Rapidly growing small towns like Bozeman face choices with long-term consequences for their communities. Next month, Gallatin County residents will be asked to consider its second open space bond initiative. While I tend to favor preserving open space, I also recognize there are tradeoffs. Alas, not all cherished values are free. To get some things we must give up others.

I recently bought a condo in one of Bozeman’s new subdivisions. When the neighborhood is finished it will include about 90 acres of city-mandated open space: trails, playing fields, a deeded trout creek, and two small lakes. We already have a pioneering flock of Canada geese encamped at the first, unfinished lake.

All this open space is one reason I bought in this development. It provides recreational opportunities, adds to the beauty and attractiveness of the neighborhood, and no doubt will increase our property values. But I recognize it also imposes costs.

Growing communities face many “needs” but have limited resources to address them. In Bozeman there are several public projects competing for taxpayers’ funds. The high school needs serious upgrades or an entirely new building. The 911 emergency call center is requesting more funds to improve service. Police continue to “catch and release” drunk drivers and other lawbreakers because the jail is full. The new library is running short of money. Story Mansion has been slowly rotting for lack of funds since the city bought it (though we may get a $300,000 “donation” from American taxpayers). Add to this another $10 million open space bond issue. This is money that, if approved, won’t be available for the other important projects.

Preserving open space requires tradeoffs. Here are a few.

One, since the developer must recoup the cost of the mandated open land, which he can’t sell to builders, the price of building lots will be higher. This is passed on to the consumer in the form of higher home prices in the development.

Second, city-mandated and otherwise preserved open space means less land is available for housing. This increases home prices not just in Bozeman, but most likely in Belgrade, Four Corners, and Gallatin Gateway as people look further afield for affordable homes. Current land- and homeowners benefit from the increase in property values of course, but less affluent renters and newcomers to the area will find it harder to afford their own piece of Montana.

Third, preserving open space and reigning in sprawl do not necessarily go hand in hand. To the extent that open space is preserved in or near currently developed or developing areas, it creates less dense development, i.e., sprawl. Homes that would have been built on the 90 acres of open space in my neighborhood will have to be built elsewhere -- on the next available 90 acres, farther from the city center. Thus, unless we halt growth altogether, mandating open space in new developments and otherwise preserving it within the Bozeman-Belgrade area increases the rate of sprawl and the spread of development.

And keep in mind that open space is a matter of scale. According to the Statistical Abstract of the United States, 5 percent of the land in the U.S. (excluding Alaska and DC) is developed. In Montana, 31 percent of the land is owned by the federal government, 69 percent is nonfederal rural land, and only 1 percent of the nonfederal land is developed (this sums to more than 100 percent due to different data sources). The USDA’s 2002 Census of Agriculture indicates that 42 percent of Gallatin County is in farms, and the county’s web site states that “nearly half of all the land in Gallatin County is under public ownership.” Finally, according to the Bozeman 2020 Community Plan, public facilities/parks and vacant land together make up 41 percent of the land area within Bozeman city limits.

It’s very difficult to separate economic growth from population growth. People generally don’t move to failing towns. The qualities that make Bozeman attractive -- environmental amenities (like open space), a university, an airport, and a well-educated work force -- contribute to its economic success.

Balancing the demands of a growing community is not easy. Responsible adults realize we can’t have everything. Understanding that all choices require tradeoffs can help us act with maturity.