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                      A Guide For
                      New England
                      Community Officials
A NEW  ENGLAND

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sprawl (sprol) l.To cause to spread out in a strag-
gling or disordered way. 2. Haphazard growth or
extension outward, especially that resulting from
new housing on the outskirts of a city.

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Smart growth recognizes the connections
between development and quality of life. In
general, smart growth invests time, attention and
resources  in restoring vitality to center cities and
older suburbs. It ensures that growth in newly
developing areas has a minimum impact on the
environment and local taxes.

Compared to prevailing development patterns
since World War II, smart growth is more town-
centered,  transit and pedestrian-oriented, and
has a better mix of housing, commercial  and
retail use. It preserves open space and other
natural  resources. There is no uone-size-fits-all"
solution.

EPA New England views  smart growth as an
efficient way to protect people and the environ-
ment by ensuring clean water, clean air and
clean land, reuse of abandoned  industrial sites
and environmental justice for all citizens.

Following are the 10 principles for better land
use adopted by the National Governors'Associa-
tion at their annual summer meeting,  1999.

   O  Mix  land uses
   ©Take advantage of existing community
      assets
   ©  Create a range of housing opportunities
      and choices
   O  Foster "walkable" close-knit neighborhoods
   ©  Promote distinctive, attractive communities
      with a strong sense of place, including the
      rehabilitation and use of historic buildings
   0  Preserve open space, farmland, natural
      beauty and critical  environmental areas
   O  Strengthen and encourage growth in
      existing communities
   0  Provide a variety of transportation choices
   ©  Make development decisions predictable,
      fair and cost effective
   ©  Encourage citizen and stakeholder
      participation  in development decisions

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              Growth and Smart Growth are not to be
              confused. Smart Growth means healthy and
              safe neighborhoods in urban, suburban and
              rural areas; protected natural resources and
              open space; clean air and water; and equity
              and diversity in all communities.

              Sprawl or inefficient growth pollutes streams,
              rivers, bays, lakes and ponds; encourages
              traffic congestion and pollution from vehicles;
              devours open space, farmland and habitat for
              wildlife; spoils town and city centers; and
              lowers quality of life.

              To help your community grow smart, set com-
              munity goals that guide your growth while they
              also:

                 • Protect Natural Resources
                 • Encourage Compact Development
                 • Preserve Community Character
                 • Provide Housing And Transportation
                  Choices
                 • Engage The Public In Planning And
                  Decision Making
Fact:

In 50% of New Hampshire communities, 10% or
less of their  open space is protected.

  -NH's Changing Landscape. Society for the Protection of NH Forests and
                 the NH Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Oct. '99

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i Protect drinking water with local
 regulations such as aquifer and well-head
 protection, flood plain regulation,
 limits on impervious surfaces, enhanced
 wetland protection, and best management
 practices for handling storm water.

• Protect plants and animals through
 shoreline and stream-side buffers, vernal
 pool and surrounding upland protection,
 and prioritize open space protection
 with wildlife corridors in mind
i Restore damaged ecosystems when new
 development comes in. For example,
 replant with native species, require zero
 runoff, limit asphalt coverage, require
 state of the art septic systems
, Dedicate  a portion of the community's
 annual budget for open space protection/
 acquisition
i Protect working farms with agricultural
 preservation zoning and tax incentives
i Think beyond town boundaries on a
 regional and watershed basis
• Provide funding mechanisms for  imple-
 mentation of town goals such as  open
 space or drinking water protection
 through impact fees, real estate  transfer
 taxes, water fee set-asides
Fact:

Massachusetts loses 44 acres of woods, forest,
fields or farms to residential, commercial or
industrial development every day.
        -Losing Ground, by Jennifer Steel. MA Audubon Society. May V99

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                 i Promote development that mixes more
                  than one use per building (e.g.,
                  commercial and housing, public services
                  and retail)

                  Reuse abandoned buildings and sites, and
                  where appropriate place higher density
                  housing hear commercial centers and
                  transit routes, parks, job centers, sewer
                  and utility lines
                  Redesign  under-utilized shopping areas to
                  include housing, services, entertainment
                  and public spaces
                  Protect open space by making conservation
                  subdivisions easier to permit, or establish a
                  purchase of development rights program or
                  transfer of development rights program
                  Create neighborhoods, not just subdivisions,
                  with well-defined centers and edges
                 i Rehabilitate older schools by eliminating
                  environmental and health hazards before
                  building new schools in undeveloped areas.
                  Hazards include lead paint, pesticides,
                  asbestos, cleaning products, chemistry lab
                  chemicals and radon
                  Channel development to areas with
                  adequate  existing infrastructure (e.g.,
                  roads, sewer, water)
                  Plan and build infrastructure in places
                  where growth should occur (e.g., in exist-
                  ing town centers) and do not build
                  infrastructure in areas that warrant
                  protection
Fact:

Between 1970 and 1995 the number of elementary
and secondary school students in Maine actually
declined by 27,000. Yet from 1975 to 1995 Maine
allocated $727  million  to new school construction
and additions.
               -The Cost of  Sprawl. May'97 ME State Planning Office

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i Craft a master plan and ordinances that
 promote the goals of your community with
 measurable results and time-lines
i Adopt downtown and main street design
 guidelines
i Locate town hall, library, schools, transit
 stations and post offices in town center
, Institute an architectural review process
> Insist on pedestrian-scaled buildings
i Integrate housing into town centers (e.g.,
 encourage full use of vacant upper stories
 including housing or services)
i Ensure that growth does not stress the
 community's budget
i Use your town center or main street for
 civic celebrations
i Rehabilitate abandoned buildings for town
 use
i Protect scenic roads
i Adopt historic district zoning
i Delay demolition, landmark laws
i Protect historic or architectural features
 with special permits
i Adopt sign-control ordinances to enhance
 the aesthetic  appeal of your community
i Prepare an open-space protection plan;
 work to implement the plan with local,
 regional and state-wide land conservation
 partners
Rhode Island has developed land at 9 times the
rate of their population growth.
             -The Cost of Sprawl and Urban Decay. Grow Smart RI/00

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i Encourage pedestrian and bike use by
 adding street trees, benches, on-street
 parking; consolidating curb cuts; adding
 cross walks; and enforcing speed limits

i Use "Traffic Calming" techniques
i Keep local roads narrow to control speed/
 reduce speed limits and enforce those
 limits. Add street trees to slow traffic
, Increase incentives to use public
 transportation
i Reduce incentives for single occupancy
 vehicles
i Review your community's parking
 requirements; consider shared parking
i Design street patterns with multiple
 connections and direct routes to spread
 traffic
i Incorporate transit-oriented design
 features into new development or rede-
 velopment
i Encourage a wide range of affordable
 housing choices so that seniors, singles,
 and young people are not priced
 out of their home towns
i Mix housing types to encourage diversity
 within neighborhoods
i Achieve, where appropriate, an average
 density of 6 to 7 housing units per acre to
 make transit possible
i Eliminate or reduce environmental and
 health hazards in new housing, in
 renovated housing, and in building
 maintenance practices
* Enforce environmental and public health
 codes such as trash disposal, recycling,
 .lead paint removal, and asbestos removal
i Promote home ownership

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i Use a consensus process with a wide
 range of community interests to update
 your master/comprehensive plan

i Have on board a conservation
 commission agent, a planner, a board of
 health agent, an environmental
 enforcement officer, a certified building
 inspector
i Develop an easily understood, coordinated
 development process, including
 preliminary site plan review meetings
i Adopt growth bylaws such as
 • designated growth areas
 • limits on building permits per year
 • phased growth bylaws
 • performance-based development
   standards and impact fees
 • service boundaries for sewer and water
   that supports the community's vision
   and regulations
i Use local regulations to support rather
 than detract from  local planning goals
i Educate the public about septic system
 maintenance, water conservation,
 recycling, indoor air quality, lead paint
 removal, asbestos  removal, radon
 detection and healthy ecosystems
i Provide funding mechanisms to implement
 town goals
 Fact:

 From  1981 to 1996, the annual number of miles
 driven by each Vermonter increased by an average
 of 43%.
                                        -Exploring Sprawl #2
                     a publication of The Vermont Forum on Sprawl

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Environmental Protection Agency
Alison Walsh - RAA
1 Congress Street, Boston MA 02114
phone 617-918-1593 fax 617-918-1029
Walsh.Alison@epa.gov

Connecticut

James Gibbons and Laurie Giannotti
Cooperative Extension Educators
University of Connecticut Extension Service
1066 Saybrook Road, PO Box 70
Haddam CT 06438
phone 860-345-4511 fax 860-345-3357
jgibbons@canr.uconn.edu
lgiannot@canr.uconn.edu
web site - http://nemo.uconn.edu

Helen Speck
Regional Plan Association, Director CT
Office Two Landmark Square, Suite 108
Stamford CT 06901
phone 203-356-0392 fax 203-356-0392
speck@rpa.org

Rhode Island

Scott Wolf, Executive Director
Grow Smart Rhode Island
345 South Main Street, Providence RI 02903
phone 401-273-5711 fax 401-331-1659
swolf@growsmartri.com
website - http://www.growsmartri.com

Scott Millar
Supervising Environmental Scientist
Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence RI 02908
phone 401-222-3434 x 4419
smillar@dem.state.ri.us

Massachusetts

Gisela Walker
Extension Educator
Natural  Resources and
Environmental Conservation
Department of Landscape Architecture and
Regional Planning
129 Hills N.

