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Massachusetts
Without Smart Growth, MetroFuture Report Paints Bleak Picture for Northern Boston Communities
To protect their quality of life from erosion by sprawl or at least to limit its harms, many Boston area communities, especially in the north, should concentrate development around urban centers and transportation hubs, cluster housing on smaller lots, build affordable units and otherwise pursue smart growth, recommends the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) in its ''MetroFuture'' forecast for 2030.
''A lot of communities felt they were growing too fast, so they adopted large-lot zoning as a way out of the problem,'' observed MAPC Executive Director Marc Draisen. ''They have since discovered they are losing open space just as fast to lawns and driveways.''
According to the forecast, report Boston Globe writers Kay Lazar and Matt Carroll, without the recommended land use changes, builders will scatter some 5,100 new housing units mostly throughout open space, the region will lose more than 19,000 acres instead of just 5,700, and the number of communities seriously threatened by water shortages will jump from 4 to 12.
Though some northern tier communities saved more open space than others did, they often fail to meet the state's target of making 10 percent of housing affordable to lower income residents.
In Boxford, the last on the state list, only 0.7 percent of the housing is deemed affordable, with its planning board member Holly Langer saying some residents ''have grown up and are working in town, and can't afford to stay here.''
Still, she doesn't see how the town could build the recommended cluster and affordable housing, given its two tiny village centers on opposite sides, and the lack of any commercial base, public transit or municipal water supply.
On the other hand, several other communities ''are aggressively seizing smart-growth opportunities,'' the writers note, mentioning Lynn, Salem and Peabody.
Lynn will move power lines from its underused waterfront to prepare it for mixed-use development; the other two are transforming industrial buildings downtown into retail stores, lofts and other residences.
''More diversified types of housing in a region will definitely aid in the economy, especially if there are high-quality options for all income ranges,'' pointed out North Shore Chamber of Commerce President Robert Bradford. ''The suburban sprawl -- people can't afford it any longer.'' -- Boston Globe 7/5/2007
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