In an effort to slow Massachusetts’ recent rapid growth, State Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) has presented an anti-sprawl bill to the Legislature.
Urban sprawl, the unplanned and inefficient use of open land, is one of the most important issues that face the state of Massachusetts today, according to Pacheco.
Massachusetts is in a period of unprecedented, tremendous growth, according to Jim Gomes, president of the Massachusetts Environmental League. He said the population of Massachusetts grew 28 percent between the years 1950 and 1990, while the amount of developed land grew by 188 percent.
Gomes also pointed out that the air quality in Massachusetts ranks 33rd in the nation. In a slew of recently published reports about Massachusetts, several facts surrounding growth and development have surfaced: Massachusetts is the 6th smallest state, 13th largest population, and 7th most hours spent in traffic.
Pacheco saw the urgency and necessity for change in the reports of Massachusetts’ serious growth problem, prompting him to propose the Livable Communities Act.
“Urban sprawl typically changes the character and aesthetics of a community. The picturesque scenes typical of New England small towns are quickly disappearing in Massachusetts.
“They are being eaten by sprawl. We need to direct growth to where we know the communities are able to sustain it.”
Urban sprawl is detrimental to communities and to the state of Massachusetts, in several other ways as well, he said. The development and building of schools, the water supply and other natural resources, the environment and the general quality of life in Massachusetts all suffer as a result of poor growth planning and development.
“There is a growing awareness about the air pollution, the traffic and the depletion of natural resources caused by urban sprawl among the agencies and citizens of Massachusetts,” Gomes said. “These unignorable side effects of urban sprawl are making Massachusetts a less special place to live.”
The Livable Communities Act does not discourage growth. It discourages unplanned and inefficient growth by establishing state policies that oppose sprawl. Development and building will be directed to those communities that have sufficient means and infrastructure to support the influx of jobs and people.
“It is inefficient for state taxpayers to be subsidizing sprawl when we have available infrastructure in areas nearby,” Pacheco said.
Gomes provided an example to clarify the intent of the bill.
“If the state subsidizes new roads and sewer lines to reach companies that are building in the suburbs, then the state is taking away green spaces: farms, forests and fields,” he said. “Of course the new business will provide new jobs, but it will also mean more people and more cars. Because there is no mode of public transportation, the traffic will increase drastically in these communities.
“If we encourage businesses to come to Massachusetts, we should direct them to developed areas, where public transportation and existing infrastructure can support their growth — towns such as Worcester, Lowell, and Cambridge are perfect examples.”
The bill will also provide rewards and incentives for those communities that decide to take part in more sensible and conservational urban planning. The state will send technical support to the communities to aid their planning, and once a community has completed a plan, the plan will go through a state certification process.
If the state determines that the plan meets all 10 specific urban development goals outlined in the bill, the community will receive priority status for future state grants as a reward for its hard work.
“The way that urban planning is done presently is very piecemeal. This bill will provide a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to urban development. It will force regional planning, as well as a new perspective on community expansion and direction upon the legislators, communities and people of Massachusetts.” said Mindy Lubber, a former regional administrative director for the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The separate community development projects will enable the government to understand and address the needs of the state as a whole,” Pacheco added.
The plan received formidable support on Monday. Several environmental, planning and real estate groups, including the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and the Massachusetts Real Estate Association, were present at the hearing. All groups in attendance showed support for the bill.
Still, Pacheco is enthusiastic about the fate of the bill. It’s in its early stages, but over the next month to six weeks, he hopes to hold enough internal meetings and make enough technical revisions to have a finalized bill to put before the Legislature by the end of April to early May.
“The bill speaks to the future of communities and to the future of Massachusetts. It is on the fast track to success,” he said.
“This bill will go a long way,” Lubber said. “It is a system that finally allows us to develop smart communities with limited open space, in an effort to preserve the great state of Massachusetts.”
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