Planning and Zoning Reform Energy and the Environment

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Planning and Zoning Reform Energy and the
Environment
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Appropriate Areas and Actions Energy Perspective

• Goals
• Site renewable and other clean energy facilities
• Concentrate growth to realize energy and
  emissions benefits
• Implement green building practices
• Enhance energy efficiency

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Appropriate Areas and Actions Energy Perspective

• EEA proposes that municipalities implement
  certain energy measures as a condition of plan
  endorsement. Possibilities include
• Adopt an expedited application and permitting
  process for clean energy generating facilities or
  clean energy research and development or
  manufacturing facilities
• Adopt an ordinance or bylaw requiring any new
  developments to minimize the life-cycle cost of
  the facility by utilizing green building, energy
  efficiency, water conservation, and other clean
  energy technologies
• Produce or enter into a contract to purchase a
  fixed percentage of electricity consumed by
  municipally owned buildings, street and traffic
  lights from clean energy sources and/or
• Designate growth districts that meet minimum
  density standards and mandate use of TDR and
  cluster in conservation districts.

MA Audubons White Conservation Center
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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Step One Issue planning goals that elaborate
upon the Sustainable Development Principles and
specify core conservation objectives
Three Examples of Conservation Objectives

• PVPC - Valley Vision 2
• Rare species priority habitats
• Aquifer Protection Overlay Zones
• 200 foot buffers around water bodies
• Zone II wellhead protection areas for Public
  Wells
• Interim wellhead protection areas
• Watersheds for public water supply reservoirs
• Wetlands and 100 foot buffers
• Steep slopes over 15
• Active Farmland
• 100 year floodplains
• Land prioritized for protection in local Open
  Space Plans

• E.O. 418 Community Development Plan (selected
  layers)
• Water Resources
• Riparian Corridors
• Wetlands and wetland buffer areas
• Areas of current or potential significance for
  groundwater recharge (based on best available
  surficial geology)
• Watershed areas
• Current public water supplies and areas of
  contribution
• Flood hazard areas (FEMA Flood Insurance Maps)
• Habitat
• Critical habitat areas including habitat of
  rare, threatened, and endangered species
• Areas of significance for biodiversity
• Natural communities, particularly significant or
  unusual natural communities
• Linkages between riparian corridors, wetlands,
  and upland habitat.
• Land Use
• Existing and potential greenways or trail
  corridors (link protected lands)
• Landscapes of historic, scenic, or community
  character significance
• Working landscapes such as lands currently used
  for or with the potential for agricultural or
  silvicultural use
• Large areas of undeveloped/unfragmented land
• Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

• ELM List
• Drinking water protection
• Threatened and endangered species
• Large contiguous parcel of land
• Prime agricultural soils/farmland
• Habitat connector/corridor
• Serves underserved urban population
• Coastal salt marsh
• Vernal pools
• Rail-to-trail possibility
• Superlative scenic resource
• Contains unique natural resources
• Old growth forests

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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Step Two Utilize the GIS data layers that
correspond to the core conservation objectives to
objectively rank land by level of conservation
value the most important lands are deemed
priority conservation areas. (objectives
and/or weighting could vary by region)
An example of how GIS might be used to weight
conservation interests and establish a
conservation rating
Conservation Rating
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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Step Two (continued) Adjust the criteria based
on analysis of the amount of priority land area
designated in each community in order to
reasonably balance environmental stewardship,
local control, and other state interests.
The amount of land in a municipality deemed a
priority conservation area will vary based on
resources present.
Town of Raynham E.O. 418 Natural Resource
Priorities Map
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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Step Three A MassGIS planning tool provides an
easily accessible Conservation Priority data
layer so that plans and implementing regulations
can be completed with reasonable assurance that
they will be endorsed as consistent.
     "OLIVER" -- The MassGIS Online Data Viewer
  Enhanced Version 2.4 Released on June 8,
2005
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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Ripton, MA
Step Four Establish a performance
requirement. Endorsement requires utilization
of a listed conservation zoning best practice for
gt50 (working number pending further analysis) of
a communitys land designated a priority
conservation area.
The amount of land in a municipality deemed a
priority conservation area will vary based on
resources present.
Priority Conservation Areas
Municipally Designated Conservation Area
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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Listed conservation zoning best practices would
include mandatory
growth area
preservation area
Open Space Residential (Cluster) Development
Transfer of Development Rights
Agricultural or Natural Resource Based Zoning
Low Impact Development
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Location and Size of Appropriate Areas
Conservation Perspective
Urban/developed communities lacking priority
conservation areas instead address deficiencies
in park and recreational space and/or restore
current environmental degradation.
Municipal land use practices continue to be
assessed via Commonwealth Capital and remain a
factor in state funding decisions in order to
address sprawl outside priority conservation
areas.
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Planning and Zoning Reform Energy and the
Environment