© lauren kreyling open space and resilience e. heidi ricci, senior policy analyst valerie massard,...
TRANSCRIPT
© Lauren Kreyling
Open Space and ResilienceE. Heidi Ricci, Senior Policy AnalystValerie Massard, AICP, CFM
Shaping the Future of Your Community Program
Working in the state’s fastest developing regions to provide community leaders and concerned citizens with tools and support to chart a more sustainable future
www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture
Losing Ground in Mass.
Losing Ground in Mass.
LANDSATMassGIS
New Development TrendsDevelopment Rates in Massachusetts (2005-2013)
Climate Change
1958-2007
Climate Change
Infrastructure Impacts
Climate Change Paradox
More Floods More Droughts
Mass Rivers Alliance 2009
Taunton River floodingFlood Safety noaa.gov
Climate Change
Source: EPAForest Cover Impacts
Climate Change
Source: Umass Extension Agriculture Impacts
Climate Change
Source: MAPC
Health Impacts
Losing Ground in Mass.
Losing Ground in Mass.
Natural Systems Defense
• Shade• Windblock• Shelter• Sponge• Carbon• Filter
Adaptation• Protect natural &
built environment
• Preserve quality of life
• Minimize harm to people, property and our economic well being
AdaptationPrioritize Protection:Important habitat and Green Infrastructure
Prioritize Development:Concentrate near infrastructureand away from important natural resourcesRegional Plans – Implementation Toolkitwww.massaudubon.org/495Toolkit
Adaptation• Protect highly resilient lands• Concentrate development
away from vulnerable areas• Align local plans and zoning• Look beyond parcel and
municipal boundaries
Losing Ground in Mass.
Losing Ground in Mass.
© Paul Blankman
What can I do?
Get involved!Talk with your municipality and local officials
Do we allow open space design? Low impact design?
Do we have a current Open Space Plan? Is it reflected in the zoning and master plan?
Are there any large projects under consideration?
Have we adopted the Community Preservation Act?
Are we planning with climate change in mind? health, emergency planning, public works, long-term capital planning, forest management
Ask questions!
www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture
Links to information are available
Losing Ground in Mass.
On-line mapping tool massaudubon.org& links to toolkits for planning
Open Space DesignLow Impact Design
Conservation Design
100 acre wooded site with field, stream, and trail before development
Two-acre zoning; conventional subdivision (34 lots, no preservation)
Natural Resource Protection Zoning (14 lots, >75% preservation)
Source: EEA Kurt Gaertner
Natural Resource Protection Zoning
Offer incentives and alternatives for developers to explore, such as:
• Smaller lot frontages and setbacks• Smaller minimum lot sizes• Reduced road widths, sidewalks• Less land clearing and grading• Transfer of development rights• Incentives for clustering
Does my community encourageopen space developments?
Conservation Design
Green Infrastructure
Reduces • Pollutants in stormwater runoff• Maintenance costs of
infrastructure• Crime• Amount of stormwater runoff
Increases • Safety • People’s sense of well being• Habitat• Property values (0.7-5%, 11%, up
to 30%)
Benefits of Green Infrastructure
• Environmental
• Aesthetics & market value
• Avoided costs
• Meeting regulatory requirements
• Adapting to Climate Change
Gap in water infrastructure funding over next 20 years, Water Infrastructure Finance Commission, 2012. Slide by Martin Pillsbury,
MAPC
• Lower infrastructure costs – less roads, stormwater management
• Reduced clearing and grading• Protect water supplies• Prevent flood damage, protect wetland
buffers and floodplains• Protect forests and farmlands• Provide open space and trails for people
and nature• Support high quality of life and property
values• Equitable land value for individual
property owners
Benefits - Reducing Sprawl & Protecting Natural Green Infrastructure
Open Space zoning can be improved upon – often:• Special Permit Required –
Discretionary• Can be long, expensive
process• Large parcel size• Less than ideal land
conservation • Dimensional
requirements make flexibility difficult
Open Space Design can be improved with:• By right/mandatory • Formula-based/quick• No minimum lot size• [60%] of land area
protected • Strategic protection through
conservation analysis• Flexible design standards –
lot size, frontage, setbacks, roads, etc.
Source: EEA Kurt Gaertner
New Model Open Space Design Bylaw/Ordinance
• Model subdivision & special permit guidelines for density bonuses, shared driveways
• Easily customized• Addresses questions
raised by Wall Street v. Westwood decision
Source: EEA Kurt Gaertner
Includes case studies, model bylaws, related
information
Source: EEA Kurt Gaertner
http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/
Examples
Source: Scott Horsley, Horsley Witten Inc.
Preserved Historic Sandwich Road, Slide courtesy of Horsley Witten Inc.
ANR Plan for Pinehills – before Open Space Design
Pinehills usingopen space
design
Horsley Witten
Slide courtesy of Horsley Witten Inc.
Residential Development - Plymouth, MA 1996-2013
Westford, Massachusetts 1971-2014
Source: Westford, Massachusetts Open Space & Recreation Plan
Communities change…
Westford, Massachusetts Technical Paper #4 - Westford Comprehensive Plan
Jarvis Way, Westford, MA
Jarvis Way
Source: Chris Kluchman, AICP, Westford’s Director of Land Use Management, and Bill Turner, Conservation/Resource Planner (retired)
It takes teamwork!
Jarvis Way• No curbing, 18 feet wide with 2 foot
shoulder
• Flexible sidewalk location, dead-end lot number maximum waived
• Waived piped drainage, allowed wider drainage swales and some increase in runoff in one location
• Trees planted, stone walls constructed, trail easements and common space created
Jarvis Way
Source: Chris Kluchman, AICP, Westford’s Director of Land Use Management, and Bill Turner, Conservation/Resource Planner (retired)
WestfordTrail Map 2014
Open Space Plan
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/eea/dcs/osrp-workbook08.pdf
http://www.mass.gov/eea/grants-and-tech-assistance/guidance-technical-assistance/open-space-resources/
Open Space PlanningState guidelines:
Private foundations Land trusts Volunteer committees –
Conservation Commission, Open Space, Community Preservation, Forestry, Agriculture, Planning
Non-profits (Mass Audubon, SEMPBA, The Nature Conservancy, i.e.)
State parks and agencies
Non-profits, volunteering
Community Preservation Act
158 communities have adopted CPA (45% of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns)
Close to $1.4 billion has been raised to date for community preservation funding statewide
21,838 acres of open space have been preserved
Nearly 1,250 outdoor recreation projects have been initiated
CPA through Feb, 2015
Source: http://www.communitypreservation.org/content/cpa-overview
Get involved!Talk with your municipality and local officials
Open Space and Resilience