After 25 years and nearly 50,000 acres, sunset is still far from the horizon for Chester County’s commitment to preserving the beauty of its open spaces.

“I do not see this board saying it’s done. It is one of the things that people mention most, that is most important to them,” Commissioner Terence Farrell said in the final part of a three-part Daily Local News series on the Department of Open Space Preservation. “It is critically important to our citizens. It is one of the things that makes Chester County so special a place, its natural beauty. We love our open space.”

And though it sometimes competes with development, open space actually drives economic benefits. In fact, it’s a key component of the VISTA 2025 initiative, which Commissioner Michelle Kichline has lauded for its balanced approach.

“It is the best new economic development plan I’ve seen,” she said. “It combines progress in the county with preservation. That’s unique.”

According to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s “Return on Environment” report, open spaces “contribute to our local economies and property values, and they help us save on everything from health care to recreation” by increasing home property values, reducing recreation costs, attracting millions of dollars for job creation and easing infrastructure costs.

The soon-to-be 50,000 acres preserved by the county currently represents 26 percent of Chester County’s almost 500,000 total acres of land, and with a $10 million-per-year investment, it’s on pace to reach its goal of 30 percent of the county protected by 2019.

“There is a lot of good opportunity these days to purchase land,” North American Land Trust President Andrew Johnson said in the article. “Property once worth more than $50 million can be had today for $20 million. You can get more for your buck.”

But alongside Chester County’s powerful business growth, there are also challenges facing the future of open space, especially with the local population projected to increase by 148,000 by 2040. That makes the county’s strategy for what remaining open space ought to be preserved all the more important. At some point, sunset may finally descend on the majestic Chester County landscape.

“That day will come,” said Department of Open Space Preservation Director Bill Gladden. “But I do not think that that day will come soon. There’s a lot more to be done.”

Read much more about the future of Chester County’s parks, farms and natural preserves in the Daily Local News here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of the issue here.