1. MASTER PLAN FOR SMART GROWTH
Overview
Chapter 41, Section 81D of the Massachusetts General Laws require city and town planning boards to develop a master plan to address future growth and development, land use, housing needs, economic development, natural and cultural resources, open space and recreation, services and facilities, circulation and transportation, and implementation, including amendments to city ordinances, town bylaws, and regulations. The plan should be based on an interactive public process to determine community values and objectives. The master plan may, in part, take the form of a Community Development Plan to meet Executive Order 418 (EO418), which was enacted in 2000 to help communities identify suitable locations for new housing production.
The master plan offers a crucial opportunity to think broadly about development patterns that are healthy for both watersheds and communities. The master plan should be regularly updated and incorporate buildout projections of future development and infrastructure needs. It should also consider “smart growth” strategies to develop compactly around traditional village centers and preserve outlying open spaces. Such strategies include traditional neighborhood development, transit-oriented development, transfer of development rights, agricultural preservation, and other planning and zoning approaches.
In many cases, local codes may prohibit the use of smart growth and low-impact development (LID) techniques, and should be amended. For example, many communities currently mandate minimum sizes for residential lots and roads that lead to low-density “sprawl” development and increased dependency on driving rather than walking and public transit. Cities and towns should comprehensively review and, if necessary, amend their local codes to encourage smart growth and LID.
Local Examples
All of the communities in the Ipswich River watershed have developed some form of master plan or community development plan, in accordance with state requirements. Several towns have gone beyond the minimum by articulating detailed plans for growth management, transportation, open space preservation, and affordable housing production. For example, the town of Ipswich has developed a thoughtful community development plan and town character statement that articulate the community goal of being a vibrant small town with a well-defined downtown core and healthy economic base, surrounded by rural lands, including farms, forest, and marshes. The community development plan also identifies action steps to achieve Ipswich's goals and objectives in the areas of housing, economic development, and transportation. Land use and open space preservation are addressed separately in the town's open space plan.
Resources
Center for Watershed Protection, Code and Ordinance Worksheet (pdf)
Ipswich Community Development Plan, 2003 (html)
Ipswich Town Character Statement, 2004 (pdf)
Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Community Development Plans (html)
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Smart Growth Toolkit (html)
Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 81D Master Plan (html)
Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Low Impact Development: Do Your Local Codes Allow It? (html)
Water Wise Communities: Index
- Introduction & Using the Handbook
- How Development Affects Water (link to IRWA site)
- Checklist: Is Your Community Water Wise?
- Water Wise Tools:
