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© Lauren Kreyling Open Space and Resilience E. Heidi Ricci, Senior Policy Analyst Valerie 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. MassGIS LANDSAT New Development Trends Development Rates in Massachusetts (2005-2013) Climate Change 1958-2007 Climate Change Infrastructure Impacts Climate Change Paradox Taunton River flooding Flood Safety noaa.gov Mass Rivers Alliance 2009 More Floods More Droughts Climate Change Forest Cover Impacts Source: EPA Climate Change Agriculture Impacts Source: Umass Extension Climate Change Health Impacts Source: MAPC 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 Adaptation Prioritize Protection: Important habitat and Green Infrastructure Prioritize Development: Concentrate near infrastructure and away from important natural resources Regional Plans – Implementation Toolkit www.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 Ask questions! 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 Links to information are available www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture Losing Ground in Mass. On-line mapping tool massaudubon.org & links to toolkits for planning Open Space Design Low Impact Design Conservation Design Natural Resource Protection Zoning 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 Does my community encourage open space developments? 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 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 Benefits - Reducing Sprawl & Protecting Natural Green Infrastructure • 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 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 Source: EEA Kurt Gaertner 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. 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 http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/ Includes case studies, model bylaws, related information Source: EEA Kurt Gaertner 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 using open 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) Westford Trail Map 2014 Open Space Plan Open Space Planning State guidelines: http://www.mass.gov/eea /docs/eea/dcs/osrpworkbook08.pdf http://www.mass.gov/eea /grants-and-techassistance/guidancetechnicalassistance/open-spaceresources/ Non-profits, volunteering 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 Community Preservation Act CPA through Feb, 2015 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 Source: http://www.communitypreservation.org/content/cpa-overview Get involved! Talk with your municipality and local officials Open Space and Resilience