increase the overall wealth of a community and generate more property tax revenue for local governments.
- Tourism: Urban forests can attract tourists, leading to increased revenue for local businesses and the tourism industry.
- Reduced Energy Costs: Trees provide shade, reducing the need for air conditioning in the summer. They also act as windbreaks, lowering heating costs in the winter.
- Job Creation: The preservation and maintenance of urban forests can create jobs in fields like forestry, landscaping, and environmental science.
- Health Benefits: Urban forests improve air quality by absorbing pollutants, which can decrease healthcare costs related to respiratory illnesses. They also promote physical activity and mental health, leading to a healthier and more productive population.
- Stormwater Management: Urban forests help to manage stormwater runoff, mitigating the impact of flooding and reducing the cost associated with stormwater infrastructure. We have several properties that already deal with flooding Morningside Manor Indian Rock Village and Jamestown, with the updated flood risk map Villages at Lincoln have several units at risk of flooding and this is with Evans Spring intact.
- Carbon Sequestration: By absorbing CO2, urban forests help to fight climate change, potentially saving costs related to climate-related disasters and health issues.
- Biodiversity: Urban forests promote biodiversity, which can have various economic benefits, including potential sources of new drugs and materials, pest control, pollination of crops, and more.
- Educational Opportunities: Urban forests can serve as outdoor classrooms, providing educational opportunities for students and researchers.
- Quality of Life: Urban forests contribute to the quality of life, making a locality more attractive to potential residents and businesses.