The primary objective of this study which was sponsored by the American Farmland Trust and the government of Loudon County, Virginia, was to develop a methodology using actual county data wherever possible to estimate not only what the net public costs of new residential development in the county were likely to be, but also whether these costs could be expected to vary significantly with the density of such development, and if so, how?

This objective was achieved with results that show a net public revenue shortfall from new residential development in Loudon County for all densities tested – from one unit per five acres to 4.5 units per acre. Net public costs were estimated to be approximately three times as large per new dwelling unit for the lowest density as for the highest density within this range.