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River Farm, the 25-acre Potomac River property that has served as headquarters of the American Horticultural Society since 1973, has been permanently protected from commercial and residential development under a conservation easement announced Friday.
The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, an Annandale-based regional land trust, and AHS marked the completion of the easement with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the property Friday afternoon. The agreement secures the site as publicly accessible open space in perpetuity, the organizations said.
Though River Farm carries an Alexandria mailing address, the property sits in the Mount Vernon District of Fairfax County. State Sen. Scott Surovell and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck attended Friday's ceremony alongside NVCT Executive Director Alan Rowsome and AHS President and CEO Suzanne Laporte.
Once part of George Washington's original Mount Vernon estate, River Farm operates as a public garden and educational site. The easement, held and monitored by NVCT, includes legal protections that bar future commercial and residential development while allowing AHS to continue its programming, according to the organizations.
The agreement closes a campaign that began in 2020, when the AHS board placed the property on the market. The decision drew opposition from AHS members, local residents, elected officials and conservation groups. NVCT led the resulting Save River Farm campaign with a committee of local residents.
"River Farm has truly come full circle," Laporte said in a statement. "We are thrilled to see this historic property permanently protected after a period of uncertainty."
Rowsome credited a broad coalition for the outcome. "The protection of River Farm for all time is an example of what we can accomplish when we work together to make a difference in our region," he said.
AHS Board Chair Scott C. Plein called the easement "a grand milestone in the history of AHS, River Farm, and the entire Northern Virginia region." The organizations also credited five AHS board members who pushed to preserve the property as the society's headquarters during the campaign.
Under the easement, River Farm will remain home to native plants and wildlife and continue to host public events, educational programs and garden exhibits under the stewardship of AHS and NVCT.
Founded in 1994, NVCT has protected close to 9,000 acres across Northern Virginia, according to the organization. AHS, founded in 1922, has been headquartered at River Farm since 1973.
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