Limited development projects final 6 8-2012

Municipal Limited Developments
Wayne Feiden, FAICP
Carolyn Misch, AICP
Sarah LaValley
Municipal Limited Developments Feiden, Misch, LaValley MAPD June 8, 2012

Municipal Limited Developments
Beyond regulator, cheerleader and redevelopment
• Open space
• Affordable & community housing
• Public facilities
• Community development
• Sustainable Transportation
• Economic development

Issues
Role of government
Competition with private sector
Intervene to address market “failures”
Lowest cost method to achieve land
Conflict of interest
– Permit granting role
– Permit applicant role

Assembling
Mineral Hills/Saw Mill Hills
Conservation Areas

Two transactions
Conservation
Two Duplexes
Future Water Tower

LAND Grant
Lot sales (CITY finds buyer)
CPA
water fees

Conservation and Community
Preservation
Staff: balance – represent interests of one
board before another
– CPA role is impartial, ConsCom is not
ConsCom: ‘conservation greed’
• Compromise:
– Reconcile open space with municipal needs
– Private development: more disturbance, less
protection
– Development focus on altered areas

Mineral Hills: Planning Board Permitting
Board objectives
– Resolve history of conflicts
– Cluster units
– Open space acquisition
– Limit new use to disturbed
areas
Board conflicts with
objectives
– Townhouses not consistent
with neighborhood form
– Board advocacy- Benefits
outweigh conflicts

Permitting
Staff conflicts/Consistency
– Building design not reviewed
– Conditioned permit to address traffic
mitigation
City held to higher standards?
– Common driveway
– Minimum street frontage
– Open space acreage (250+)

MARKET
CONSERVATION
RECREATION
HABITAT
MARKET
Westhampton Rd
Landfill expansion buffer needed
Acquire by eminent domain
Multiple objectives possible
City: applicant AND property owner
Landfill buffer
ENTIRE SITE 20 acres

MARKET
CONSERVATION
RECREATION
HABITAT
MARKET
CITY
GIVES land for 6 affordable housing units
SELLS 2 mid-range building lots
GIVES slivers to abutters
Financing: Landfill, CDBG, and Lot Sale
Westhampton Rd
Landfill buffer 5 acres
12 acres
1 acre
6 units
1 unit
1 unit

Westhampton Road: Planning Board
Permitting
Board Objectives
– Affordable Housing
– Minimal Waivers
– Cluster
– Buffers to abutters and landfill
Board conflicts with objectives
– Appropriate location for affordable
units?

Permitting
Staff conflicts
– DPW support for buffer
– Lot sale offsets cost of buffer
Consistency in applying rules
– Water pressure costs added to Habitat costs
City held to higher standards?
– Gift land to abutters

Conservation Land Compromises
Possible endangered species helped foster deal
Area also identified as future multi-use trail route
Clear exception for potential trail development
Need for trust in staff (present and future)
Bio.umass.edu
Balance
Needs

conservation area
Habitat for Humanity
Market Lot
Garfield
Ave
City a responsible party for century old “dump”
Settlement of lawsuit
Multiple objectives possible
City as applicant AND property owner
ENTIRE SITE 15 acres

conservation area
Market Lot
CITY
Caps landfill
GIVES land for 6 affordable housing units
Will SELL land for one building lot
Applies for comprehensive permit
12 acres
Garfield
Ave

Conservation and Community
Preservation
Staff -‘two hats’
– Conservation Agent:
focus on preservation, cleanup
– CPA staffer –
impartial review of Habitat for Humanity application
– Balance of different interests
– ‘Salesman and Teacher’ roles

Garfield: Planning Board Permitting
Board objectives
– Affordable Housing
(in town)
– Infill housing
Board conflicts
– Perceived conflicts
(close landfill)

Garfield
Staff conflicts
– Landfill closure
– Infill housing near landfill
– Affordable housing
– 40B allows more flexibility and creativity

Nature:
Preserve 25% of City
most ecologically valuable and intact areas
Open Space Acquisitions: Nature, People
People:
Quality of life by connecting to all
neighborhoods and urban areas
Its OK for
ConsCom to have a
different goal!

Bean and Allard Farms
Farmland, Conservation, Recreation,
Community Gardens AND building lots

CITY: Obtains special permits &
site plan for private lots

Conservation Issues - Land
ConsCom must approve cluster open spaces
– Ensures ecologically important land protected
– Pressure to approve?
– Competing goals and interests
– Limitations on future field project

Conservation Issues - Permitting
Very high profile project with public support
Difficult balance:
– Wetlands performance standards VS
– good stewardship of public funds
– Immediate need for recreation fields
– Real value of mitigation
Complicated drainage
solution with riverfront
disturbance

Bean Farm: Planning Board
Permitting
Board Objectives
– Sustainable Northampton
Recreation
Agriculture
Open Space
– Floodplain protection
– Cluster
Board conflicts with objectives
– Demand for fields
– Eliminate Board conflicts elsewhere
– Neighborhood Concerns

Permitting
Staff conflicts
– Traffic impacts
– Perception– WP rezoning changes
– City not required to get Site Plan?
City held to higher standard?
– Common driveways
– PV on recreation building
– On site private irrigation
– Bike path connector
– Pervious ‘grasscrete’

Connecticut River Greenway
AND Lane Business Park

Ct.RiverGreenway
Connecticut River
Greenway

Conn. River
Greenway
and
Lane
Business Park
CITY: Applies for site plan and
wetlands public & private uses

Conservation Issues
High visibility project
Zoning-based wetlands ordinance allows
flexibility BUT must meet same performance
standards as private developers
Competing interests?
– Project needs water access
– endangered species
Perception - defensible decision – collaborate
with engineers early in process

CT River Greenway: Permitting
Board objectives
– Recreational access
– Riverfront protection for open space
– Economic Development
– Reuse of existing site
Staff conflicts
– No traffic mitigation required
– Perceptions
City held to higher standard?
– mitigate “off site” to address perception

Conservation and Recreation
Commission walking arm and arm

Limited development projects final 6 8-2012

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