Sustainable Growth

It is not growth itself that is the problem, it is HOW we grow. More land was developed in the last 40 years than since 1620. This is SPRAWL development, which can be defined as a rate of land development that is three times the rate of population growth. We are not growing smart now.

Between 1980 and 2000, population increased by little over 10 percent, while the amount of land developed increased by 45 percent.
Southeastern Massachusetts is experiencing some of the greatest losses of forest to development (six of the top 20 towns in terms of forest loss are in Southeastern Massachusetts).

State and local governments must past the laws that will protect critical water and land assets while permitting growth. These policies must recognize the integrated nature of different aspects of river health-- flow, water quality, habitat quality, and plants, animals – and their interdependence with watershed land uses. State agencies must integrate their permitting for water supply withdrawals and wastewater treatment plants. For example, the state funded the expansion of sewer in Rayham, and is in the process of reviewing water supply withdrawal limits, both of which put added burden on the Taunton Wastewater treatment plant that frequently exceeds the daily permitted discharge amount even in dry months. Not surprisingly that section of the Taunton river which is impaired by pathogens.

Integrated water resources management requires us to think comprehensively about land and water use, to ‘keep water local’ and to target growth to areas with low environmental impacts. More specifically we must:

1) Invest in the purchase of open space;
2) Change zoning laws to enable towns to protect sensitive areas while creating cluster development and incorporating low impact development design; and
3) Integrate water management at the state and local levels and identify sustainable criteria in stream-line permitting process.

Smart Growth Projects in SEMA

1) South Weymouth Naval Air Station

One of the two largest development projects underway in the region is the development of the 1500 acre former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. This development will create 2,855 new homes and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space on 1500 acres without an “in basin” water supply readily available. Located in the head waters of the North River Watershed, this project will add 305 acres of impervious area, require 1.4 million gallons of water per day, and generate 1.3 million gallons per day of wastewater. Dubbed by the State as a “smart growth project”, many low impact development designs and cluster development technques have been included. However, concerns expressed in comment to the draft environmental impact statement evolve around transportation issues, loss of sensitive wetlands habitat, impact on endangered species and on-going hazardous waste remediation.

Click here for Secretary’s letter in response to DEIR.

2) A.D. Makepeace property Development

The ADM Tihonet Mixed Use Development Project is a 6,000 acre project site in the towns of Wareham, Carver, and Plymouth. The project is proposed as a phased in development over the next 25 years or more. The site currently contains the corporate headquarters of the ADM company and includes cranberry bogs as well as undeveloped lands considered ecologically significant due tot the presence of habitat for rare and endangered species and the underlying sole source aquifer.

The Secretary of Environmental Affairs established a special review procedure for the project in January 2007. The SRP application indicates that the developer will use Transfer of Development Rights and other innovative land-use tools to preserve on-going agricultureal uses, environmentally sensitive habitat and water resources and creates a stewardship minded community. Click here for the SRP certificate.

Acquiring Ecologically Sensitive Land

Purchasing land that abuts our rivers or streams or are considered essential for groundwater recharge is an important sustainable growth tool. The Commonwealth spent $30 million on land conservation in 2003 and $18 million in 2004. Although the overall amount of funding decreased the acres saved was about equivalent (close to $10,000 acres in both years). This is because the state leverage more money per dollar spent in 2004.

The Community Preservation Act matches local taxes to leverage additional private funds for the aquistion of open space (as well as affordable housing and historic preservation projects).

In the last five years CPA funds have been used to aquire 7,349 acreas of open space statewide.
In seven coastal southeastern communities, just over 11 million dollars of CPA funds were used to purchase 766 acres of open space, most of them critical to aquifer and river protection (Duxbury, Hingham, Scituate, Marshfield, Cohasset, Norwell, Plymouth).

It is important that towns continue to support and fund this critical funding mechanism! For more information to http://www.communitypreservation.org.

Zoning Reform

To do this effectively, the state’s zoning law needs to be reformed. Zoning in Massachusetts is archaic, piecemeal, and in many instances, plays to the fears of homeowners regarding growth and change. It promotes large lot residential development as a way of controlling growth, which, ironically, destroys forests, farms, and open spaces. Piecemeal efforts to amend and improve the law have met with only limited success.

If the governor is really going to streamline permitting while protecting the environment, his administration must take on Massachusetts zoning law. Zoning must be rewritten to promote density zones, transportation-oriented development, cluster and open space housing, and reduced requirements for street-width and strip parking, and multiple use districts. The Community Planning Act-II includes many of these items and is currently being considered by our state legislature. It needs your support!

Streamline Permitting

As communities pursue revenue generating development, the pressure to weaken the permitting process increases. But in the age of global climate change and water resource depletion, it is critical that we not take the conventional approach of slashing environmental protection in the name of permit streamlining. In fact, if controlling and reversing the damage done to the planet and the Commonwealth is the aim, the governor and local leaders should revisit and strengthen environmental regulation. Strengthened regulation, however, need not make development permitting more onerous. Done well, it could achieve the dual results of speeding up the permitting process and providing for a better environment.

Click here for Boston Globe article, "Push to Protect and Permit".

What We Can Do Now

Increase investments in open space preservation and acquisition to protect riparian corridors, which will positively impact water quality and quantity.
Call your state representative and senator and urge their support of the CPA-11.
Create an incentive-based environmental certification program similar to that created by Jim Hunt at the Boston Environment Department with clear, certifiable guidelines detailing environmentally sensitive site design, energy and conservation reductions, building material use, and water and wastewater infrastructure requirements. Those projects that can certify they have met all the standards should be rewarded with a foreshortened permitting process.