"Sprawl is Expensive"
from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)

On average, sprawling, low-density residential development usually costs local governments more to provide public services than it returns to local coffers. One recent study found that for every dollar taken in by Loudoun County, VA, it costs the county only $.50 to provide public services to farms, but $1.55 to provide public services to residentially developed land.

Another study estimated that the property tax yield of land in two- to three-acre lots can be up to nine times lower than the same area in quarter-acre lots. This means sprawl produces less tax money for schools, police and fire stations, parks, and other public services.

Sprawl accelerates the decline of cities and towns.

Metropolitan areas are rapidly spreading, even as central cities and towns decline. The City of Baltimore lost about 250,000 people over the past 25 years but its suburbs expanded by 67 percent. Therefore, the tax base of inner Baltimore is lost and jobs and businesses decline.

For more infomation visit CBF's Sprawl website

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