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University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003
phone 413-545-2188 fax 413-545-1795
gwalker@umext.umass.edu

Priscilla Geigis
Director, Community Preservation Initiative
MA Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
251 Causeway Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA
phone 617-616-1131
priscilla.geigis-env@state.ma.us

New Hampshire

Kate Hartnett
New Hampshire Comparative Risk Project/
Minimum Impact Dev. Partnership
18 Low Street 2nd floor, Concord N H 03301
phone 603-226-1009 fax 603-226-0042
katehart@tiac.net

Steve Whitman- Principal Planner
Office of State Planning
21/2 Beacon Street, Concord NH 03301
phone 603-271-2155 fax 603-271-1728
s_whitman@osp.state.nh.us
http://www.state.state.nh.us/osp/

Vermont

Beth Humstone, Director
Vermont Forum on Sprawl
110 Main Street Burtington, VT 05401
phone 802-864-6310
sprawlvt@together.net
website - http://www.vtsprawl.org

Gina Campoli - Growth Policy Analyst
Vermont Agency of Natural  Resources
103 South Main Street, Waterbury VT 05671
phone 802r241-3618
gina.campoli@anrmail.anr.state.vt.us

Peg Elmer -Director of Planning, AICP
Department of Housing and  Community Affairs
National Life Building- drawer 20
Montpellier,VT 05620
phone 802-828-5220 fax 802-828-2928
pelmer@dca.state.vt.us

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                  Richard Barringer
                  University of Southern Maine
                  Muskie School of Public Service
                  96 Falmouth Street, Portland ME 04104
                  phone 207-780-4418 fax 207-780-5646
                  barringr@usm.maine.edu

                  Judy Cooper
                  State Planning Office
                  State House Station 38, Augusta ME 04333
                  phone 207-287-6417
                  judy.cooper@state.me.us
                  http://www.state.me.us/spo
                  American Farmland Trust
                  http://www.farmland.org

                  Antidotes to Sprawl: Federal Contacts to Help
                  Communities Promote Sustainable Land-Use
                  http://www.epa.gov/region5/sprawl/index.html

                  Brookings Institution: Center on Urban and
                  Metropolitan Policy
                  http://www.brook.edu/es/urban/urban.htm

                  Center of Excellence for Sustainable
                  Development Land Use Planning Introduction
                  http://sustainable.doe.gov:80/landuse/
                  luintro.htm

                  EPA New England Library
                  http://www.epa.gov/region01/oarm/index.html

                  Hart Environmental  Data: Indicators of
                  Sustainability
                  http://www.subjectmatters.com/mdicators/
                  htmlsrc/aboutindicators.html

                  LGC Growth Management
                  http://www.uwex.edu/lgc/growth/growth.htm
                  Lincoln institute of Land Policy
                  http://www.lincolninst.edu/main.html -

                  Nonpoint Education for  Municipal Officials or
                  MEMO
                  .http://www.canr.uconn.edu/ces/nemo/
                  Sierra Club
                  http://www.sierraclub.org/transportation/
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Smart Growth Network Homepage
http://smartgrowth.sustainable.org/
index_frameset.html

SPRAwL
http://www.noel.pd.org/topos/sprawl.html
Sprawl Resource Guide
http://www.plannersweb.com/sprawl/
sprawl5.html

Sprawl, Rochester Style (by Mayor William A.
Johnson, Jr.)
htt"p://204.97.3.30:8080/apps/sprawl.nsf

Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse
http://www.sprawlwatch.org.

The Sustainable Development Institute
http://www.susdev.org

Transportation Action Network
http://www.transact.org

Transportation for Livable Communities
Network
http://www.tlcnetwork.org

The Urban Center Publications
http://cua6.csuohio.edu/~ucweb/pubs.htm
The Vermont Forum on Sprawl
http://www.vtsprawl.org/index3.htm
Alternatives to Sprawl (1995)
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Cambridge, MA

Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the
Age of Sprawl (1997)
Richard  Moe and Carter Wilkie
Henry Holt & Co., New York

Cityrou'tes Cityrights:  Building Livable
Neighborhoods and Environmental Justice by
Fixing Transportation  (1998)
Conservation Law Foundation
Boston, MA

Costs of Sprawl: Executive Summary (1974)
Costs of Sprawl: Detailed Cost Analysis
Costs of Sprawl: Literature Review and
Bibliography
Council on Environmental  Quality
Washington, DC
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                The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and
                Decline of America's  Man-Made Landscape
                (1993)
                James Howard Kunstler
                Simon & Schuster, New York

                Land Use in America  (1996)
                Henry L. Diamond and Patrick F. Noonan
                Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge
                MA& Island Press, Washington DC

                Why Smart Growth: A Primer (1998)
                International City/County  Management
                Association with Geoff Anderson
                ICMA-Smart Growth  Network
                Washington, DC
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